UNDP Jobs - 4422- Gender Programme Specialist

Gender Programme Specialist

Location :

Monrovia, LIBERIA

Type of Contract :

200 Series

Starting Date :

01-Jun-2008

Application Deadline :

22-Apr-08 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

L-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

One 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

The iPRS for Liberia published in May 2007 along with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the period 2008-2012 identifies Gender as a priority area of focus and assistance for the people of Liberia. Additionally, the new UNDP Liberia Country Programme Document (2008-2012) endorsed by the Executive Board and related Country Programme Action Plan for 2008, gives heightened emphasis on the need for UNDP and the UNCT to join efforts in supporting the Government of Liberia tackle the issue of Gender Based Violence (GBV), Enabling women to realize their rights as well as Economic and political Empowerment of Women in a robust programmatic manner. Interventions to support Government Institutions at the local and central level, as well as civil society is being rolled out under a two pronged approach i.e at the community level and at the central policy level through a well grounded capacity development approach. The current draft PRS document also highlights the importance of access to rights for all women in Liberia and the importance of implementing GBV as one of a number of Joint Programming Initiatives of the UN Country Team in Liberia.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Programmes and the immediate supervision of the Assistant Resident Representative for Democratic Governance, the Gender Programme Officer and in collaboration with the UNMIL Gender Unit will under take the following sets of duties and responsibilities:

Manages the day to day implementation activities of projects and activities falling within the UNDP Gender Unit to ensure that the procedures are in compliance with the UNDP rules and regulations, implementation (financial and activity) , monitoring and reporting is in accordance with the project proposal agreed with donors;
Supports the MOGD to make strategic analysis and responsible for the strategic direction of the UNDP Liberia support to Gender and the identification of new emerging issues for the Government of Liberia relating to Gender, drafts proposals for donors in close consultation with the MOGD with a view to mobilizing resources under the UNDAF and PRS;
Designs and implements UNDP Capacity Development activities to the Ministry of Gender and assists with the drafting of policy documents on gender;
Organizes training workshops at the MOGD including preparation of relevant background material; produces UNDP papers on ‘lessons learned’ and as well as capturing of best practices based on implementation of projects;
Manage the gender unit to ensure compliance with UNDP rules and regulations in project implementation, monitoring and reporting;
Support the Ministry of Gender and Development to mainstream gender in the country’s development planning process;
Support the capacity development efforts of the Ministry of Gender and Development and gender based civil society groups;
Unit is consistently profitable, contributing significantly to the overhead of the UNDP office;
Support UNDP coordination and information exchanges with gender focal points in other UN agencies as well as UNMIL.;
Ensure that gender is mainstreamed in all UNDP practice areas through internal capacity development;
Ensure that all UNDP staff are trained in Sexual Exploitation and Abuse with a view to eliminate Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by staff;
Represents UNDP at various Gender related fora, Conferences and Workshops and actively supports UNDP coordination and strong information exchange with gender focal points in other UN Agencies and Programmes as well as within UNMIL;
Ensures implementation of effective capacity development activities to women based civil society groups are mainstreamed into all projects being implemented in the Gender Unit.;
Actively supports the MOGD and the MFA on preparations of the “Women’s International Colloquium” scheduled for February 2009 in Liberia.;
Ensures that all UNDP CO project documents presented to the LPAC are gender mainstreamed and personally organizes and conducts ‘in house’ training sessions for UNDP staff as well as on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse ( SEA) as the UNDP Office Focal Point;
Advocate for the collection of sex disaggregated data to ensure a data base on gender is established in collaboration with key UN development partners; initiative and support public awareness activities on gender issues and related covenants in order to increase women’s awareness on the right of access to protection and justice mechanisms;
Undertakes any other duties as requested by Supervisor(s).

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’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
Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

Demonstrates passion for capacity building, knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
Has a in-depth knowledge and grasp of development issues and UNDP programmes
Advocates and provide policy advice

Development and Operational Effectiveness

Action, output and Results-oriented
Able to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
Able to lead procurement processes of various modality, magnitude and levels of competition
Able to introduce and implement strategic procurement, contract and sourcing strategy
Able to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and positively affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal
change

Management and Leadership

Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
Leads and manages teams effectively.
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
Outstanding people skills
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
Demonstrates openness and responsiveness to change, and able to manage complexities

Required Skills and Experience

Masters in Development Studies, Gender and Development, International Relations or related discipline.
Minimum of 5 years experience in the field of gender equality, human rights and development.
In depth knowledge of Gender based violence and women’s rights
Minimum of three years programme management experience in a post conflict context.
Fluency in English and another UN language would be an asset.