UNDP Jobs - 33897- Gender and Policy Advisor

Gender and Policy Advisor

Location :

Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

23-Nov-12 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP supports the Ministry of Women's Affairs of Cambodia (MoWA) in strengthening its capacity to fulfil its mandate of coordinating and monitoring gender mainstreaming into national policies, strategies and programmes. Since its establishment in 1996, the Ministry has achieved considerable success in making gender mainstreaming an increasingly prominent policy-making factor in Cambodia. MoWA has been actively involved in the formulation of the country's important policy and planning documents. It participated in the work on localizing the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and producing Cambodia's first national MDG report, the development of Governance Action Plan II, in the formulation, mid-term review and the update of the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) and more recently in engendering the government reform programmes on Decentralization and De-concentration; Public Financial Management; Public Administrative, as well as the national statistical system. Significant progress has also been made through establishment and strengthening national mechanisms for gender mainstreaming including establishment of the Technical Working Group on Gender (TWG-G) as part of the Government-Development partner Coordination Committee (GDCC) and establishment of Gender Mainstreaming Action Groups (GMAGs) in all line ministries. The Ministry presides over the Technical Working Group on Gender (TWG-G) that brings together different sectors of government, civil society and donor community on a regular basis for sharing information and discussing and monitoring gender related issues and progress. In line with the government and donor commitment to aid effectiveness, MoWA will start the preparation for a programme based approach (PBA) to gender mainstreaming aiming at strengthening government ownership and leadership of the gender development agenda in a more harmonized approach that shifts away from individual donor supported projects.

For 2011-2015, the United Nations in Cambodia has identified gender equality and women’s empowerment as a cross-cutting priority and one of the five outcomes of the new United National Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). In support of the UNDAF, UNDP Cambodia is now in the process of developing its new five-year Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) for 2011-2015, in which gender is also one of the key strategic programme areas. The next phase of UNDP’s supports aims to ensure that the gender sensitive policies and plans for CMDG acceleration are actually implemented and make an impact on the status, rights and choices of Cambodian women. UNDP will:

Scale up support to key sectors (Environment and Climate change, Sub-National Democratic Development (SNDD), Gender based budgeting in the Public Financial Management reform (PFM), Civil Service reform, and Labour) thus contributing to recruit and retain more women in civil service at national and sub national level; increase women participation decision making; increase women’s access to decent work and economic opportunities, increase women’s voices and inclusion of their concerns in local development plans; identify strategically ‘smart’ investments in sector budgets impacting on CMDG achievement; and reduce the burden on women for wood and water collection.
Increase access to gender-sensitive business development services for women small entrepreneurs providing them with technical and business skill (including adult women literacy).
Scale up preventive responses to Gender Based Violence.

The Gender and Policy Advisor will be based at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and is expected to provide high level policy advice and technical support to contribute to the implementation of the Neary Rattanak III in key sectors (decentralization, climate change, public financial management reform, public administration reform, other). The Gender and Policy Adviser will provide advisory support and strategic direction to the PGE III programme management and staff for successful implementation of the programme activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Under the overall strategic guidance and supervision of UNDP Deputy Country Director (Programme), Gender and Policy Advisor works in close coordination and cooperation with the Assistant Country Director of Governance Unit, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, the National Programme Director and National Programme Manager to provide high level policy advice to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in carrying out its mandate of advocating, coordinating and monitoring gender mainstreaming in national policies, strategies and programmes.

The Gender and Policy Advisor will be carrying out her/his assignment in the context of the Partnership for Gender Equity Programme (2011-2015). The Gender and Policy Advisor will perform the following key functions:

A. Strategic advice and direction to MoWA and programme management for the implementation of the Programme

1. Policy and institutional capacity development

Provide technical advice and support to the MoWA Minister and Senior Management on institutional capacity development and management.
Coordinate the development of MoWA Capacity Development Strategy, identify the needs and initiate capacity development interventions aimed at strengthening institutional structures, and the required functional skills, technical knowledge and leadership skills of MoWA Senior Management and staff. Key capacity building areas will include department level planning, gender-responsive policy development and programming from formulation to monitoring, communications and advocacy.
Provide technical inputs in establishing and strengthening the capacity of an inter-departmental gender mainstreaming training team based on capacity assessment of MoWA.
Provide technical advice and support for the effective functioning of the key technical departments as the direct partners with PGE III and particularly in support of the Policy Office of the Department of Gender Equality, the department of International Cooperation, Department of Planning and Statistics, Department of Economic Development, Department of Legal Protection, Department of Education and the TWG-Gender Secretariat.
Prepare background and policy brief on emerging issues and synthesize national and international best practices and lessons learned relevant to MoWA and UNDP programme goals; identify sources of information related to policy-driven issues.
Enhance capacity for gender mainstreaming and gender analysis of MoWA technical staff in the context of the PGE III, including to enable them to support the implementation of gender mainstreaming action plans of selected line ministries and to effectively monitoring and assess the implementation of national policies and strategies against gender-related targets and goals.
Mentor and coach MoWA and programme staff in relation to gender sector analysis, gender mainstreaming, gender monitoring and advocacy.

