Job Description

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.

Women’s leadership and decision-making is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work, recognizing women’s role in political and public life as a key driver for strong legislative and policy outcomes and a prerequisite for realizing all human rights. This area contributes towards achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals, namely Goal 5 on gender equality. As part of this work, UN Women works with a range of partners and stakeholders nationally, regionally and internationally to ensure more women of all ages fully participate, lead and engage in decision making systems. The work includes supporting legal and policy reforms to promote women’s equal participation and representation in decision making in public life (including initiatives to address violence against women in politics); building capacities of women to engage in political life; promoting change of gender norms through advocacy and outreach initiatives; and supporting legislative and executive bodies at all levels to deliver gender equality reforms. UN Women works with a range of partners and stakeholders nationally and internationally to ensure more women of all ages fully participate, lead and engage in political institutions

Under the overall guidance of the Chief a.i., Leadership and Decision-Making Section (LDM), the Specialist will: manage the global technical support provided by LDM to guide the implementation of UN Women Strategic Plan Impact 1; manage the implementation of the UN Women-Sida Strategic Partnership Framework (SPF3) component on women’s political participation; and oversee the design of the next phase of the Strategic Partnership Framework (SPF4) ensuring corporate policy coherence and compliance with corporate goals. She/he will oversee implementation of global advocacy initiatives liaising with internal and external stakeholders, UN coordination, donor engagement and partnerships building.

Scope of Work:

Oversee LDM’s corporate processes and institutional strengthening, ensuring programme effectiveness through results-based management

• Oversee the implementation of the SPF3 component on women’s political participation, providing periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports as needed and advise on actions needed to ensure optimal use of funds, in preparation for the programme closure.
• Oversee the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the HQ global technical support on SP Impact Area 1
• Ensure results-based budget management incl. monitoring the LDM AWP work plan implementation against agreed results frameworks and performance indicators, monitoring financial situation to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results.
• Oversee the preparation of workplans and budgets and ensure synergies with other Sections in the Policy Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID);
• Act as thematic focal point for regional and country offices annual peer review of Strategic Notes and Annual Work Plans as needed
• Keep the Section Chief well-informed of activities and new developments on Strategic Plan Impact Area 1 and brief colleagues in the LDM Section as needed.

Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to country offices and national partners on thematic programming to operationalize programming framework/GEA1 Women Lead.

• Support the Section Chief a.i. on driving successful implementation of the SP by operationalizing programming framework/GEA1 Women Lead
• Provide timely and quality technical assistance and advisory services to UN Women regional and country offices to develop strategy and project documents, promoting coordinated programming and linking normative and technical work at global, regional and country levels.
• Manage the SPF3 seed funding mechanism for direct support to country programming ensuring ongoing monitoring to ensure adherence to annual delivery targets and results-based management and reporting.
• Review country office funding proposals and provide substantive advice and ensure compliance with UNW corporate strategies and UN System wide policies on women’s electoral and political participation.
• Liaise with relevant thematic advisors and field offices to support programme development and implementation
• Collect good practices and lessons learned on women’s political participation programming from the field and share with the team’s knowledge management specialist for dissemination.
• Liaise with regional policy specialists and focal points in country offices to support programme development and implementation, and annual corporate planning and reporting.

Oversee the LDM Section’s resource partnerships and communications, donor relations, and resource mobilisation efforts:

• Ensure timely submission of LDM inputs to the SPF4 proposal in coordination with other Sections involved in the programme and PPID Directorate.
• Ensure timely submission of SPF3 related documents for consultations with Sida and NORAD
• Support the preparation of the SPF3 donor’s monitoring mission to Kenya
• Provide quality and timely contributions to partnerships and resource mobilization strategic documents identifying areas of cooperation, and opportunities for cost sharing.
• Ensure timely contributions to corporate policy documents, briefs, and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions and donor proposals.
• Participate in and/or represent the team as needed in internal and external meetings related to global reporting and corporate processes on LDM.

Lead UN Coordination functions

• Support the Chief a.i. as needed in her role as focal point on UN electoral assistance, including representation in relevant interagency mechanisms as needed, and support country offices’ engagement in UN Needs Assessment Mission
• Support partnerships across the UN System, and with donors, international organizations, and civil society groups, to promote women’s equal representation in decision making processes and institutions.
• Timely inputs provided to support senior management in preparation for the UN Secretary General Executive and Deputy Executive Committees.
• Representation in coordination with UN Women PAPDU team and regional advisors, in UN Interagency Working Groups included Interagency Task Forces on elections

Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the LDM Section and the Organisation.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent programme formulation, implementation and Results Based Management skills.
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them.
• Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Sound knowledge on women’s political participation.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification

Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required. A Bachelor university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university.

Experience

• At least 7 years of relevant international working experience with increasing managerial responsibilities in gender equality and international development, and/or related fields.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluating development programmes and projects including on Women’s Political Participation.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors.
• Experience working in the UN System.
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Prior to starting their assignment, Home based International PPSA are responsible for holding a work permit valid for the homebased location during the entire I PPSA duration.

Statements :

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, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, 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 to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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