UN Women: Programme Lead, Global Grants Portfolio, Bonn, P-4

Background:

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.

Established by UN General Assembly Resolution 50/166 in 1996, the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) is the first and remains the only global UN funding mechanism dedicated exclusively to providing direct grants to civil society organizations working to prevent and end all forms of violence against women and girls (EVAW/G). Since 2010, UN Women has administered the UN Trust Fund on behalf of the UN system, providing a strong institutional foundation and field support through a global infrastructure of country and regional offices. 

With nearly three decades of experience, the UN Trust Fund has become a key global mechanism for funding initiatives that aim to eliminate violence against women and girls. It plays a critical role in fostering collaboration across governments, UN agencies, and civil society to address the root causes and consequences of violence, aligning its work with broader international policies and frameworks. The UN Trust Fund focuses on providing long-term grants to organizations that work in diverse contexts, particularly those representing marginalized groups, such as indigenous women, women living with disabilities, and women from rural or conflict-affected areas. Its investments are survivor-centered and aim to have sustainable, long-term impacts. To date, the UN Trust Fund has funded over 700 initiatives in over 140 countries and territories, significantly contributing to global efforts to end violence against women and girls. 

Working under the overall leadership of the Chief of the Trust Fund, and reporting to the UN Trust Fund Deputy Chief the Programme Lead, Global Grants Portfolio will be responsible for (1) Providing strategic leadership and oversight of the UN Trust Fund’s global grant-making portfolio, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and effective implementation across regions and thematic areas; (2)  Managing the full lifecycle of grant-making processes, including the Annual Call for Proposals, portfolio performance, risk management, and capacity development of grantees; and (3)  Fostering knowledge exchange and strategic engagement, including collaboration with internal and external partners, contributing to advocacy and reporting, and supporting innovation and continuous improvement in grant-making approaches.

Functions:

Strategic Global Grant Portfolio Leadership and Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the planning, implementation, and performance management of the UN Trust Fund’s global grant portfolio, ensuring alignment with the Fund’s Strategic Plan, Results Framework, and evolving global priorities to end violence against women and girls.
• Lead the design, evolution, and continuous improvement of grant-making frameworks, methodologies, and processes to ensure innovation, responsiveness, and effectiveness across all regions and thematic priorities.
• Oversee programmatic and operational performance of the global portfolio, ensuring robust risk management (in coordination with the Operations and CD Manager), results-based management, and early identification of challenges and opportunities in collaboration with Regional Programme Specialists, M&E and Operations teams.
• Collaborate closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management and the Advocacy and Communications teams to translate portfolio trends into knowledge products, donor updates or pitches, and global advocacy content.
• Foster evidence-based decision-making on grantmaking direction, knowledge and advocacy through development of strategic analyses, trend reports, and lessons learned. 
• Contribute to strategic foresight by identifying emerging issues, gaps, and opportunities for innovation within the global grant portfolio, ensuring the Fund remains at the forefront of global efforts to end violence against women and girls.
• Represent the Fund in inter-agency coordination mechanisms, global conferences, and high-level technical forums to share knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and position the Fund as a leader in grant-making for women’s rights organizations.
• Provide regular portfolio updates and strategic recommendations to the Chief of the UN Trust Fund

Lead the UN Trust Fund Annual Call for Proposals & Special Windows

• Lead the end-to-end strategy, planning, and implementation of the UN Trust Fund’s Annual Call for Proposals, ensuring clarity