UN WOMEN Jobs - 56460- UN Women: Policy Specialist (Political Participati

UN Women: Policy Specialist (Political Participation)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Jun-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year

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

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.

The Policy Division develops and implements the UN Women program of work on analysis, research and knowledge management that provides the evidence base for the advice and guidance UN Women provides to the intergovernmental process, the UN system, and to UN Women staff working at country and regional level on issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It identifies emerging issues and trends, and develops and proposes new strategies for achieving the agreed goals through innovative approaches and lessons learned about what works in practice.

The Policy Division staff brings together technical experts who undertake issues-based research, analyze data on country, regional or global trends, build a knowledge base on policy commitments and their implementation, propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards and for UN Women global programme strategies, contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes and provide advice, as relevant, to UN Women staff at country and regional levels.

Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor (Political Participation), the Policy Specialist supports the provision of technical advice on leadership and political participation, , undertakes research, supports intergovernmental and corporate requests and collaborates with the Fund for Gender Equality on their political participation projects.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

Technical and Programme Support;
Research and Analysis Support;
Support to Intergovernmental Processes and Policy Development;
Knowledge Management.

Technical and Programme Support:

Support the Policy Advisor in providing technical support and advice to regional and thematic programmes, country strategies and knowledge management;
Support the Policy Advisor in developing and implementing a workplan for the section (identify key deliverables, develop implementation time line, etc.);
Contribute to the preparation and finaliziation of project documents for the section or by country offices;
Provide programmatic and operational support for the development and implementation of global programmes and related thematic initiatives.

Research and Analysis Support:

Support the Policy Advisor in conducting research and analysis of global, regional and national trends, including to produce papers, speeches, briefing notes or related products;
Provide support to country offices conducting research and compiling lessons learned studies on women’s political participation.
Contribute to the development of flagship publications related to Political Participation;
Prepare select written contributions and knowledge products for various purposes, i.e. case studies, short topical papers, briefings to leadership, speeches, and related products for wider dissemination;
Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking into UN Women’s work.

Support to Intergovernmental Processes and Policy Development:

Contribute to the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes;
Support the Policy Advisor in coordinating the development of analytical reports to contribute to the Secretary-General’s mandated reporting to intergovernmental forums;
Liaise with UN Women colleagues and others, as relevant, to ensure coordination with intergovernmental initiatives;
Participate in and/or represent the Section in internal and external committees, inter-governmental, inter-agency task forces, and international techncial and advocacy as required.

Knowledge Management:

Facilitate the effective planning, development and drafting of knowledge products on women’s political participation;
Contribute to the development and maintenance of a roster of gender experts who can develop/provide technical support to UN Women offices, national partners, UNCTs or other UN system entities in the related thematic area;
Contribute to the production of knowledge products that meet UN Women’s needs and standards of quality.

Impact of Results:

The key results expected will have positive impact on the overall effectiveness of UN Women’s work related to Political Participation, through contributing directly to achievement of the relevant Goals in UN Women’s Strategic Plan.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Work in teams:

Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Demonstrate informed and transparent decision-making.

Functional Competencies:

Good knowledge and experience working on women’s political participation and women’s rights;
In-depth knowledge and experience of programming on women’s political empowerment;
Ability to evaluate international political issues from a gender persepctive;
Knowledge on the management of the UNDEF-UN Women portfolio of grants ensuring proper and timely submission of proposals, other required documentation, project reports including project evaluations;
Ability to undertake policy research and prepare quantitative studies, utilizing statistical methodologies, knowledge of database applications for statistical analysis;
Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities;
Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints;
Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly;
Ability to draft policy papers, speeches, briefings and talking points;
Ability to develop and maintain roster of experts, and a databank of research institutes, academics, civil society experts, etc. of direct relevance to the focus area.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender issues, health, public policy/administration, human rights, or political science.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in gender programming, policy research and gender analysis at international level, at least two of which should be directly related to the focus area.

Language:

Written (excellent drafting skills) and oral proficiency in English is required;
Knowledge of another UN working language is desirable.

Important:

The Policy Specialist has the necessary skills to work with women’s organizations and governmental agencies on women’s political empowerment and gender equality globally and at national and local level, and experience in developing and managing projects and programmes related to women’s political empowerment.

Note:

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.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.