UN WOMEN Jobs - 61389- UN Women: Section Chief

UN Women: Section Chief - Ending Violence Against Women

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

14-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

D-1

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 Policy Division develops and implements the UNW program of work on analysis, research and knowledge management that provides the evidence base for the advice and guidance UNW provides to the intergovernmental process, the UN system, and to UNW 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. It also designs and oversees the training and capacity development programmes of UNW, working closely with the UNW training facility in Santo Domingo.

Based on UN legislative mandates and UNW Strategic Programme Plan, it undertakes or coordinates global or sectoral research and data analysis; advises on norms, policies and strategies for achieving the internationally agreed goals related to gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. It acts as a knowledge hub, collecting evidence on progress and emerging issues, identifying trends in implementation of global commitments; and sharing knowledge on innovative approaches and lessons learned in implementation. It designs tools for inter-regional capabilities building and institutional development programmes and fosters strategic substantive partnerships with academia and other UN partners, in close collaboration with the Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnership Bureau, the Programme division and UNW Training Center (Santo Domingo).

The Section Chief (EVAW) reports to the Director, Policy Division for strategic guidance and direction, and is responsible for leading the development of thematic work within the mandates of the Division.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Policy Division staff is organised in Thematic Sections, bringing together technical experts who: undertake issues-based research; analyse 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 UNW global programme strategies; and contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes.

Staff in thematic sections provide technical advice at country and regional levels, on request, through strategy development, thematic reviews, tools for capabilities building and channels for knowledge sharing and prepare documentation for UN normative intergovernmental processes; prepare studies, reports and content for policy advocacy.

Summary of key functions:

Substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development;
Advisory services and programme support;
Research, analysis and content development;
Representation and advocacy;
Knowledge management and capacity building.

Substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development:

Lead the review and development of global policies in EVAW to enhance understanding of gender issues and dimensions, meet UN Women mandates and support its programmes and that of other partners;
Supervise and oversee the work of the team to ensure substantive and technical quality according to standards and goals for each thematic area;
Provide inputs in international fora to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies;
Produce studies, reports and background papers on a range of gender equality issues in accordance with mandates provided by relevant intergovernmental bodies, highlighting progress and challenges in critical areas and emerging issues as well as preparing options and recommendations for action;
Organize expert preparatory meetings, panels and other interactive events on gender issues for intergovernmental processes;
Provide substantive support on gender equality issues to intergovernmental bodies (General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Commission on the Status of Women, Security Council and UN Women Executive Board), preparing analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes.

Advisory services for programme support:

Provide thematic policy advice and technical guidance to and collaborate substantively with Member States, UNCTs, UN Theme Groups and staff of UN Women programme countries to ensure the integration of gender perspectives and attention to global commitments in all policies and programmes;
Contribute to strategic discussions on programme design, oversight and evaluation to support implementation and capture best practices and lessons learned for policy development and adjustment;
Provide policy and technical advice in EVAW for UN Women’s programmes at country level to enhance operational performance from programme development to delivery;
Facilitate and/or advise on engagement of governments, country offices and regional programs with civil society, participatory approach, capacity development and establishment of an enabling environment for gender issues.

Research, analysis and content development:

Lead and implement a research agenda on the linkages between global commitment on EVAW and their implementation at global, regional or national levels;
Conduct and/or lead the analysis of data and provide evidence to build the case for policies and interventions on gender equality and distill relevant lessons;
Prepare research briefs and ensure wide and easy access of information for internal and external use and/or discussion;
Introduce innovation and cutting edge practices to enhance the development of policy and programming tools and materials;
Develop, test and roll out tools and methodologies in EVAW to provide standards and guidelines for programming and management; and ensure that lessons learned are incorporated into programmes and activities;
Research, develop and/or present policy papers, practice notes/concepts and other knowledge based-tools for discussion in global and regional forums to help influence/advance policy dialogue;
Plan, organize and substantively service ad hoc expert group meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops and similar gatherings, including identification and determination of major issues for discussion and selection of participants, development of background documentation, preparation of reports and policy recommendations, and dissemination of results of such meetings.

Representation and advocacy:

Represent UN Women in international fora to encourage greater commitment to, collaboration on the implementation of gender equality policies;
Convene or represent UN Women in UN interagency working groups to enhance coordination and/or ensure increased attention to gender equality issues in sectoral areas;
Contribute to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, and outreach.
Promote initiatives for policy dialogue;
Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts in EVAW to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN work on gender equality.

Knowledge management and capacity building:

Lead the development/expansion of knowledge management strategies and methodologies in the area of EVAW;
Build and facilitate internal and external Communities of Practice in EVAW. Contribute to the development and maintenance of global and regional knowledge networks activities and practices;
Produce knowledge products to meet UN Women needs and standards of quality;
Maintain and ensure quality of content for EVAW area for UN Women guidelines, tools and other materials.

Impact of Results

The Section Chief (EVAW) impacts on success of the efforts to develop and implement the UN Women Policy Strategies. The Section Chief is responsible for developing and implementing the organization policies in his/her thematic area of expertise to achieve gender equality and advancement of women.

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:

Substantive knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in the field of EVAW;
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
Strong communications skills, with proven expertise in writing cogent and convincing policy and programme documents for development practitioners;
Proven analytical and problem solving skills;
Ability to leverage information technology, executive information systems, management techniques and tools for optimal office performance;
Good planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills;
Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and NGO partners.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender issues, economics, public policy, law or other social science fields.

Experience:

A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in development, law, policy analysis, sociological/gender equality or related areas, including in the EVAW and in managerial leadership;
Proven experience in advocating for women’s empowerment and rights and in EVAW, including in depth knowledge of regional organizations and women’s organizations working on EVAW;
Field experience in developing countries is an advantage;
Familiarity with UN intergovernmental processes, with a focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment and knowledge of UN system gender architecture and strategic stakeholders/partners is required;
Familiarity with modalities of UN technical support at regional and country levels, with a focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
Proven record of writing and/or publishing on policy and programmatic aspects of gender equality thematic areas including conducting and directing research, data collection and publication;
Proven ability to organize and manage knowledge management processes and tools;
Excellent presentational and public speaking skills;
Managerial Competencies/ Supervisory and management experience is a requirement including proven strong people management skills.

Language:

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.