UNDP Jobs - 41057- Senior Researcher – Economics with Gender Perspect

Senior Researcher – Economics with Gender Perspective, United Nations Development Programme under Partnership with High Level Committee on Status of Women in India- (Open to Indian Nationals only)

Location :

New Delhi, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

28-Oct-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Year (renewable)

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

Government of India has constituted a ‘High Level Committee on Status of Women (HLCW) in India’ to undertake a comprehensive study to understand the status of women and evolve appropriate policy interventions based on a contemporary assessment of women’s needs and concerns.

The High Level Committee on the Status of Women (HLCW) will examine the overall status of women including, inter-alia, the socio-economic, health and nutritional, legal and political status, disaggregated by rural / urban, economic and social position and wherever possible by minority status. The high-level committee will conduct an intensive literature survey to take stock of published data, reports, articles and research from about 1989 onwards, on the status of women in India. The analysis would take into account the cross-regional differences and focus on inequalities both within and outside the household. It would also assess the impact made by existing policies and legislative changes on equality, security and holistic empowerment of women, and will identify inequalities in policy and legislation as well as gaps in implementation. The Committee would also look into women's access to and participation in formal and informal paid employment, geographical pattern of their economic activity, access to micro-finance, bank credit, training and skill up-gradation, among others. The areas of intervention and measures for affirmative action by the Government would be identified for the all-inclusive empowerment of women.

The HLCW will submit its report to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India on the current socio-economic, political and legal status of women in India and make recommendations that lead to an improvement in the status of women in the country.

The High Level Committee on status of Women in India (HLCW) will be assisted in its functioning by a secretariat consisting of researchers, support personnel for administration and finance and people with an expertise in communication & publishing.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in line with its mandate of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment is supporting the HLCW to initiate processes to map, identify and prioritize issues and to establish the philosophical underpinnings as well as guide the course of report formulation process. Within the scope of the above, it is proposed to recruit a Senior Researcher – Economics with Gender Perspective.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Researcher – Economics with Gender Perspective will be responsible:

To facilitate and undertake if required, literature reviews and a mapping of the information currently available on the status of women;
To examine , research and if necessary, provide working papers on various economic parameters and aspects with gender perspectives;
To write research briefs and undertake primary research to assist the HLCW in fulfilling its mandate;
To provide the HLCW members with information and data which is required in time and in a form that aids their efforts;
To assist in the documentation of workshops, conferences & consultations of the HLCW, the sharing of such efforts in the public domain and to ensure that the significant issues emerging from these are available for the HLCW to utilise;
To draft monographs and papers for discussions and the report including the background research necessary for these documents;
To support other members of the research team and actively participate in collaborative and inter-disciplinary studies.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

In-depth knowledge on gender and related interconnected issues;
Knowledge and experience in particular of macro & micro-economic issues and statistical techniques;
Ability to work as part of a research team and to participate in inter-disciplinary and collaborative research;
Ability to deal with large data-sets & primary data;
Good knowledge of gender studies conducted in the county;
Strong IT skills;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Must have Masters in Economics, Statistics or related fields;
Master of Philosophy(M.Phil.)/ Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in relevant subjects desirable.

Experience:

At least 8 years of relevant experience with demonstrated track record of having undertaken and led economic related research from gender perspective and on economic development and gender issues;
Must be able to demonstrate track record of independent Research/ Publications;
Experience in undertaking research on women’s studies;
Expertise in statistics, econometrics statistical software and the ability to manage large data sets;
Experience of working closely with government department and social sectors is desirable;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web based and data management systems;
Ability to deal with large data-sets & primary data;
Familiarity with research, assessment and survey methodology and tools;
Experience in field work and documentation.

Language:

Fluency in English and at least one other Indian language and excellent skills in writing clearly and succinctly in English.