Programme Specialist, Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP) 2.0

The Programme Specialist provides high-level technical expertise and strategic coordination to the African Union Commission (AUC), ensuring alignment of regional policies with international standards to accelerate elimination of violence against women and girls (VAWG), eradication of harmful practices, and advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across Africa under the SIARP 2.0 framework.

Responsibilities

• Ensure programme coordination, provide common strategic guidance and planning, and oversee a coherent and effective implementation of the UNFPA SIARP 2.0 components, identify potential challenges and contribute to solutions.
• Provide substantial guidance to partners on establishment of performance indicators, and monitoring achievement of results.
• Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training, and cross partner learning and sharing, and capacity development initiatives; develop training materials and workshops, as necessary.
• Reinforce partnerships with key stakeholders including youth groups, religious, traditional leaders, and other civil society across the region to ensure inclusion of perspectives and collaboration with the programme.
• Oversee programme liaison with the Civil Society Regional Reference Group (CSRRG) ensuring timely communication of programme developments are shared and recommendations from the reference group are reflected in programme implementation.
• Coordinate the operationalization of women and youth-led accountability frameworks to monitor regional commitments on EVAWG and SRHR.
• Engage in seamless alignment of regional policies with international standards to accelerate the elimination of violence against women and girls (VAWG), harmful practices, and to advance SRHR.
• Ensure long-term sustainability by embedding initiatives into regional policies through multisectoral partnerships that align the efforts of UN agencies, the African Union Commission (AUC), and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
• Support the design of accurate monitoring and communication tools: a communication strategy and plan, terms of reference for evaluations (including baseline, mid-term assessment and end of programme), and a reporting system.
• Review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the elimination of VAWG produced by SIA, and facilitate the co-creation of common communication and advocacy materials, ensuring coherence and visibility of the programme.
• Support the knowledge management practices through the use of digital innovation and smart advocacy strategies to amplify the SIARP 2.0 results.
• Coordinate information on the programme in communication channels – including website, social media and networks, and email newsletters.
• Synthesize joint programme learnings and best practices and disseminate these in collaboration with the Advocacy, Communication and Knowledge Management Officer.
• Provide specialized technical oversight for countries of programme implementation in strategic advocacy, data analytics, policy landscape analysis and partnership with stakeholders.
• Coordinate efforts between the AUC and the Civil Society Regional Reference Group (CSRRG) to enhance visibility, strengthen knowledge-sharing, and promote strategic advocacy for the programme’s impact and sustainability.

Requirements

• A master’s degree in international relations/development, management, public administration, public health, monitoring and evaluation, gender, communication, economics, sociology, demography, statistics, and public policy or equivalent development-related areas.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in designing and managing complex multi-stakeholder and multi-year programmes and doing policy research and advocacy for the elimination of violence against women and girls, ideally with some experience in the African region.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning and project management.
• Experience coordinating joint programmes, working with and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and as well as other multilateral platforms.
• Proven ability to draft, edit and produce written results-focused reports.
• Excellent analytical, communication and negotiation skills.
• Experience in leading/managing communications product development and dissemination.
• Ability to build and motivate / lead cross-cutting teams to produce client-oriented results.
• Thorough understanding of violence against women and girls and gender equality.
• Experience working with and understanding of the African Union Commission and the UN is an asset.
• Excellent oral and written expression.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement.
• Teamwork and Inclusive Collaboration.
• Managing Performance.
• Creative Problem-Solving.
• Feminist and human-rights based principles.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of French is desirable.

Skills

• Programme Design
• Multi-stakeholder Programme Coordination
• Policy Research
• Advocacy for Violence Elimination
• Strategic Planning
• Project Management
• Joint Programme Coordination
• Partnership Building
• Report Writing
• Communications Product Development
• Communications Dissemination
• Team Leadership
• Gender Equality Expertise
• Violence against women
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Performance Management
• Planning and Organization
• Negotiation Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Feminist Principles

Languages

English, French