UN WOMEN Jobs - 21804- Sub-national Gender Officer (SGO)

Sub-national Gender Officer (SGO)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Dai Kundi, AFGHANISTAN

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

02-Mar-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

31 Dec 2011 (with possibility of extension)

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 is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s human rights in Afghanistan. Staff and consultants of UN WOMEN are expected to contribute to a professional working environment in which the strengthening of national capacities and human potential is prioritized. Respect for diversity and human dignity is required, as is the active pursuit of a collaborative and inclusive approach to both internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues and partners.

UN WOMEN (formerly UNIFEM) has been actively involved in working to institutionalize gender equity in Afghanistan. Placing the advancement of women at the centre of all of its efforts, UN WOMEN’s approach to this objective has been through an integrated program of institutional capacity building and technical support to ministries, gender mainstreaming across government and in the justice sector, supporting economic empowerment initiatives for women, promoting women’s engagement in peace building, advocating for elimination of violence against women, and legal and justice reform.

UN WOMEN actively supports the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GOIRA) in implementing its gender equality commitments as contained in the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA), which is an integral component of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS).

UN WOMEN is Chair of the UN Country Team Gender Working Group (UNCT-GWG). Recently, the UNCT GWG decided to ‘deliver as one’ in the province of Dai Kundi, giving emphasis on the pilot implementation of NAPWA. UN WOMEN has been cooperating with the UNAMA Central Highlands Region, Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Provincial Government of Dai Kundi to move forward the Dai Kundi Development process which engages the people of Dai Kundi in a process of identifying their priority needs and negotiating with national agencies, civil society organizations, donors and UN agencies to embark in a people-directed development that gives emphasis to the improvement of women’s status and participation in all aspects of life. In relation to these, UN WOMEN had convened a special meeting of the Gender Donor Coordination Group (GDCG), a network of donor and UN agencies that support the work of the government of Afghanistan on gender equality. In this special meeting, an agreement was drawn to support the Dai Kundi Development process. Furthermore, UN WOMEN assists the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) in mobilizing support to the Dai Kundi Development process. Under the auspices of the UNCT GWG, it supported the government of Dai Kundi in hosting a dialogue between its leaders and deputy ministers along with a high level consultation on gender equality which tackled the priority development and gender issues of the province.

Currently, the Dai Kundi Development process is in full swing. A Conference on Development and Gender is scheduled to be held in spring of 2011 to wove ahead with the process and clarify the sustaining mechanisms that have to be put in place to coordinate, monitor and accelerate the development process in the province. UN WOMEN plays a pivotal role in ensuring that UN agencies deliver as one under the auspices of the UNCT GWG.

Duties and Responsibilities

The SGO is a new position that is being created by UN WOMEN to better execute its roles in facilitating the support of UNCT GWG and other partners to the province and implement its own programs under the UNCT’s ‘delivering as one’ approach.

Under the direct supervision of the Unit Manager of the ACO’s Institutional Capacity Development Unit (ICDU) and with technical guidance of the ICDU Specialist, the Sub-national Gender Officer will head the UN WOMEN’s office in Dai Kundi and will primarily serve as coordinator, technical resource, and representative of UN WOMEN in supporting the gender programming of the Dai Kundi development process. S/he will be based in Dai Kundi and undertake area-based coordination of the work of UN WOMEN in the province, including those that UN WOMEN will undertake in cooperation with its donor, civil society, government and UN partners.

1. Coordinate and manage the partnerships of UN WOMEN within Dai Kundi – This responsibility is about ensuring that UN WOMEN is able to establish a solid, productive and sustainable partnership in Dai Kundi that will enable it to continue leading effectively the coordination of support to the gender programming of the Dai Kundi development process. The SGO will:

? Using a participatory process, undertake a mapping of who is doing what in Dai Kundi, focussing on gender-related initiatives and macro initiatives that have potentials for strategic gender mainstreaming;
? Set in place a stable mechanism for coordinating the work of strategic partners on gender, preferably under the leadership of the Department of Women’s Affairs (DOWA) and with the involvement of the duly designated representative of the Provincial Governor’s Office;
? Represent UN WOMEN in meetings, events and activities pertinent to gender mainstreaming in the province;
? Submit to ICDU Unit Manager a regular report on performance along with analysis of issues and recommendations; and
? Act as substantive leader in gender and provide advice or guidance to ACO and stakeholders in the province on gender issues and related undertakings.

Outputs – Mapping report on who is doing what in Dai Kundi; TOR of mechanism for coordination of gender related activities; report on meetings with pertinent analysis and recommendations; list of agencies or individuals provided with gender mainstreaming advice.

