UNDP Jobs - 14227- Gender Practice Leader, Bangkok

Gender Practice Leader, Bangkok

Location :

Bangkok, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

28-Feb-2010

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 Year

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

1 Year

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

UNDP Practice Architecture

UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2008-2011 and the 2008 regionalization plan articulate the corporate requirement to bring timely and effective substantive and technical services to the country offices through strengthened practice architecture at the global, regional and country level.

The UNDP Practice Architecture serves as a framework for better organizing UNDP to provide consistent policy advisory services, more relevant and substantive policy knowledge, better linking of policy and programming and capacity development. The value of the practice architecture lies in its comprehensive structure to solidify UNDP and its staff into a global team that ensures coherence, consistency, alignment and quality assurance in the way UNDP delivers service internally and to development partners and programme countries.

The Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) is responsible for articulating UNDP’s global development policy, using evidence gathered through country applications, regional experiences and global interactions. BDP has a key role to play in helping country offices to accelerate human development by supporting the country offices in the design and implementation of programmes and projects that effectively contribute to the national-level policies and results. Driven by demand, and working through the Regional Bureaux and the RSC, BDP provides the global tools, analysis and capacities that country offices need to make a real difference in UNDP’s practice areas.

BDP’s support of UNDP’s strategic plan 2008-2011 is focused in 4 practices (Poverty Reduction and the MDGs, Governance, Environment and Energy, HIV/AIDS) and 2 thematic areas (Capacity Development and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment).

The practice management structure at the RSC-level is composed of a dedicated Practice Leader (PL) for each practice/thematic area and a Knowledge Management Team Leader (KMTL) at the 6 RSCs in Bangkok, Bratislava, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg and Panama City. The PL coordinates the regional and community of practice with the global practice, regardless of funding source, to promote consistency and coherence within the practice.

Practice/Thematic Approach

UNDP has a longstanding commitment to mainstreaming gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment in its work. As the UN’s lead development agency, with extensive field presence, UNDP has facilitated the integration of gender equality in the work of Country Offices through core and non-core fund investments and has initiated and implemented numerous innovative initiatives, some in partnership with UNIFEM, that support both government and civil society work on gender issues.

UNDP is currently launching its Gender Equality Strategy 2008-2011 (GES) in all the regions. The new strategy was developed through an extensive consultative process and outlines gender equality priorities in each of UNDP’s four focus areas. The new strategy is aligned with UNDP’s Strategic Plan and seeks to ensure that the gender equality be central to the organization’s strategic vision and planning for the next four years. In order for UNDP to sustain momentum and achieve measurable gender equality results, the organization has to continue restructuring itself and building its internal capacity to address the gender dimensions in all its work. The Gender Practice Leader at each RSC will be part of this restructuring and will move forward UNDP’s gender equality agenda of work in the regions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The PL’s role is to strengthen the global gender architecture in the region, with emphasis on practice co-ordination with connection to global experiences. The incumbent will ensure the quality and relevance of programme and project services in the gender practice and Bangkok region, ensuring consistency at the global level. To that end, the PL ‘s functions are fully integrated in the Regional Service Centre structure, results planning and delivery. As a result, the incumbent will be accountable for the delivery of and for ensuring quality results to both the Deputy Regional Director (DRD)/Director RSC- Bangkok and the Gender Team Director (PD) in BDP, NY. This integrated approach translates into joint work planning and joint performance assessment. The Career Review Group will take place in the RSC with the participation of the Gender Team Director, who can ensure consistency between Gender PL’s in the different regions and provide advice on learning and career development in the practice.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following functions:

Practice Management and Coordination;
Partnership building;
Policy Advocacy and Advisory Services;
Policy Development;
Quality control and assurance;
Knowledge Management.

Practice Management and Co-ordination

Substantive Leadership:

Provide substantive and managerial leadership of the regional gender team and coordination for all personnel engaged in related operational activities in the RSC;
Support and oversee regional gender programme activities and gender mainstreaming in the regional programme;
Lead advocacy in gender equality and women’s empowerment in the region including promotion of gender global policies, norms and standards and the sharing of the global experience;
Collaborate with the Gender Team Director and policy advisors in headquarters to ensure that the RSC-based gender team is up to date on evolving policies.

Coordination and Management

Consolidate and anchor the gender architecture in RBAP to support country offices and projects under the Regional Programme;
Oversee support to country offices on gender issues and liaise with country offices to support the inclusion of gender dimensions at the planning stages of country and regional programmes;
Prepare work plan for gender to integrate into the RSC overall work plan;
Identify sub-regional and inter-country development and integration opportunities and translates them into capacity development initiatives to address cross border issues;
Support the Global Tracking system for gender;
Manage all activities related to gender at the RSC including direct supervision, when appropriate, of the policy advisors and other practice specialists, including regional programme personnel; create positive team environment and ensure access to learning opportunities for all staff.

