UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It works with governments, civil society, and international partners to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, promote women’s rights, and advance gender equality across development, humanitarian, peace, and security agendas.
This position is based within the UN Women Liaison Office to the African Union and UNECA (AULO) in Addis Ababa, which supports collaboration with continental institutions to drive gender equality and women’s empowerment across Africa.
The role supports the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP) 2.0, a flagship regional programme implemented with the African Union Commission, EU, UN agencies, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), civil society organizations, and other partners.
SIARP 2.0 focuses on:
Ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG)
Eliminating harmful practices
Advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
Strengthening policy frameworks and accountability systems
Promoting meaningful civil society participation
A key component of the programme is the establishment of the Civil Society Regional Reference Group (CSRRG), which will provide strategic guidance, advocacy support, accountability oversight, and linkages with civil society networks across Africa.
Key Responsibilities
Reporting to the SIARP 2.0 Programme Coordinator, the Partnership Specialist will:
Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement
Support the establishment and operationalization of the CSRRG.
Coordinate engagement with civil society organizations, women-led organizations, feminist movements, youth networks, and strategic partners across Africa.
Strengthen collaboration among UN agencies, the African Union Commission, RECs, and other stakeholders.
Develop and maintain strategic partnerships supporting EVAWG and SRHR objectives.
Programme Coordination
Organize meetings, consultations, workshops, missions, dialogues, and regional events.
Support implementation of civil society engagement, advocacy, accountability, and partnership activities.
Track programme commitments, deliverables, and stakeholder engagement activities.
Maintain stakeholder databases and partnership-tracking systems.
Monitoring, Reporting & Knowledge Management
Prepare reports, briefing notes, presentations, meeting summaries, and donor inputs.
Monitor programme progress and compile performance data.
Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and success stories.
Support communication, visibility, and advocacy efforts.
Compliance & Accountability
Ensure adherence to UN Women policies and procedures.
Support safeguarding, PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), anti-fraud, and partnership accountability requirements.
Contribute to monitoring, learning, and donor reporting processes.
Requirements
Education
Master’s degree in Gender & Development, International Development, Public Administration. Public Policy, or another relevant social science field.
Alternative: A bachelor's degree plus two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of a master's degree.
Experience
Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in Programme coordination, Partnership management, Advocacy, Reporting on donor-funded projects at regional or international level.
Required Expertise
Gender equality and EVAWG programming.
Civil society engagement and partnership development.
Working with women's rights organizations, feminist networks, and youth groups.
Multi-stakeholder coordination and collaboration.
Languages
English: Fluent (Required)
Special Notice
UN Volunteers serve full-time in their professional expertise, supported by a benefits package, including a monthly living allowance (MLA) to ensure a secure standard of living at their duty stations.
Current MLA: US$ 2,815 to US$ 3,265
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Entitlement Calculator on UVP
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