Regional Portfolio Specialist, Africa - UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, Nairobi, Kenya (P-3 FTA)

About UN Women and the UN Trust Fund

UN Women is dedicated to achieving gender equality by eliminating discrimination and promoting empowerment for women and girls worldwide, aligned with the United Nations Charter. Established in 1996, the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls (UN Trust Fund) is the sole global UN funding mechanism exclusively supporting civil society organizations in preventing and ending all forms of violence against women and girls. UN Women administers this fund, providing institutional backing and field support through a worldwide network of offices.

With nearly 30 years of expertise, the Fund supports feminist, survivor-centered, and demand-driven grant-making, prioritizing those addressing intersecting discrimination faced by marginalized women and girls. It has backed over 725 projects in 140+ countries, fostering sustainable local efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Role Overview

Reporting to the UN Trust Fund Global Grants Manager, the Regional Portfolio Specialist for Africa manages the grants portfolio for the region, ensuring effective implementation of grant-making, monitoring, capacity building, learning, and partnership initiatives. This role delivers strategic and technical assistance to grantees to maintain high-quality EVAW/G programming, institutional resilience, risk management, and compliance with UN standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead comprehensive guidance to grantees on all aspects of EVAW program design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Advise partners on feminist and survivor-centered programming methodologies, safeguarding, data ethics, and partnership development.
• Champion feminist learning and adaptive management to enhance partner sustainability and institutional resilience.
• Support institutional strengthening in governance, financial and operational management, and compliance.
• Design and deliver capacity-building initiatives such as workshops, webinars, and peer-learning sessions.
• Identify and mitigate institutional capacity gaps and risks, crafting tailored support plans.
• Ensure compliance with UN safeguarding, anti-fraud, and accountability standards.
• Develop tools and resources promoting high-quality grant implementation and institutional enhancement.
• Conduct missions to support program development, partnership building, and monitor principled project execution.
• Uphold gender-transformative, survivor-centered approaches aligned with international norms.
• Provide targeted technical support to partners facing complex operational or programmatic challenges.
• Analyze regional EVAW/G trends and integrate evidence into programming to ensure contextual relevance.
• Manage and monitor grants through the entire lifecycle, including reviews of proposals, budgets, monitoring frameworks, and strategic adjustments.
• Coordinate operational processes such as budget revisions, disbursements, agreement amendments, and project closures.
• Systematically assess grantee performance using reports, monitoring visits, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate closely with finance and operations teams to address fiduciary and operational risks, especially in fragile and humanitarian contexts.
• Ensure adherence to strategic priorities including Leave No One Behind commitments.
• Identify and escalate significant portfolio risks promptly.
• Collaborate with programme and finance associates and UN Women focal points for integrated portfolio oversight.
• Engage in grant selection, appraisal, and quality assurance processes including guidance document development and proposal assessments.
• Support partner assessments and risk analyses to inform grant decisions.
• Manage end-to-end project support based on demand and needs in collaboration with CSOs and women's rights organizations.
• Facilitate engagement with advisory committees, UN Women offices, and inter-agency stakeholders during grant selection and portfolio management.
• Lead knowledge generation and strategic learning by analyzing grantee data, reports, and portfolio trends.
• Contribute to regional thematic analyses, strategic reporting, donor reports, and communications development.
• Support monitoring missions, feedback mechanisms, and learning exercises within the portfolio.
• Maintain precise portfolio tracking systems and grant management databases.
• Serve as liaison between regional stakeholders and UN Trust Fund headquarters, forging strategic partnerships and ensuring portfolio coherence.
• Represent the Fund in regional consultations, technical meetings, and stakeholder engagements as required.

Supervision

This position manages one Programme and Finance Associate within the region.

Core Competencies and Values

• Integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity.
• Gender sensitivity and accountability.
• Creative problem-solving and effective communication.
• Inclusive collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
• Leadership through example.

Functional Expertise

• Deep understanding of gender equality, women’s rights, feminist movements, and EVAW/G programming.
• Knowledge of Africa’s socio-political context related to EVAW/G issues.
• Experience with feminist grant-making, results-based management, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Skill in providing technical advice on program design, safeguarding, and adaptive management.
• Budget review and financial planning proficiency.
• Strong analytical skills to synthesize complex programmatic and operational data into actionable insights.
• Capability to manage multi-country grant portfolios in diverse operational environments.
• Relationship building with civil society, UN entities, donors, and regional partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including report writing and knowledge product development.
• Ability to work independently within a decentralized structure across different time zones.
• Proficient in MS Office and familiar with UN programme management systems; knowledge of ERP/Quantum is a plus.

Educational Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender Studies, or related discipline required.
• A first-level university degree with two additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.