Mobilizing the Community of Practice

Promote the development of a gender community of practice (COP) at the regional level, including by providing training and networking opportunities, and catalyze and connect to global experiences;
Coordinate all cross-practice collaboration and capitalize on the approaches and tools in other practices;
Contribute evidence-based best practices and lessons learned from the region to inform and shape global practice.

Partnership Building

Effectively position UNDP’s gender capacity within the UN system to foster consistency in approach, within the regional level by scanning and assessing activities of non-UNDP players in local context and in support of UNCTs and UNDP CO programming arrangements with government counterparts, in consultation with Country Offices;
Provide guidance and leadership for the engagement of civil society in regional and country programmes, the promotion of civic engagement and the establishment of strategic partnerships, in consultation with Country Offices;
Engage national and regional partners in gender policy and programme responses under the leadership of the country offices and the UNCT;
Lead partnership building with regional and local institutions and consultancies, in consultation with Country Offices;
Develop with staff an expert roster for the region in gender;
Support resource mobilization for gender in the region and develop multi-partner proposals;
Lead the formulation and implementation, in the practice areas, of the regional partnership to support gender and support resource mobilization strategies in liaison with the Regional Bureaux and other concerned units;
Scan partnership opportunities and donor intelligence and inform the DRD of new partnership developments – e.g. donor priorities; pledges, new donor funding modalities, etc. ensuring that this supports gender work;
Maintain and strengthen partnerships with key multilaterals (BWIs, Regional Banks, etc) and key regional institutions to support the gender architecture.

Policy Advocacy & Advisory Services

Organize and provide policy advisory services to the Governments and other partners in the region in the area of gender, in consultation with the relevant Country Office(s);
Contribute to the formulation of CO programmes drawing upon lessons from programmes and other initiatives in the region and from global experiences;
Provide effective support and backstopping for, and timely feedback and reporting on implementation of programmes in support of the gender architecture;
Strengthen internal CO capacity on the use of UNDP corporate practice development frameworks;
Promote the utilization of financial resources mobilized and allocated for gender in regional and country programmes and in HQ, thematic trust funds, ensuring that all policy advisors are able to facilitate access to these funds by country offices and regional projects.

Policy Development

Contribute to the development and formulation of global policies, norms and standards with the Gender Team Director in BDP, NY;
Contribute experience and expertise to the formulation at the central level of new and evolving global policies, norms and standards.

Quality Control and Assurance

Provide Quality Assurance to ensure alignment with global development policies, norms and standards;
Co-ordinate delivery of demand-driven service delivery to country offices and regional programmes ensuring professionalism in support – e.g. timelines, responsiveness, quality in deliverables, etc;
Promote quality standards including long-term locally driven initiatives;
Ensure cross-practice approach and cross-regional collaboration back into the global level.

Knowledge Management (KM)

Develop with the KMST in co-ordination with the Gender Team Director, region-wide lessons learnt, best practices and generate knowledge needed and lessons learnt to shape UNDP’s global strategies in the region;
Participate in local KM sharing events and support the corporate KM agenda.

Competencies

Corporate:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional:

Strong ability to apply various gender related development theories to the specific context, including translating gender equality principles into effective policy and programme interventions in the field;
Capacity to interact with senior officials and credibly influence senior decision makers in UNDP programme countries and other international development organizations;
Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products;
Professional and/or academic experience in gender issues.

Leadership

Strong managerial/leadership experience and decision-making skills;
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
Knowledge and expertise in UNDP’s programming processes;
Proven ability to lead a practice area and drive for results with a strong knowledge of results-based management and budgeting.

Managing Relationships

Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational skills;
Strong ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff;
Excellent negotiating and networking skills;
Strong resource mobilization and partnering skills.

Managing Complexity

Ability to address global development issues;
Substantive knowledge and understanding of development cooperation with the ability to support the practice architecture of UNDP and inter-disciplinary issues;
Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives;
A sound global network of institutional and individual contacts;

Knowledge Management and Learning

Ability to strongly promote and build knowledge products;
Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside of UNDP;
Provides constructive coaching and feedback.

Judgment/Decision-Making

Mature judgment and initiative;
Proven ability to provide strategic direction in practice area;
Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling major policy issues and challenges.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A Master's degree in a development related area - Economics, Public Policy, Development Management, International Relations, etc.)

Experience:

10 years of overall relevant professional experience as well as a proven professional record in gender issues;
Work experience from a developing country context is a necessity;
A track record of extensive national/international working experience with increasing managerial responsibilities in the development arena and UNDP’s practice areas;
Experience in leading/managing knowledge product development and dissemination.

Language Requirements:

Fluency (both written and verbal) in English. Working knowledge of another UN language desirable.