UN WOMEN Jobs - 62677- UN Women: Policy Specialist, Secretariat, UN Secre

UN Women: Policy Specialist, Secretariat, UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

09-Jan-16 (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.

UN Women’s Policy Division provides the substantive underpinning for UN Women's normative, operational and coordination work. It provides this substantive input through research and analysis; technical guidance; knowledge management; training and capacity building; partnerships and global programmes; UN system coordination and collaboration; normative and intergovernmental work; and corporate positioning. The Policy Division is organized into four thematic sections that address UN Women’s Strategic Plan, including Economic Empowerment, and two functional sections, Research and Data and the UN Women Training Centre.

Economic empowerment is one of the priority areas of UN Women. UN Women works with Governments and multilateral partners (UNDP, ILO, World Bank, regional development banks) to promote women’s economic empowerment and increase their access to economic opportunities, especially for those who are most excluded. Many international commitments support women's economic empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and a series of International Labour Organization conventions related to gender equality. UN Women supports women's economic empowerment in line with these, and with the growing body of evidence that shows gender equality significantly contributes to advancing economies and sustainable development.

Under the supervision of the Chief of Secretariat, UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment, the Policy Specialist is responsible for conducting policy research and analysis to support the work of the High Level Panel, commissioning background papers, and drafting communications and outreach materials. Additionally, the Policy Specialist provides substantive support to events, and assists in recruitment, contract administration and supervision of consultants.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical and substantial inputs for the social analysis of women’s economic empowerment:

Undertake empirical research and analysis of trends and developments and related policy issues relevant to women’s economic empowerment;
Provide technical inputs to the analysis of the women’s economic empowerment dimensions of the actual and potential implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global, regional and national levels;
Develop methodologies for review and evaluation of specific topics;
Contribute to the preparation of various written reports, documents and communications, e.g. draft reports or sections of analytical reports, studies, background papers, parliamentary documents, briefings and correspondence, in support of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment.

Coordinate, service and organize meetings and consultations:

Liaise with officials of governments, representatives of national, regional and global organizations, UN system agencies and the private sector on good policies and practices in achieving the economic empowerment of women;
Provide coordination support in the planning, organizing and servicing of meetings and consultations of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment;
Draft reports and prepare summaries of meetings;
Participate in working groups, meetings, conferences and consultations with other agencies and partners on matters pertaining to the economic empowerment of women.

Coordinate background papers and communications and outreach materials for dissemination:

Commission background papers and communications and outreach materials;
Review and support quality control of commissioned papers and communications materials;
Oversee content to be posted on relevant websites and for dissemination through social media.

Supervision and training:

Provides guidance to, and may supervise, new/junior staff and consultants.

Perform other job related duties as required, necessary for the final delivery of the Secretariat’s services.

Key Performance Indicators:

Delivers high quality contributions to research reports and projects, to include analytical inputs and advice that contribute to improving the capacity and ability of the Panelists and Secretariat to articulate policy on an array of issues related to women’s economic empowerment;
Takes action to identify issues/problems and develops creative approaches to problem resolution;
Delivers assigned outputs in a timely manner;
Develops partnerships and interacts effectively with colleagues internally and externally.

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:

Good understanding and knowledge of gender and human rights related issues, including in the area of women’s economic empowerment;
Ability to undertake policy research and coordinate the production of qualitative and quantitative studies;
Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities;
Ability to handle a large volume of work, including under time constraints;
Demonstrated negotiation, cultural sensitivity and diplomatic skills;
Strong oral and written communication skills;
Strong interpersonal skills, ability to establish and sustain effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of clients’ perspectives.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in sociology, economics, IPE, or other social science or related field.

Experience:

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in gender and policy research and analysis, socio-economic development, sociological research or related area;
Experience working on gender related issues; working experience in the area of women’s economic empowerment is a distinct advantage;
Experience in drafting policy papers, speeches and briefings.

Languages:

Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable;
Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

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.