Junior Professional Officer (gn) Planning & Coordination Analyst

JPO (gn) Planning & Coordination Analyst

Sector of Assignment: Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA)

Organization/Office: UN WOMEN Uganda Country Office

Duty Station: Ka

Duration of assignment: 2 years with possibility of extension for another year. The extension of appointment is subject to yearly review concerning priorities, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance.

Please note that for participants of the JPO-Programme two years work experience are mandatory! Relevant work experience can be counted. In order to assess the eligibility of the candidates, we review the relevant experience acquired after obtaining the first university degree (usually bachelor’s degree).

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. UN Women Uganda serves as the lead UN agency on gender equality and women’s empowerment, working to ensure that global commitments are translated into impactful national action. Through implementation of its Strategic Note (2026-2030), the Country Office will play a catalytic role in supporting the implementation of Uganda’s National Development Plan IV and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2026– 2030, while aligning with UN Women’s global Strategic Plan (2016-2029). Through its coordination, normative, and operational mandates, UN Women Uganda advances results across key areas including Gender-Responsive Governance; Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE); Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG); Women Peace and Security (WPS); and Humanitarian Action.

UN Women co-chairs the UN Human Rights and Gender Advisory Group (HRGAG), leads gender mainstreaming across the UN system, and serves as Secretariat to the Gender Development Partners Group (GDPG). The country office works closely with UN agencies; government institutions; civil society; development partners; and private sector, to promote accountability, coherence, and joint action on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (GEWE). Increasingly, UN Women Uganda is also bolstering partnerships with the private sector to leverage innovation, investment, and influence in support of gender responsive development. With the adoption of the UN Women Coordination Strategy (2024), the Country Office is further strengthening its role in driving system-wide coordination and supporting the integration of gender across all sectors and levels.

This role will therefore offer the JPO a unique opportunity to contribute to high-level coordination and normative work, while gaining exposure to multi-sectoral partnerships; including with government, civil society, development partners, and the private sector. The JPO will support efforts to strengthen gender-responsive collaboration across these actors, helping to leverage innovation, resources, and influence to advance inclusive development and accelerate progress on gender equality in Uganda.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the Planning and Coordination Analyst will provide support to the Country Representative in strategic programme planning, inter-agency coordination, resource mobilization and partnership building, as well as advocacy and communication.

1. Provide support to the Country Representative in support of UN Women’s gender coordination and normative mandate

1. Provide technical assistance to Uganda CO in support of UN Women’s gender coordination, normative and UN Area Coordination (UNAC) efforts;
2. Draft strategic papers, concepts, documents, talking points, briefs, and other materials or plans for the use in processes linked to UN Women’s coordination and normative mandate and/or management of key initiatives;
3. Identify areas for support and interventions on gender coordination and normative processes in collaboration with the UNCT Gender Advisor and the Human Rights and Gender Advisory Group (HRGAG) including for implementation of agreed workplans and actions;
4. Provide substantive inputs into document and processes as well as identification of potential challenges for country level and regional interventions;
5. Develop strategic documents; review and provide feedback to project/ program strategies and documents, workplans based on UN women’s coordination and normative mandates.

2. Provide technical support to the Country Representative and Uganda Country Office on inter-agency coordination

1. Provide technical support to joint inter-agency UN planning processes and similar exercises;
2. Prepare briefing materials for the CO on issues to be discussed in the UN and other events and meetings;
3. Prepare background materials and analysis for the Resident Coordinator (RC) and the UN Country Team (UNCT) on the gender dynamics and opportunities to support inclusive engagement of women in the development assistance provided by the UNCT;
4. Provide technical support to UNCT in monitoring and reporting on GEWE (including UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard comprehensive rollout and follow-up) and prepare analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s programme experiences, as necessary;
5. Work closely with the Country Representative to manage the secretariat of the Gender Development Partners Group (GDPG), Human Rights Gender Advisory Group (HRGAG) and contribute to strengthening advocacy, strategic partnerships and coordination for GEWE within the UN System and with external partners, including government and development partners;
6. Provide substantive inputs to CCA/ UNSDCF, National Development Plan (NDP), Strategic Note (SN) development/review and other strategic processes, analyzing and researching the political, social and economic contexts.

3. Input into mapping of GEWE-related normative issues based on findings and recommendations of normative review processes and Human Rights treaty body mechanisms and special procedures, ensuring that GEWE concerns are clearly captured to support their mainstreaming in these processes. Provide technical support to the development of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization efforts

1. Provide support in managing activities and other promotional events to engage bilateral and multilateral institutions/ donors, private sector and civil society to expand and/or sustain interest and resources for UN Women programmes and joint UN system programmes;
2. Prepare background documents and analysis for the Country Representative to forge and implement strategic partnerships to increase outreach on UN Women’s work in country;
3. Provide support to development partners and national counterparts on implementation of key UN frameworks and conventions on gender equality;
4. Provide network and capacity development to partner Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders, as necessary.

