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 UN Women Training Centre (TC) in Santo Domingo is envisioned to become the UN leading centre of excellence in training for gender equality. The UN Women TC offers training for gender equality and women’s empowerment to UN Women staff, UN agencies, as well as government, civil society and partners. The gender capacity-development programmes range from basic and introductory levels to specialized and advanced levels for diverse audiences with different backgrounds. In terms of capacity-development strategies and techniques, the TC makes maximum use of on-line training techniques, paying special attention to e-learning courses and an active learning approach.

The Training Centre promotes articulation and knowledge exchange among gender training specialists and other relevant groups and the development of tools and materials in the area of training for gender equality. It also supports the documentation of existing good practices and innovative processes, as well as discussion and analysis of training methodologies and approaches directed towards contributing to ongoing capacity development as a concrete means for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The UN Women Country Office in the Dominican Republic delivers advisory services and develops national projects in accordance with UN Women global and regional strategic plans, rules and accountability framework. The County Office works in close collaboration with the UN system agencies in the country and LAC Regional Office staff, Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women project implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Executive Associate reports to the Head of Office as both Chief Training Centre/Country Representative for general guidance and direct supervision. The Executive Associate works in close collaboration with both Programme and Operations teams and further liaises with HQ and national authorities to ensure efficient flow of information and action on instructions.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Provision of administrative and logistical support to the Head of Office;
• Support to Training Centre activities;
• Support to Training Centre external relations activities.

Provision of administrative and logistical support to the Head of Office: Ensure effective and efficient functioning of the Executive Office focusing on the following results:

• Management of the Executive Office  ensuring an environment of professionalism and teamwork at all times with efficient and discreet management of the Chief/Country Representative’s schedule;
• Organization of regular and ad-hoc meetings, preparation of minutes and summaries of action to be taken, tracking of progress on planned issues, follow up with focal points;
• Adherence to appropriate protocol and correspondence guidelines when communicating with Government and other external partners;
• Assemble high-quality briefing materials and prepare power-points and other presentations including computer generated visuals such as graphics and matrix as needed;
• Undertake logistical administrative and financial arrangements, in consultation with the Operations team, for meetings, events and workshops organized by the Executive Office;
• Maintain relevant data of the Head of Office's contacts for easy access and reference. Keep updated electronic mailing lists;
• Facilitate the flow of information/communication between the Head of Office and other Units within and outside the office; recommend and/or establish systems and streamline procedures to enhance established workflows.

Support to Training Centre activities:

• Support through logistical activities such as development of information packages for participants, assistance in accommodation and/or travel arrangements as needed by the Operations Unit, prepare supplies/expendable materials to be used on the training sessions, etc.;
• Assist in the preparation and finalization of informal translations; may act as interpreter, as required;
• Support the Operations Unit in the preparation of terms of references for internships and consultancies announcements to support the training courses/events;
• Provide support through the creation of e-requisitions for the procurement of goods and services to support the implementation of training activities.

Support to Training Centre external relations activities:

• Facilitate the Executive Office’s interaction with various external partners such as government officials, donors, civil society, UN agencies and other partners through effective use of written, verbal and electronic communication;
• Responsible for protocol matters, receiving high ranking visitors/officials, coordinating logistical arrangements related to missions.
• Organize official events/hospitality for the UN Women Representative, as required.

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate the values of United Nations and UN Women, act without consideration of personal gain, resist undue political pressure in decision-making, no abuse of power or authority, stand by decisions in the organization’s interest, and take action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behavior.

Professionalism:

• Show pride in work and achievements, demonstrate professional competence and mastery of subject matter, conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments and achieving results, motivated by professional rather than personal concerns, show persistence when faced with challenges, and remain calm in stressful situations.

Respect for diversity:

• Work effectively with people from all backgrounds, treat all people with dignity and respect, treat men and women equally, show respect for and understand diverse opinions by examining own biases and behaviours to avoid stereotypical responses, and do not discriminate against any individual or group.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Teamwork:

• 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:

• Ability to perform a broad range of specialized activities aimed at effective and efficient functioning of the Executive Office of the UN Women Training Centre and Country Office, including data/schedule management, maintenance of protocol and information flow;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature;
• Ability to provide input to business process re-engineering, elaboration and implementation of new data management systems;
• Creates, edits and presents information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality;
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints;
• Ability to establish, builds and sustains effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client's perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly;
• Ability to administer and execute financial processes and transactions.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Completion of secondary education is required. University degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration or related fields is an asset.

Experience:

• Six (6) years of progressively responsible administrative experience;
• Prior working experience with international organizations and/or embassies is strongly desired;
• Experience in the use of computers applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) as well as web based management systems.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Spanish is required;
• Working knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.