Background:
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.ย A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.ย 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; fosters womenโs empowerment and equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, peace and security.ย UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN systemโs work in advancing gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030 Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.ย
In Timor-Leste, UN Womenโs goal is to promote womenโs human rights and gender equality as the country builds on its progress toward lasting peace, stability, and inclusive development. This includes efforts to ensure womenโs right to live free from violence; to strengthen womenโs economic empowerment and leadership; and to support the realization of international commitments to gender equality and womenโs empowerment through gender-responsive planning and budgeting.
Despite gains in girlsโ educational attainment in Timor-Leste, these advances have yet to translate into equitable participation in the economy. Marginalized youth, particularly rural girls,face multiple and intersecting barriers including early marriage, unpaid caregiving burdens, digital exclusion, and lack of access to safe, inclusive, and empowering vocational training. Women and girls working in agriculture, hospitality, and informal sectors remain underrepresented in leadership and entrepreneurial roles, further entrenching cycles of economic vulnerability.
To address these challenges, UN Women Timor-Leste in partnership with the British Council has launched the ASEAN-UK SAGE Skills Training for Economic Empowerment (STEP) pilot project, an initiative to equip the marginalized youth in Lautem and Oecusse with skills in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and digital technologies. Implemented by UN Women in partnership with the British Council, SEAMEO, and ACER, the project builds on the existing national infrastructure, working through Community Learning Centres (CLCs) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions under the Ministry of Education (MoE). The initiative will deliver a gender-transformative entrepreneurship course and build the capacity of national teachers through a dedicated Training of Teachers (ToT) programme. All course content will integrate gender-responsive pedagogies, challenge harmful social norms, and create pathways to sustainable income-generating opportunities.
The STEP project, under the ASEAN-UK PACT SAGE Programme Pillar 3, reflects a broader commitment to inclusive, gender-responsive economic development. By anchoring the pilot within existing public education systems, the project seeks to establish scalable models for empowering young women and men to participate in the evolving economy.
To ensure effective coordination, implementation, and sustainability of the initiative, the National Programme Coordination Officerย will be embedded within the Ministry of Education. This role will provide day-to-day technical support to the Ministry in supporting the STEP project implementation and coordination, facilitate collaboration with the Ministry and other relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the integration of project results within national systems and strategies.
Theย National Programme Coordination Officerย will serve as the UN Womenโs focal point with Ministry of Education for the UK STEP project implementation, facilitating coordination, policy integration, and technical support to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and partnership management.
Key Functions and Accountabilities
Under the overall guidance of the Head of Office of UN Women Timor-Leste and direct supervision of the Programme Manager for Womenโs Economic Empowerment, ย the National Programme Coordination Officerย will be based at the Ministry of Education with the responsibility to:
Ensure effective coordination and provide implementation support, including:
Serve as the MoE focal point for STEP project activities. Coordinate with UN Women and British Council on implementation, logistics, and delivery of the entrepreneurship training program in pilot municipalities. Ensure timely roll-out of teacher trainings, curricula dissemination, and student recruitment in collaboration with CLCs and vocational schools. Monitor progress of training delivery and field-based mentoring support to teachers.Carry out stakeholder engagement:
Liaise regularly with school directors, teachers, curriculum department, local authorities, and CSOs to support implementation. Participate in community outreach and mobilization sessions to encourage enrolment of marginalized girls. Support coordination with MoE technical departments (curriculum, recurrent education, partnerships, etc.).Ensure policy and institutional alignment;
Provide technical inputs to ensure project alignment with MoE priorities and national education strategies. Support institutionalization of the pilot training model, including feedback to curriculum development and monitoring tools. Contribute to integration and scale-up planning of the project within MoE systems post-pilot.Support project monitoring, reporting and documentation;
Monitor activities implementation progress and provide regular updates to MoE leadership and UN Women. Contribute to reports, data collection, site visits, and feedback loops including mid-term and end-line reviews. Maintain documentation of lessons learned and best practices.Required Experience and Qualifications
Education:
Experience:
Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in programme implementation, coordination, or project management, preferably in the education, youth development, or gender equality. Demonstrated experience working closely with government counterparts, particularly the Ministry of Education or other line ministries in Timor-Leste, at both national and municipal levels. Proven ability to engage and coordinate with diverse stakeholders, including civil society organizations (CSOs), local authorities, community-based groups, and development partners. Experience in community outreach and mobilization, awareness raising and training with local communities. Experience in policy formulation, curriculum development and dissemination, as well as the institutionalization of training curricula within national systems.Familiarity with TVET, non-formal education systems, and/or community learning centres (CLCs) in Timor-Leste would be an asset.Skills and Competencies:
Strong coordination and facilitation skills, with the ability to manage relationships across institutional, community, and sectoral levels. Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines under pressure. Solid understanding of programme planning, implementation, and monitoring frameworks. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical information clearly to non-technical audiences. Commitment to gender equality, social inclusion, and the empowerment of marginalized groups.Languages:
Fluency in Tetum and working proficiency in English is required. Knowledge of Portuguese is an advantage.Core Values:
Respect for Diversity Integrity ProfessionalismCore Competencies:
Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues Accountability Creative Problem Solving Effective Communication Inclusive Collaboration Stakeholder Engagement Leading by ExamplePlease visit this link for more information on UN Womenโs Core Values and Competencies:ย
https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values
Functional Competenciesย
Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills Good budget and finance skillsย Good knowledge of Results Based Management Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations Good analytical skills Knowledge of UN programme management systemsStatements :
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
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