Job Title: Project Coordination Specialist 
Level: NO-C 
Position Number: 200876 
Job Opening ID:  11686
Location: Kathmandu 
Full/Part Time: Full-Time 
Fixed Term/Temporary: Fixed Term 
Rotational/Non-Rotational: Non-Rotational 
Duration: 1 year (with possibility of extension) 

The Position: 

Under the overall guidance of UNFPA Representative/Deputy Representative and the direct supervision of the Gender and Human Rights Specialist, the Project Coordination Specialist, is located in the Country Office, based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The incumbent will oversee the day-to-day management of the project and ensure close and effective communication and collaboration between Kathmandu and Provincial Support Offices. 

How can you make a difference? 

UNFPA is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, taking the lead in delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s current strategic plan (2022-2025) focuses on three transformative results; to end preventable material deaths; end unmet need for family planning and end gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls. 

UNFPA recruits principled and ethical staff with a firm belief in and commitment to upholding human rights and gender equality, who embody UN international norms and standards including zero tolerance to sexual exploitation and abuse, and who will defend these diplomatically and courageously. 

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results and who are true team workers; we recruit staff who are transparent, accountable, exceptional in how resources entrusted to us are managed and ensure value for money and are committed to delivering excellence in project results. 

Job Purpose: 

Advancing gender equality and promoting the empowerment of women and girls are key priorities that are built in corporate priorities in the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025. 

UNFPA is a leading player in gender-based violence prevention and response in Nepal. The Country Office manages a portfolio of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) projects, focused both on multi sectoral essential response services and prevention of the gender-based violence in Nepal including policy reform. 

UNFPA is implementing a four-year Joint Project (JP) entitled “Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal (Shashakta Mahila, Sambridhha Nepal), in partnership with UNICEF, UNWOMEN and ILO, funded by the European Union and in close coordination with the Government of Nepal. The project will be implemented in three provinces namely Madhesh, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces from 2023 to 2026. The JP seeks to address the formal and informal barriers women and girls are confronted with to enjoy their human rights through an integrated gender transformative approach. UNFPA will be leading the work around gender based violence component including prevention, response and the policy reform and thereby contributing to advance gender equality and women empowerment. 

Under the overall guidance of UNFPA Representative/Deputy Representative and the direct supervision of the Gender and Human Rights Specialist, the Project Coordination Specialist is directly responsible for the project management, implementation and coordination of the Empowered Women Prosperous Nepal (EWPN) Project. This will include the provision of high quality technical, advocacy and coordination support in order to ensure compliance with international standards across the areas of UNFPA mandated areas of work. 

You would be responsible for: 

A. Overseeing Project Implementation and Achievement of Results: 

• Facilitating to ensure effective implementation of the program with a closer working relationship and collaboration between implementing partners on the roll out of the EWPN Project. 
• Building and maintaining strong networks and engagement with key government partners including the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC), Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP)) and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate closer cooperation and collaboration on the EWPN project. 
• Promoting a high standard of compliance with UNFPA rules and regulations, including financial requirements and management, provide guidance on effective implementation of the EWPN project, in compliance with requirements and due diligence processes. 
• Guiding implementing partners on the implementation and proper application of UNFPA policies, strategies, guidelines and tools, ensuring consistency and coherence in addressing UNFPA priorities. 
• Contributing to the reporting on the achievement of EWPN project results, and proactively measuring substantive progress and the effective utilization of financial and human project resources, using timely and appropriate monitoring and measuring mechanisms and tools. 
• Incorporating results from project reviews and evaluations, best practices, as well as innovative strategies, approaches and policies into the formulation of interventions in ongoing project activities.

B. Partnerships and Coordination 

• Facilitating the coordination and integration between all components of the EWPN Program and other projects, in particular the integration between GBV, Gender and Human Rights, Comprehensive Sexuality Education and harmful practices programming. 
• Promoting UNFPA’s values and ensuring projects’ visibility and exploring collaboration with other relevant UN Agencies drawing on their comparative advantage to specific areas of the project. 
• Facilitating project governance to ensure necessary direction and timely decision-making in order to deliver on requirements. 

C. Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and knowledge management 

• Contributing to analyzing and reporting on program and project progress in terms of achieving results, using existing monitoring and evaluation tools and introducing new mechanisms and systems 
• Ensuring all M&E system reporting is done on time and to the expected quality. 
• Contributing to the preparation of work plans by the implementing partners, monitoring and evaluating progress according to the project monitoring plan, including contracts with UNFPA partners towards projected program results; and documenting and applying lessons learned to close the gaps. 
• Contributing to ensure effective knowledge management strategies are implemented by the Project team, capturing lessons learned and best practices for future planning; addressing training needs of project personnel. 

D. Management responsibilities: 

• Supervising, mentoring, and coaching the team members to strengthen or further develop their capacity. This includes the implementation of UNFPA performance management system for his/her direct reports in Madhesh, SudurPaschim, and Karnali Provinces. 
• Ensuring full awareness and adherence to all organizational policies (travel, vehicle, procurement, human resources, etc). 
• Liaising with UNFPA Brussels office for the strategic guidance and smooth implementation of the project. 
• Liaising with the Operations Manager, the Gender Outcome Team Leader, Representative, Deputy Representative and relevant project units in the UNFPA Country Office in Kathmandu to strengthen Country Office support to field-based office and staff. 
• Liaising with implementing partners for the management and mitigation of risk across the project at the Federal, Provincial and Local government levels, escalating key risks as necessary. 

E. Other 

• Perform any other duties as required by the Representative and supervisor. 
• Collaborates with team members, programme partners, and sub-grantees to ensure safe implementation of programmes at the community level applying Do No Harm approach.

Qualifications and Experience Education: 

Master's Degree in Women’s or Gender Studies, Social Work, Development Studies or other social sciences or public/community health, as it relates to gender and GBV. 

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least 5 years of increasingly responsible relevant professional experience in project and project management, including large multi-sectoral projects, designing and appraising proposals and actively liaising with relevant and potential project partners; 
• Strong English, oral and writing skills, including proposal development and report writing for complex projects and interventions; 
• Knowledge of gender issues in development, particularly GBV prevention, response and referral pathways, including relevant international human rights standards; 
• Demonstrated management and oversight experience with the capacity to lead diverse teams, strongly preferred; 

Languages: 

Fluency in English and Nepali. 

Functional Competencies: 

• Exemplifying integrity, 
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 
• Embracing cultural diversity, 
• Embracing change 

Core Competencies: 

• Achieving results, 
• Being accountable, 
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen, 
• Thinking analytically and strategically, 
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships, 
• Communicating for impact 
• Delivering results-based projects 
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilisation 

Managerial Competencies: 

• Providing strategic focus 
• Engaging in internal/external partners and stakeholders 
• Leading, developing and empowering people, creating a culture of performance 
• Making decisions and exercising judgment 

UNFPA Work Environment 

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, Embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities for all including persons with disabilities. 

In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.