Programme Specialist, WEE, P3, FTA, Ukraine, Kyiv at UN Women

Role

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation is having a devastating effect on women and girls. More than 1.8 million women and girl are internally displaced. Since 2022, women’s unpaid care work responsibilities have increased, negatively impacting women’s access to employment opportunities and in extension their families. 82 % of people registered as unemployed are women. There’s indirect evidence that the gender pay gap has widened during the full-scale war: by the end of 2024, the gap in job-seeker salary expectations had widened to 25%, up from 15% since the full-scale invasion. The gap increases with age and experience, peaking among those aged 36–45, driven by male concentration in higher-paid sectors such as IT and production. Women represent nearly half of the entrepreneurial sector: approximately 48% of individual entrepreneurs. According to Open DataBot, 61% of all newly registered businesses in 2025 were women, they tend to start businesses in trade, education, and the beauty industry.

Since 2025, Ukraine CO has been implementing its Strategic Note 2025-2029 which contributes to the UNDSDCF 2025-2029 priorities and is aligned with UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2025-2029. The CO implements its programming under three SN Outcomes: 1) Leadership, governance and WPS; 2) Women’s Economic Empowerment; 3) Humanitarian response and coordination. Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), as one of UN Women’s four main impact areas, aims to advance the economic empowerment of women so that they have income security, decent work, and economic autonomy. The CO works closely with the government, WROs, private and public sector companies to 1) promote women’s access to labour market especially in male-dominated sectors such as transport, energy and digital sectors and 2) to support women entrepreneurs through skills development, market driven trainings, community and networking events.

The CO continues its programmatic intervention and resource mobilization efforts to expand its SN Outcome on women’s economic empowerment. Namely, the CO invests in the reskilling initiatives dismantling structural gendered barriers in the traditionally male-dominated sectors, enabling women to obtain professional licenses and secure professional certifications, and seek further employment. This outcome area also entails further support through the ongoing partnerships with over 60 private companies in Ukraine that have signed on to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and are committed to advancing gender equality through their workplace and value chain practices.

The CO will continue its advocacy and communications campaigns in collaboration with the Government to increase women’s confidence in their economic potential and challenge biases about women’s roles in the economy, including in traditionally male-dominated sector.

The expanded WEE work will further leverage the Ukraine CO’s efforts to advance gender equality rights within the EU-related reform agenda in Ukraine, linking to the EU’s standards on decent employment, gender equal pay, gender-responsive procurement, and women’s leadership, as well as the EU’s Care Economy Strategy.

Reporting to the Deputy Representative/Head of Programmes, WEE Programme Specialist will function as the team lead with the responsibility for leading the planning, implementing, and managing the Ukraine CO’s WEE interventions. The Programme Specialist will work in close collaboration with the other programme teams and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE)

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE).

2. Manage the implementation and management of the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) programme

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to personnel and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.

3. Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) programme; respond to any potential problems;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.

4. Manage the monitoring and reporting of WEE programme/ projects

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results based management tools;
• Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
• Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists; Mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

6. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

7. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

• Provide technical support to the Representative, Deputy Representative, and Head of Programming on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

8. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE);
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) as necessary;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on [thematic area].

9. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

Incumbent will lead a team of 4-6 personnel, including programme analysts and an associate.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of women’s economic empowerment area
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, finance, social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects is required.
• Technical experience in women’s economic empowerment area is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an desirable.
• Experience working in the UN System is desirable.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.