UN WOMEN Jobs - 63570- UN Women - Special Advisor Japan Liaison Office

UN Women - Special Advisor Japan Liaison Office

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Tokyo, JAPAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Apr-2016

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

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 center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Japan has a steadfast relationship with the UN, and has strengthened its focus on Gender Equality. Recognizing the importance of Japan in development assistance, a UN Women Japan Liaison Office was established in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo in 2015. A UN Women presence in Japan provides a strategic entry point and an opportunity to liaise with the Government of Japan, parliamentarians and key decision makers, the UN Women National Committee in Japan, with the private sector, the media and civil society. It is also an opportunity to work closely with other UN entities based in Tokyo.

The work of the UN Women Japan Liaison Office is shaped to contribute to UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017. The strategic focus is on resource mobilization and partnership development in the area of public and political advocacy with, and substantive support to, Japan on issues pertaining to UN Women’s mandate to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment and rights.

The Special Advisor will assist and advise UN Women Headquarters in relation to the establishment of the UN Women Liaison Office in Japan and also advise on resource mobilization and partnership development in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women in Japan. The Special Advisor works under the supervision of the Head of Resource Mobilization and in close cooperation with other colleagues in the Strategic Partnerships Division (SPD) as well as other sections in HQ. The scope and depth of work of the Special Advisor is demanding. It requires good communications skills, knowledge of gender and developmental issues, experience in political analysis and advocacy work, management expertise, skills in formulation of strategic results-oriented programmes that coincide with UN Women’s strategies as well as the priorities of Japan. It further requires capacity to engage in dialogue and negotiations with government and private sector partners and other strategic partners such as parliamentarians, the media and civil society organizations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Resource Mobilization advise and assist in relation to:

Resource mobilization and donor relations;
Public and political advocacy;
Participate in the UN Japan Country Team.

Resource mobilization and donor relations:

Conceptualize and develop innovative strategies for enhanced resource mobilization within Japan in both the private and public sectors;
Identify and enhance existing strategic opportunities for UN Women to mobilize resources within Japan in both the private and public sectors;
Provide expert advice and timely guidance as well as substantive technical support to Programme Sections and Regional Offices, in developing strategic proposals for fundraising from Japanese donors. Also provide advice and guidance to the same UN Women offices in how to foster better strategic partnerships with representatives of Japan in the field;
Enhance, expand and nurture donor relations, and act as a well-informed mature strategic interface between donors and the RM Section, in particular with respect to communicating donors’ priorities and expectations to the Section;
Proactively establish, expand, enhance and nurture positive partnerships with the Government of Japan, and through such partnerships initiate evidence- based advocacy to help increase funding for the core budget, but also for existing and new UN Women programmes aligning with Japan’s priority areas in its development cooperation;
Advise UN Women offices in the process of developing top quality proposals for funding and partnerships, which reflect both the priorities and expectations of Japan.

Policy and political advocacy:

Enhance, expand and nurture existing relations, between The Government of Japan and UN Women HQ to help promote the UN Women mandate and taking into account Japan’s position as a leading contributor;
Conceptualize and develop innovative strategies for new enhanced and sustainable relationships with the Government of Japan, parliamentarians, media, NGOs, networks and think tanks, and use such relationships to advocate for stronger focus on gender equality and women’s rights in all development work;
Based on well informed political analysis, develop and provide expert policy advice advocating for stronger integration of gender equality and women's rights into Japanese development, foreign and security and defense policies, as appropriate;
UN Coordination: Provide strategic leadership within the UN Japan Team on gender equality and women’s rights, and strategically promote and develop UN coordination around these goals;
Proactively engage in and stay abreast of cutting edge policy dialogue in Japan, tracking over time the different key changes in policy thinking on gender equality and women’s rights, and provide substantive well informed feedback to HQ.

Impact of Results

As a member of the team defining strategies to meet UN Women's objectives, the results expected from the position of Special Advisor, are critical to:

The successful operationalization of the UN Women Japan Liaison Office;
The success of UN Women in building and nurturing successful strategic partnerships with both the public and private sector in Japan, and thereby critical to increasing advocacy, funding and policy dialogue with and support to Japan on gender equality and women’s rights and the role of UN Women therein.

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;
Demonstrate 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.

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.

Leadership and Management Skills:

Has strong leadership and management skills with a proven record of building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment, including the ability to effectively lead, develop, mentor, coach and evaluate staff.

Managing Relationships:

Displays a high level of respect, diplomacy and tact when dealing with government officials, donors and other stakeholders;
Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Excellent interpersonal skills, able to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment;
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;
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.

Functional Competencies:

Has substantive and demonstrated professional experience and record of accomplishment in the area of gender equality and women's human rights;
Has knowledge of UN Women and the UN system;
Has knowledge of the Japanese political system and key stakeholders, including international actors;
Has proven ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Has a successful track record in developing strong partnerships with donors, networking and mobilizing significant resources for development assistance programmes;
Has ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in a development-related area of study, communication or international relations.

Experience:

Experience with resource mobilization and partnership creation, managing, supporting and overseeing development policy-making, programme and operations management;
Minimum 10 years of relevant experience;
Excellent negotiating and communication skills and ability to mobilize support from a wide range of partners (public, including parliamentarians, private, academic, civil society, business community leaders).

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Japanese.