Deputy Country Representative

UN Women; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 1,400,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

UN Women South Africa seeks a Deputy Country Representative to lead the country office’s day-to-day operations, guide programme design, and ensure delivery of gender equality initiatives. You will manage a diverse team, coordinate with national partners and UN system entities, and drive resource mobilization and policy-oriented outcomes.

The role requires a Master’s degree (or equivalent) and at least 7 years of senior leadership experience in development or humanitarian settings, with strong

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, public administration, public policy, or related field.
• Or a first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience.
• Project/programme management certification (PMP®, PRINCE2®, MSP®) is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day management of the country office and its operations.
• Lead programme design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of results.
• Ensure compliance, accountability, and resource mobilization in programme delivery.
• Represent UN Women with partners and in interagency coordination.

Skills

Leadership

Programme management

Monitoring & evaluation

Budgeting

Policy advice

Analytical reporting

UN system knowledge

Local country context knowledge

Negotiation

Staff supervision

Education

Master’s degree in international development

Master’s degree in public administration

First-level degree + 2+ years qualifying experience

Project management cert (PMP/PRINCE2/MSP)

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Oracle Cloud ERP

Web-based management systems

Job description

Organizational context: UN Women is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, working to eliminate discrimination and achieve equality between men and women. In South Africa, UN Women supports national partners in implementing commitments to women's rights and gender equality, aligning with the UN-South Africa Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan. The Deputy Country Representative plays a key role in managing the Country Office and contributing to programme design and implementation.

Job purpose: The Deputy Country Representative is responsible for the day-to-day management of the UN Women South Africa Country Office, reporting to the Country Representative. This role significantly contributes to the design, implementation, management, and oversight of the country programme and its supporting operations, ensuring effective and efficient delivery of results aligned with UN Women's Strategic Plan and country-level plans. The incumbent provides strategic guidance, technical support, and leadership to the programme team, contributes to policy development, and represents UN Women in UN system coordination and external partnerships to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.

Responsibilities: The Deputy Country Representative manages the programme team, overseeing daily work, annual work plans, and programme conceptualization, planning, implementation, and monitoring. This includes managing material and financial resources and preparing progress reports. The role provides advisory and specialized technical support on strategic direction, assists in programme design, and ensures compliance and accountability in monitoring and evaluation. The incumbent develops policy documents and serves as a senior member of the management team. They represent UN Women in UN system coordination, including the UN Country Team, and collaborate on interagency coherence and resource mobilization. Additionally, the role supports strategic partnerships and resource mobilization, represents UN Women in advocacy events, and facilitates knowledge management, innovation, and capacity building. Personnel management, including performance management and creating an enabling work environment, is also a key responsibility.

Education: A Master’s degree in international development, public administration, public policy, or a related social science field is required. Alternatively, a first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted. A project/programme management certification (e.g., PMP®, PRINCE2®, MSP®) is considered an advantage.

Work experience: A minimum of 7 years of progressive professional experience is required, combining strategic and managerial leadership in development programmes with a focus on gender equality and women's empowerment at the international level, preferably in developing countries within the UN system. Experience working with multicultural teams in a field-based setting, leading and coaching staff internationally, and proficiency in computer software (MS Word, Excel) and web-based management systems are essential. Experience with an ERP system like Oracle Cloud is desirable.

Skills: Programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation; Operational planning and budgeting; Policy advice; Analytical reporting; Leadership; Results-Based Management; UN system knowledge; Local country context knowledge; Negotiation skills.

Required languages: English

Desired languages: Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish