Program Officer, Adolescent Girls

United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF)
Program Officer, Adolescent Girls
Vacancy Announcement
    
Overview

The Program Officer, Adolescent Girls will work as part of the Women and Population team to oversee grant making to support the work of the UN and NGOs to improve adolescent girls’ lives worldwide.  S/he will develop and implement grant making criteria, work closely with UN and NGO partners to develop proposals for programs and initiatives for possible UN Foundation support, perform due diligence prior to grant making, and perform and/or ensure rigorous monitoring and evaluation on all grants.  S/he also will contribute to partnership development to fuel the adolescent girl portfolio and ensure appropriate documentation of outcomes from programs and projects supported by the UN Foundation, working closely with other staff to effectively “tell the story” of country-level programs to improve outcomes for and policies impacting marginalized adolescent girls.

Working Relationships

The Program Officer, Adolescent Girls reports to the Director, Women and Population. The Program Officer also works closely with UNF’s cross-departmental Girl Team, as well as other staff in UNF’s Partnership Development, Finance and Grants, and Public Affairs teams.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Develop and Implement Overall Adolescent Girl Strategy; Grant Making Criteria; Solicit, Coordinate, Monitor, and Evaluate the Girl Portfolio:

•    Work with Director, Women and Population, to develop and implement the overall UN Foundation adolescent girl strategy and approach.
•    Develop, implement, and periodically review and revise grant making criteria.
•    Collaborate closely with UN colleagues, particularly the Global Coordinator of the Adolescent Girls Task Force (AGTF) and the co-chairs of the AGTF, to support the UN’s best work to directly benefit adolescent girls. 
•    Solicit proposals from appropriate NGOs to support a bold network of Global South advocates working on behalf of adolescent girls in focus countries.  Monitor work of advocates and advocacy organizations such that each develops metrics, both process and outcomes.
•    Ensure optimal allocation of resources, proper documentation, tracking, and monitoring of all grants in collaboration with other relevant grants administration, finance, and development staff.
•    Conduct field site visits for assessment of project potential, monitoring, and evaluation.  Document findings for public affairs and other purposes.
•    Work closely with grantees and other stakeholders to ensure effective and successful project implementation, including developing and modifying strategies to effectively utilize available resources while fulfilling program goals, facilitating interagency collaboration, and supporting the sustainability and scale of the UN Foundation’s adolescent girl portfolio investments.
•    Ensure rigorous monitoring and evaluation of all grants through direct undertaking of M&E, inclusion of rigorous M&E component in grant agreements and/or recruiting and supervision of an appropriate consultant.

External Partnership Development and Resource Mobilization

•    Assist the Girl Up, Global Partnership and Development teams with the design of project partnerships to provide strategically and technically sound collaboration with external and UN partners, as well as to enhance realization of the UN Foundation’s goals and grant making criteria.
•    Contribute to development of concept notes, proposals, and fundraising appeals to increase resources for the UN Foundation’s adolescent girl portfolio.

Telling the Story – Public Affairs and Resource Mobilization

•    Work closely with the Women and Population, Girl Up and Public Affairs teams to provide accurate and timely substantive information for use in reports, briefings, and partnership development.
•    Coordinate messages and information related to in-country programs and other programmatic content with the Girl Up and Public Affairs team.
•    Assist the Girl Up and Public Affairs team in developing on- and off-line strategies and initiatives that highlight the work of the UN Foundation and of our partners to improve the lvies of adolescent girls.
•    Assist in gathering content from grantees and UN partners and coordinate with the Girl Up and Public Affairs teams as needed to ensure that content is leveraged for UN Foundation story telling and resource mobilization.

Other

•    Participate in special projects as they arise, including research, conferences and seminars, and managing logistics for events and meetings as needed.
•    Develop briefing papers and program-related reports that broadly contribute to the Foundation’s understanding of new approaches and best practices in adolescent girl programming.
•    Participate in appropriate country-level, regional and global conferences, trainings, and consultations to further the goals of the adolescent girl portfolio, such as to enhance advocacy for adolescent girls at country level or to optimize impact of UN programs for girls.

Selection Criteria

•    Advanced degree in public policy, public health, international affairs, gender/women’s studies, law, or other relevant field.
•    5-10 years experience in one or more of the following international development sectors or issue areas: education, health (particularly reproductive or sexual), economic empowerment, advocacy, girls’ and women’s human rights and empowerment; regional expertise (Africa, Asia, Latin America). 
•    Familiarity with UN agencies and processes, particularly at country level, a plus.
•    Experience in complex project development and management, particularly in developing countries.
•    Grant-making experience, particularly development, monitoring and evaluation of grants.
•    Outstanding communication skills including proven ability in: writing, editing, budget development and monitoring, meeting facilitation, and public speaking.
•    Self-starter with excellent judgment; proven ability to drive multiple aspects of projects from inception to implementation within limited timeframe, particularly in developing country contexts.
•    Strong skills working in teams and across many types of organizations – collaborator; problem solver; relationship-builder; and strong inter-personal skills.
•    Stress tolerance and resilience; sense of humor; highly organized; attention to detail; and ability to work under pressure with multiple and shifting priorities.
•    Multi-cultural experience and willingness to travel (at least 25%).
•    Experience in proposal design, fundraising and partnership development.
•    Foreign language fluency preferred, particularly French or Spanish.

Location

Washington, DC

To Apply

Please apply on-line at https://home2.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=2009482

Important note - Our online system allows ONLY ONE document to be uploaded. Please save your resume and cover letter as ONE document BEFORE APPLYING.

All applicants must submit a cover letter - please save upload your resume and cover letter as one document - either .pdf or .doc.

Please contact Nick Bacon by email at gro.noitadnuofnu@nocabn with any questions.
 
UNF/BWF is an AA/EEO employer.
People of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.