UN WOMEN Jobs - 61387- UN Women: Policy Advisor (Economic Institutions an

UN Women: Policy Advisor (Economic Institutions and Private Sector Engagement)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

10-Dec-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

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. 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. It also designs and oversees the training and capacity development programs of UN Women, working closely with the UN Women training facility in Santo Domingo.

The Policy Division staff is organized in Thematic Sections, bringing 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’s flagship programmes; and contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Section, Economic Empowerment, the Policy Advisor is responsible for developing the organization’s tool kit to effect women’s economic empowerment through engagement with economic institutions and the private sector. The tools will be deployed in support of UN-Women’s normative role, coordination function, and operational activities in the field and its policy-making, knowledge generation and advocacy functions. The tool kit includes policy recommendations and a collection of good practices on: the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular the means of implementation; the discharge of States’ obligations under normative frameworks; and corporate responsibility in a rights-based framework that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment, in particular in the context of the Women’s Empowerment Principles. The programme of work delivers results through, inter alia, flagship programs lead by the Economic Empowerment Section. The Policy Advisor is responsible for the development of global public goods in key areas such as training materials to build capacity to incorporate a gender dimension into corporate policies; lending policies of development banks; and government and corporate procurement. Special attention is paid to women migrant workers. He/she also prepares documentation for UN normative intergovernmental processes; studies, reports and content for policy advocacy as agreed with Chief of Section.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

Under the supervision of the Chief, Economic Empowerment the Policy Advisor is responsible for:

Development and management of the work programme of the Unit under his/her responsibility to ensure substantive and technical quality according to standards and goals of UN Women;
Development of global public goods and materials for UN Women’s flagship programmes in economic empowerment;
Development of policy papers in key areas such as advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment through creation of decent work, public and corporate procurement, and strengthening the capacity of economic institutions to service women clients;
Development of tools, provision of advisory services, technical guidance and programme support and implementation;
Liaison with Economic Empowerment Advisors in UN Women’s regional officers to understand and respond to the needs of UN Women’s Country and Regional Offices;
Substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development on women’s economic empowerment, including substantive input in 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;
Representation and advocacy;
Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutions, civil society and experts to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women’s work;
Knowledge generation and capacity building; and
Results capture and reporting.

Knowledge generation and capacity building:

Contribute substantively to the knowledge management and development of capacity building of UN Women Programme staff in the Economic Institutions area of focus;
Establish and lead global and sectoral communities of practice that promote collaboration, peer support, consultation and innovation, replication of good practices; and

Develop and maintain rosters of gender experts, who can develop technical support to UN Women offices, national partners, UNCT’s or other UN system entities.

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:

Strong oral and written communications skills, with proven expertise in writing cogent and convincing policy and programme documents;
Proven analytical and problem solving skills;
Good planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills;
Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with representatives of government, corporations, academia, UN entities, donors, and civil society;
Proven track record of excellent management and technical leadership skills and ability to delegate appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's degree (or equivalent) in Economics or related field.

Experience:

10 years of extensive development experience that combines intellectual, strategic and managerial leadership in development, policy analysis, sociological/gender equality at least seven of which is in the thematic area of the post;
Experience in drafting papers on the gender dimension of private sector engagement in delivering on the gender agenda.

Languages:

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

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.