2. Strategic advice and direction for PGE implementation

a. Gender-responsive policies, plans and budgets and aid coordination

Enhance the gender analysis capacity of the MoWA for formulation and monitoring of the national policies and programmes (Neary Rattanak, CMDGs, NSDP and government reform programmes on decentralization, public administration and public financial management).
Provide strategic direction and advice to the Programme staff and specialists for support for selected GMAPs implementation, monitoring and resource mobilization with relevant sector development partners.
Provide advisory support in delivering the Leadership and Management training to women senior and middle managers in the public administration.
Support MoWA to facilitate and coordinate with other development partners for the development of the Cambodia Gender Assessment 2013.
Provide technical inputs to the Minister as Chair of the Technical Working Group on Gender (TWG-G) with policy, technical and process advice on gender mainstreaming, aid effectiveness and aid coordination and facilitating donor harmonization processes.
In support of MoWA, facilitate the development of a programme based approach on gender equality.
Review and provide inputs to MoWA in identifying programmatic areas of cooperation with Development Partners (DPs) to further the Government’s policy of mainstreaming gender within the context of harmonized approaches.
Technical support to the TWG-G in developing its annual action plan, Joint Monitoring Indicators (JMIs), progress report and consistently applying tools for monitoring plan and JMIs to assist donor coordination through the GDCC mechanism.

b. Improved access to gender sensitive business services for women and scaled up preventive and remedial response to Gender-Based Violence

Provide strategic advice to the programme specialists and staff to deliver Programme outputs relevant to women’s economic empowerment and gender-based violence.
Explore partnership with other stakeholders and development partners to conduct study on adult women literacy, to develop and implement the joint national campaign for adult women literacy, based on the study.
Provide strategic guidance on support to Women’s Development Centre in two select provinces to transform themselves as a one stop services centre for poor women and small entrepreneurs and to partner with the World Bank for the development of women’s friendly environment in the business incubator.
Advise on coordination of researches studies for evidence-based GBV and to explore the possibility for the establishment of the one-stop service centre for victims of GBV.
Organize and lead consultations among development partners to explore possibility for the establishment of the one-stop service centre for victims of GBV and resource mobilization.

3. Programme management support

Ensure strategic direction of UNDP supported interventions in the context of the PGE III and its alignment with national priorities and UNDAF.
Provide on-going high-level quality assurance for UNDP supported interventions, including advice on content and design of interventions.
Provide on-going strategic advice and capacity development support through mentoring and coaching to the national Programme staff in carrying out their tasks.
Assure quality of relevant PGE III progress reports.
Constantly monitor and analyze the programme environment and advise on timely readjustment of supported strategies and activities.

4. Strategic partnership

Organize or contribute to discussion and dialogue with gender focal points of UN, donors, local and international NGOs to promote better coordination efforts, in the context of PGE III and beyond.
Contribute to regular discussion on gender related issues at UNCT level.
Develop and implement partnership and resources mobilization strategy with other UN agencies and development partners relevant to PFM.
In support of MoWA and together with UNDP democratic space programme, create linkages and mobilize support for high level regional meetings on gender issues, including but not limited to Asian Women Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Annual Conference and Government to organize East Asia Gender Equality Ministerial Meeting.

5. Knowledge management

Provide overall guidance to specialists and short-term consultants on approach to capacity development of staff of MoWA and of selected line ministries in sector gender analysis, mainstreaming gender in plans and budgets, monitoring and assessment, and others.
Advise and provide inputs in documentation of lessons and good practices in PBA, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, women’s economic empowerment and others where relevant.
Share global and regional reports relevant to gender and aid effectiveness, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, women’s economic empowerment and others where relevant to MoWA, line ministries, civil society organizations and other stakeholders.
Advise MoWA and other national counterparts in knowledge sharing with others through regional and global forums and through e-groups.

B. Strategic Policy and Programming Advice to UNDP Country Office

Provide technical inputs to UNDP on programming in the area of gender equality through policy notes that assess the status of gender equality and related policies, programmes and institutions in the country, identify emerging needs relevant to the agency mandates and recommend appropriate interventions.
Advise and assist UNDP in strategically engaging in policy dialogue and specifically UNDP in fulfilling the responsibilities of the TWG-G Co-facilitator.
Facilitate capacity development of UNDP Country Office staff by initiating/participating in in-house learning activities on gender related issues and knowledge sharing with the CO Gender Focal Point(s) through a structured process.