4. Support Uganda Country Office and other partners on GEWE-related normative commitments

1. Support the Uganda CO thematic units, sub offices and partners in intergovernmental/ multi-stakeholder fora, including in relation to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action+30 reviews, the Universal Periodic Reviews, the annual sessions of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) (global level and regional consultations), the Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals, and other relevant international platforms and processes (at global, regional and country levels);
2. Support capacity building of Government, Implementing Partners, Stakeholders, Uganda CO units, UNCT and UNAC actors as needed, to ensure that they can meaningfully engage in gender integration and implement gender responsive action;
3. Build, manage, and expand relationships with national and regional partners to advocate for translating international standards and norms on GEWE into action, including by designing and implementing joint actions and initiatives, ensuring meaningful engagement of diverse Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and representative of women and girls in all their diversity;
4. Provide substantive inputs to advance resource mobilization actions and participate in sundry events, as delegated;
5. Participate in and contribute to policy dialogues around gender equality and the empowerment of women, as necessary.

5. Facilitate knowledge building and sharing

1. Provide support to the development and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned; ensure incorporation into programme planning;
2. Facilitate the development of analytical knowledge products on regional progress on normative commitments to advance GEWE, in close consultation with the Gender Group Coordinator;
3. Review and provide feedback to project/ program related knowledge products and publications, as needed;
4. Contribute to capacity building exercises, as necessary.

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

V. Key Performance Indicators

1. Timely and quality contributions to the CO’s coordination efforts
2. Quality inputs and technical support provided to UN agencies
3. Quality inputs to planning processes and reports, and quality support to the Country Representative
4. Increased awareness of UN Women’s work
5. Increased resources mobilized and interest in GEWE among partners and donors

Core Values

1. Respect for Diversity
2. Integrity
3. Professionalism

Core Competencies

1. Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
2. Accountability
3. Creative Problem Solving
4. Effective Communication
5. Inclusive Collaboration
6. Stakeholder Engagement
7. Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

1. Good knowledge of gender equity and women’s empowerment issues
2. Good knowledge of UN system and understanding of inter-agency coordination processes
3. Good knowledge of results based programme planning and management
4. Ability to promote and monitor inclusion of gender-specific objectives, indicators, targets and activities in the UN agencies programmes
5. Good analytical skills
6. Ability to provide advice and support.

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification

1. Master’s degree in international development, public administration, public policy, or other relevant social science field is required.
2. A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience

1. At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience working with inter-agency coordination and strategic programme planning processes;
2. Experience in the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes;
3. Experience working in gender equality and women’s rights at the international level is an asset;
4. Experience working in developing countries within the UN system, Agencies, Funds or Programs is an asset.

Language Requirements

1. Fluency in English is required
2. Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset

1. Title of Supervisor: Country Representative
2. Content and methodology of supervision: Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will work jointly with the direct supervisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO and supervisor.
3. Evaluation: UN Women Performance Management and Development (PMD) tool will serve as a primary platform to evaluate of the JPO’s performance.

Training components

1. Participation in a UN Women Induction Course in New York or remotely if applicable.
2. UN Women mandatory online training courses.
3. Access to online training and learning resources of the Learning Management System to develop management skills as well as knowledge in specific technical areas in line with the individual learning plan developed annually with the supervisor.
4. Use of yearly JPO duty-related travel and training allocation (DTTA), as per the online DTTA guide.

Learning components

On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have/be able to have gained practical experience in advancing gender coordination, normative mandates and strategic partnerships within a UN Country Office, while strengthening her/his strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement, and inter-agency collaboration skills. In addition to strengthening of UN Women competencies skills set, in particular those listed below, the JPO will also acquire some of the following:

1. Practical knowledge of Gender Coordination, including the UNSDCF, UNCT, Development Partners and Government coordination mechanisms;
2. Experience in drafting strategic documents, policy briefs, and advocacy materials aligned with global gender equality frameworks;
3. Skills in facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues and managing partnerships with government, civil society, development partners and the Private Sector;
4. Exposure to normative frameworks and platforms such as CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action, CSW, the SDGs, UNSWAP Gender Equality Scorecard, and how they are operationalized at country level;
5. Capacity to contribute to resource mobilization efforts and support joint programming initiatives;
6. Analytical skills for monitoring, reporting, and producing knowledge products on gender equality and women’s empowerment.