UN WOMEN Jobs - 61196- UN Women: Advocacy Specialist on the Sustainable D

UN Women: Advocacy Specialist on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

11-Nov-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women (UNW) will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The SDGs Advocacy Specialist will work in the Executive Director’s Office of UN Women and report directly to the Chief of Staff and will focus on advocacy relating to the gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) dimensions of the SDGs. The SDGs Advocacy Specialist is part of the team of the Office of the Executive Director and works closely with all team members. She/he interacts with all Divisions and with the field, as required to fulfil her/his responsibilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

The SDGs Advocacy Specialist will support the Executive Director (ED) in the delivery of her functions, specifically with regard to her high-level advocacy efforts relating to the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs with key development stakeholders, including through the development and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge products in support of the integration of the GEWE targets of the SDGs into policies, programmes, and budgets at global, regional, and national levels. Further, the SDGs Advocacy Specialist will support the implementation of commitments made under the Planet 50-50 by 2030 Step it Up for Gender Equality (Step it Up) campaign, which has garnered concrete commitments from governments to support the full implementation of the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs.

Summary of key functions:

Supporting the ED in her SDGs advocacy efforts, including through spearheading internal and external coordination on the SDGs;
Supporting the ED in resource mobilization and building alliances and strategic partnerships to sustain and bolster UN Women’s advocacy on gender equality and the SDGs;
Monitoring and sharing progress on the implementation of the Step it Up campaign by governments;
Playing a key role in knowledge management on the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs.

The SDGs Advocacy Specialist will support the ED as follows:

Supporting SDGs advocacy efforts, including through internal and external coordination:

Conceptualize and develop innovative advocacy strategies for UN Women to advance the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs at the global, regional and national levels;
Develop and disseminate advocacy messages tailored to a range of key development stakeholders on the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs;
Contribute SDGs-related content to the preparation of high quality briefs, speeches, statements and messages by the ED;
Provide analysis of trends and dynamics with regard to the achievement of the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs, as well as implications of changes in the external environment which will impact the same;
Based on well informed analysis, develop and provide expert advice to inform the strategic positioning of the organization with regard to advancing the achievement of the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs;
Develop strong working relationships with other Divisions of UN Women, at HQ and in the field, to ensure effective internal coordination on SDGs advocacy.

Supporting resource mobilization and alliance building:

Support resource mobilization efforts to sustain and bolster UN Women’s advocacy on gender equality and the SDGs;
Assist the ED in her efforts to strengthen existing and build and nurture new strategic partnerships and alliances with key development stakeholders, including governments, intergovernmental institutions, parliamentarians, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector and UN Agencies, to advance the achievement of the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs.

Supporting implementation of Step it Up:

Coordinate with UN Women colleagues at the regional and national levels on SDGs implementation efforts, specifically of national commitments under Step It Up for Gender Equality;
Develop a tracking tool to monitor Step it Up commitments and engage the relevant colleagues in effective follow-up.

Knowledge management of the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs:

Develop and disseminate targeted, evidence-based knowledge products for UN Women to inform and influence key development actors on the importance of the GEWE dimensions of the SDGs;
Work with all relevant parts of UN Women to share results, lessons learnt and best practices on SDGs advocacy.

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. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in teams:

Build and promote effective 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.

Communication and Information Sharing:

Create and promote an environment for open and 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:

Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

Possesses substantive and demonstrated professional experience and record of accomplishments in the area of gender equality and women's empowerment, human rights and sustainable development;
Demonstrates excellent knowledge of multilateral affairs and the UN system;
Demonstrates proven ability to advocate and provide policy advice to senior UN officials;
Possesses a successful track record in developing strong partnerships with donors, networking and mobilizing significant resources for development assistance programmes;
Demonstrates ability to build strategic partnerships with multiple stakehoders, including governments, civil society, and the private sector;
Possesses ability to lead strategic planning, change management processes, results-based management and reporting;
Possesses ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes

Behavioral:

Knowledge Management: Demonstrates ability to conceptualize, develop and use knowledge management strategies to promote effective decision-making, and a coherent approach to policy making, and intra/inter-organizational collaboration, applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UN Women.

Managing Relationships:

Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback; Displays a high level of respect, diplomacy and tact when dealing with government officials, donors and other stakeholders; Excellent interpersonal skills, able to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment;
Managing Complexity: Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities; Outstanding coordination skills, with ability to manage multiple activities concurrently, works under pressure, and to tight deadlines;
Communication Skills: Demonstrates strong impactful oral and written communication skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts to different stakeholders in a clear concise and masterful style.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree (or equivalent) in gender issues, political affairs, international relations, social sciences or related fields.

Experience:

7 years of progressively responsible experience in multilateral affairs, international development, policy analysis and related areas, including in the thematic area and in managerial leadership;
Excellent negotiating and communication skills and ability to mobilize support from a wide range of internal and external partners (public, private, academic, civil society, business community leaders);
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate and work well with diverse groups.

Languages:

Written and oral proficiency in English is required;
Knowledge of another UN working language is desirable.

Application Information:

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;
UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.

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.