UN WOMEN Jobs - 91727- UN Women: Special Assistant to the Director, Polic

UN Women: Special Assistant to the Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

04-Jun-20 (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.

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) provides global support to UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver results in support of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and women’s empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Division provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and program advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management, and cutting-edge technical expertise to support UN Women programmes and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Under the general direction and guidance of the Director PPID, the Special Assistant to the Director is responsible for providing: (1) Technical support and timely analytical information for the Director, (2) Coherent policy advice, coordination and liaison support to the Director in the strategic management of the Division, (3) Substantive knowledge management and reporting support, and (4) High level administrative and logistical support. The Special Assistant will have a proven ability to work and act under pressure and with discretion in a sensitive and challenging environment. S/he has to have excellent communication and organization skills to manage the substantive and normative agenda of the division.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical support to the Director:

Provide sound policy inputs on issues as appropriate, to facilitate the Director’s representation with UN Women staff and external partners;
Provide specialized technical support to the Director in his/ her interactions with other UN entities;
Identify, research, analyze, prepare and/or organize information and briefing materials for the Director to facilitate decision-making and leadership in management strategic planning/review;
Draft speeches, talking points, briefing notes, background papers, and/or design presentation materials (including multi-media) for delivery by the Director in key events, meetings and other external fora ensuring that UN Women thinking, goals, objectives, strategies and/or policies on gender issues and UN Women programs are appropriately reflected in these materials.

Provide coordination and liaison support to the Director in the strategic management of the Division:

Oversee the management of the Director’s agenda; evaluate and keep track of important events and, meeting and advise on priorities and critical meetings requiring his/ her presence; make necessary arrangements for the Director’s participation including the preparation of background papers;
Help prepare and participate in daily 15 minutes briefing to inform the Director on background information and decisions to be taken;
Process and/or prepare the Director’s participation in meetings and missions/key events and come up with best practices to be shared with other units and divisions;
Provide technical and coordination support in the follow-up to meetings and corporate initiatives, including the preparation of relevant minutes and notes as appropriate, and management of a follow up tool/file;
Liaise closely with in-house Divisions, sections and field offices as well as key partners and stakeholders on workplans and programme division commitments.

Provide substantive knowledge management and reporting support:

Establish a system for timely and prioritized decision-making and ensure sharing of good practices and decisions with involved units and divisions;
Coordinate efforts and in meeting deadlines related to organizational reports including for intergovernmental bodies ensuring the required quality standards are observed;
Ensure the timely follow-up to the Division’s directives, including the effective dissemination of pertinent information to senior management and other relevant staff at Headquarters and in other offices.

Provide high level administrative and logistical support:

Provide administrative, logistical and coordination support to the Director in official engagements such as signatures/ceremonies ensuring that liaison has been maintained within all the different sections in UN Women, determine if adequate representation is present and ensure all protocol arrangements are in place;
Provide support to the Director’s participation in Senior Management Team (SMT) meetings and retreats, including preparation of agenda and minutes, ensuring the timely submission and circulation of relevant background documents and reports;
Manage the planning and organization of the Director’s official travel, including the timely preparation of official travel files and background documents by the relevant divisions and units as well as prepare or ensure the preparation of official travel reports;
Work closely with the Executive Assistant and Programme Analyst to ensure high-quality and rapid response to e-mail, telephone and written correspondence and an effective and efficient file management system.

Perform other official duties and special assignments which may be requested by the Director.

Key Performance Indicators:

Director’s participation in internal and external meetings are well prepared, on time and on the scope and strategic;
Quality briefing materials for management decision-making;
Quality, data-relevant and timeliness of technical inputs on documents;
Quality of speeches and presentation materials;
Timely monitoring and analysis of feedback and quality synthesis of results;
Protocols are followed as needed and travel is organized on time.

Competencies

Core Values:

Integrity;
Professionalism;
Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
Accountability;
Creative Problem Solving;
Effective Communication;
Inclusive Collaboration;
Stakeholder Engagement;
Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

Excellent skills and substantive knowledge in gender equality and women's empowerment;
Strong planning, goal-setting, prioritization and organizational skills;
Strong communication skills, both written and oral. excellent drafting skills with the ability to edit and clear reports, speeches and correspondences;
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
Demonstrated negotiating, cultural sensitivity and diplomatic skills;
Capacity to conduct data analysis and visualize results in digestible communication products;
Ability to provide information, tools, resources to support work achievement;
Effectiveness orientation and pro-activity;
Ability to leverage information technology, executive information systems, management techniques and tools for optimal office performance;
Strong interpersonal skills;
Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in one of the following disciplines: social sciences, political science, international relations, business administration or management, public administration, or other related fields;
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years of progressively varied responsible experience with international and/or corporate organizations preferably in the United Nations system and its organizations;
Experience in Results Based Management;
Experience working on issues of gender equality and empowerment of women is a strong asset;
Experience in knowledge generation and management, research, normative support and integrated policy advice to governments and other development actors is a strong asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English, both oral and written, is required;
Proficiency in other UN languages is an advantage.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558. 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.

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.