Impact of Results:

The results of the Gender and Policy Advisor’s work will be tangible and measurable progress in the MoWA’s and other national actors’ technical and institutional capacity to advocate for and facilitate the formulation, implementation, coordination and monitoring of gender-responsive policies and programmes; in the levels of donor harmonization and donor resource mobilization, and increase of access to gender sensitive business services for women and scaling up preventive and remedial response to GBV. The overall impact of the results of the Advisor’s work will be a successful achievement of the UNDP CPAP (2011-2015) in relation to Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, MoWA’s five year Strategic Plan (2009-2013), National Strategic Development Plan update (2009-2013) and sectoral Gender Mainstreaming Action Plans.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Promoting Ethics and Integrity / Creating Organizational Precedents
Building support and political acumen
Building staff competence, Creating an environment of creativity and innovation
Building and promoting effective teams
Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning
Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy / Advancing Policy Oriented Agenda: influencing the public policy agenda

Advocates for the inclusion of UNDP’s focus areas in the public policy agenda
Brings visibility and sensitizes decision makers to relevant emerging issues
Builds consensus concerning UNDP’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives
Leverages UNDP’s multidisciplinary expertise to influence the shape of policies and programmes
Demonstrates political/cultural acumen in proposing technically sound, fact based approaches/solutions
Develops internal organizational policies promoting strategic approaches to UNDP’s focus areas (HQ)
Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives
Demonstrates cultural sensitivity, political savvy and intellectual capacity in handling disagreements with UNDP’s policy agenda in order to promote and position UNDP in complex environments

Results-based Programme Development and Management: Achieving results through programme design and innovative resourcing strategies

Identifies country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach
Sets performance standards, monitors progress and intervenes at an early stage to ensure results are in accordance with agreed-upon quality and timeframes and reports on it
Makes use of a variety of resources within UNDP to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches.
Oversees and documents the process of strategy formulation for programmes at country level
Ensures the integration of UNDP’s strategic concern in interagency, other multilateral initiatives and multi-sectoral development frameworks such as PRSPs, SWAPs and MDGs
Ensures the full implementation of country programme and Financial Resources to obtain results

Building Strategic Partnerships: Building strategic alliances

Identifies and prioritizes opportunities and obstacles in the political scene (government, civil society, parliamentarians, pressure groups) to advance UNDP’s agenda Identifies common interests and goals and carries out joint initiatives with partners
Makes effective use of UNDP’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships
Builds partnerships with non-traditional sectors by translating UNDP’s agenda into messages that reflect the pertinence of their values and interests
Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations
Leverages the resources of governments and other development partners

Innovation and Marketing new Approaches: Fostering innovation in others

Influences and coaches others inside and outside UNDP in developing and implementing innovative approaches
Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources
Leverages resources in support of new approaches
Facilitates change and influences senior decision makers to implement change strategies

Resource Mobilization: Developing resource mobilization strategies at country level

Contributes to the development of resource mobilization strategies at regional (sub-regional) level (RSC, HQ)
Actively develops partnerships with potential donors and government counterparts in all sectors at country level
Shares information with country offices concerning opportunities to tap potential donors
Strengthens the capacity of the country office to mobilize resources

Promoting Organizational learning and Knowledge Sharing: Participating in the development of policies and innovative approaches and promoting their application throughout the organization

Actively seeks and promotes innovative methodologies and leads the development of supporting policies/tools to encourage learning and knowledge sharing
Develops and/or participates in the development of policies and new approaches and participates in training of staff in their application throughout the organization
Promotes UNDP as a learning/knowledge sharing organization

Job Knowledge and Technical Expertise: Expert knowledge of global/regional gender equality and women’s empowerment and MDG

Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures
Applies knowledge to support the unit/branch’s objectives and to further the mandate of the organization(s)
For managers: applies a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch
Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
Demonstrates expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals: Influencing global and national initiatives

Advocates for the inclusion of development and concerns in the public policy agenda
Brings visibility and sensitizes decision makers to relevant emerging issues
Advocates for increased priority given to human development issues internationally and in national planning frameworks
Advocates for increased resources at international and national level
Develop strategies to counter challenges to UNDP’s principles and goals

Client Orientation: Meeting long-term client needs

Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives
Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services
Consults with clients and ensures their needs are represented in decision-making processes
Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNDP programmes and operations

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree or equivalent in Women’s and Gender Studies, in Social Sciences, in Public Policy/ Administration or in other related fields.

Experience:

Minimum of 10 years of experiences at the managerial and/or advisory level in the area of women’s rights, gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment in developing countries, preferably in Asia-Pacific Region.
Extensive experiences in policy development process associated with gender equality and women’s empowerment issues.
Experiences in gender and aid effectiveness, preferably in designing Programme-Based Approach on gender and aid coordination.
Working experience in gender budgeting and public financial management, in promotion of women’s economic empowerment, and in the area of gender based violence.
Extensive experiences in knowledge management, capacity development and advisory services to senior government officials.
Good commitment to and skills in culturally sensitive, inclusive and participatory approaches to delivery of policy advice and technical assistance.
Demonstrated leadership, facilitation and coordination skills.
Working experience in an international organization is an advantage, as is familiarity and knowledge of UN agencies especially UNDP policies, procedures and practices at global, regional and national levels.
Full computer literacy.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English, including excellent writing skills.