Duration - Throughout the duration of the contract

2. Systematize the implementation and follow up of UN WOMEN initiatives in Dai Kundi – The purpose of this activity is to ensure that UN WOMEN’s initiatives in Dai Kundi are implemented in the most organized and effective means and are followed up until the desired results are attained. The responsibility of harmonizing and substantively coordinating the UN WOMEN interventions will be done by the concerned units in coordination with the ICDU Unit Manager who will ensure that the SGO has a full knowledge of the plans and developments emanating from the UN WOMEN Afghanistan Country Office (ACO). The roles and responsibilities in this regard are:

? Proactively liaise with the ICDU on programming developments that will be implemented in Dai Kundi, provide them with advice on the feasibility and challenges that are likely to be faced in regard to the implementation, and suggest measures on how to address the challenges;
? Identify area-based initiatives that should be linked with the work of the ACO units in Dai Kundi and if necessary, undertake initial exploratory dialogue to lay the foundation for a formal partnership with ACO and the concerned units;
? Gather and furnish the ACO with information that could help enrich the design and implementation of ACO interventions in the province;
? Implement the follow up tasks from the UN WOMEN units, subject to approval and endorsement of the ICDU Manager;
? Manage the procurement of requirements and oversee the management and maintenance of the Gender Office in Dai Kundi on a daily basis; and
? Attend programming meetings at the ACO as may be determined in the Program Management Meetings and subject to the approval of the ICDU Manager and as required attend to GDCG and UNCT-GWG meetings occasionally.

Output – programming advice, list of initiatives and contact persons related to initiatives of the ACO units; information relevant to program design and implementation; report on actions taken in regard to follow up tasks assigned by the units through the ICDU Unit Manager

Duration– Throughout the duration of the contract

3. Oversee, coordinate and report on the day to day implementation of the piloting commitments of UN WOMEN, GWG, GDCG, and other partners – The main purpose of this task is to ensure that the UN WOMEN is able to fulfill its roles competently in the context of the UNCT piloting of ‘delivering as one’ in Dai Kundi, focused on gender equality. This responsibility rests mainly with the Country Director and the ICDU. The SGO’s specific responsibilities in this regard are:

? Internalize the overall plan of action of the GWG and its partners to support the province of Dai Kundi in the gender programming of the UN system’s development process with emphasis in promoting gender equality and acquiring mastery in explaining it to all relevant partners, orally and in writing;
? Subject to approval of the ICDU Manager, undertake coordination work and keep relevant documents and information materials on behalf of UN WOMEN and its key partners in the province;
? Facilitate and promote gender mainstreaming in the work of all development actors in the province and link them with relevant partners of UN WOMEN;
? Ensure that sex-disaggregated data are collected and analyzed by UN WOMEN partners and all relevant development actors in the province;
? Represent UN WOMEN in the gender events and activities being undertaken by the GWG members, concerned ministries, civil society organizations, and GDCG members in Dai Kundi; and
? Coordinate on behalf of the ACO the local chapter of the UNCT GWG.
? Prepare and submit to the ICDU Manager a monthly status and analytical report on the status of the implementation of the piloting work in the province.

Output – list of occasions and individuals to whom briefing on the piloting package were given; list of coordination work undertaken; list of materials on gender being kept in the office; list of actors in the province with whom advocacies for gender mainstreaming were done; baseline and updated list of sex-disaggregated data; list of events and activities attended on behalf of UN WOMEN; monthly status and analytical reports

Duration – Throughout the duration of the contract

4. Performance of other related tasks. The SGO will perform other related tasks as may be identified by UN WOMEN and approved by the ICDU Manager in the process of developing the above outputs.

Key Results:

The key results of the SGO will be:

• Successful implementation of the piloting strategy in Dai Kundi focused on gender mainstreaming
• Continuing credibility of UN WOMEN as substantive leader in the piloting process in Dai Kundi

Competencies

Core Values and Ethics

• Demonstrate cultural sensitivity and able to work in a multi-national environment
• Ability to Support the Organization’s corporate goal
• Comply with UN WOMEN rules, regulations and code of conduct
• Demonstrate integrity

Teamwork

• Build effective client relationships and partnerships
• Interact with all levels of staff in the organization
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Build and share knowledge
• Provide guidance and support to others
• Apply existing knowledge to work
• Make valuable practice contributions

Communication

• Excellent oral and written skills
• Listen actively and respond effectively

Task Management

• Plan, prioritize and deliver a variety of tasks on time and within budget
• Exercise sound judgment/analysis
• Develop creative solutions

Learning

• Promote learning environment in the office
• Provide constructive feedback for others

Technical/Functional

• Knowledge on gender mainstreaming
• Knowledge of the development situation, strategies, and mechanisms in the province

Required Skills and Experience

1. Graduate education on related areas such as gender and development, social sciences, economics, etc.
2. With Master’s degree minimum of two years and with Bachelor’s degree minimum of four years of professional experience and track record in gender and development work, particularly in a sub-national setting;
3. Experience in working with government, donors, civil society, and UN agencies;
4. Background in development planning and programming; and
5. Ability to deliver outputs on time, handle multiple tasks and work under stressful situations.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent written and oral skills in both Dari and English

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in computer systems, internet navigation and various office applications.