Background

• Provide innovative and catalytic programming and financial support to countries to achieve gender equality in line with national priorities, and
• To strengthen action on gender equality across the UN system of development cooperation.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Corporate policy and strategy development
• Support to Sub-Regional Offices
• Programme guidance, management and oversight
• Advocacy and support to the UN development system
• Office capacity and performance

• Provide leadership in the  development, implementation and evaluation of the regional strategy and business plan based on UNIFEM's Strategic Plan (SP) in support of gender equality and women's empowerment and rights, in line with regional and national priorities and in consultation with  government, civil society and UN partners and stakeholders
• Submit assessments of Strategic Plans and work plans and identify lessons learned and areas of emphasis to underpin future Strategic Plan development
• Advise UNIFEM Executive Director on regional policy matters. Participate in corporate initiatives, including the Programme Working Group and Management Team and provide input to other process such as the reports to the UNIFEM Consultative Committee (CC), presentations to the Executive Board and General Assembly, as required, to propose UNIFEM positions on specific policy and programme issues

• Contribute to the analysis and formulation phase of CCA/UNDAF exercises to ensure quality and relevance of UNIFEM support to national development priorities through coordinated and focused interventions
• Support the formulation of high quality and relevant country programmes and projects, convening a Programme Appraisal Committee, as needed, in liaison with HQ units for review and approval, and provide oversight of compliance with corporate guidelines and consistency with corporate policies and strategies
• Ensure that the Geographical Section is able to respond effectively and efficiently to requests for HQ assistance , especially in areas relating to programme and project design and management

• Provide strategic guidance, substantive /technical leadership and support to the Directors of UNIFEM LAC's four subregional offices (SRO), in implementing and managing UNIFEM Strategic Plan, regional strategy and related project and programs in program countries. Accountable for delivery results. 
• Monitor mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators to measure SRO capacity and performance to ensure progress, timely support and proactive oversight.
• Use corporate monitoring and oversight tools such as the Balanced Score Card, Atlas snapshot and dashboard, Global Staff Surveys, audit, evaluation and other corporate reports.
• Work with relevant UNIFEM units to identify and disseminate best programme and management practices
• Manage the allocation of funds to sub-regions and countries, and assure the proper utilization of resources approved and allocated to regional programmes and projects managed by the Geographic Section  

• Advocate on behalf of UNIFEM and its mandate to help raise awareness about UNIFEM, encourage partnerships with government/UN missions, NGOs, academia, media and the private sector and, in association with OBDT liaise with donor agencies to mobilize resources at the HQ level for Latin America region. Provide and coordinate support to SROs for their fundraising efforts.
• Forge strategic partnerships with other UN system agencies at HQ to promote gender equality and women's advancement through joint projects and interagency efforts. Participate in and follow up on Regional Director Team (RDT) initiatives to support joint offices, providing technical support and guidance to SROs on joint programming and joint office management Represent UNIFEM at interagency, intergovernmental, international, regional and national fora, conferences and meetings and advocate UNIFEM's policy and initiatives in advancing gender empowerment.
• Manage the process of collecting and disseminating lessons learned on gender equality and women's empowerment strategies and approaches for partners, including the UN system, and so contribute to UNIFEM's knowledge management efforts  

• Establish mutually agreed results framework and performance indicators and targets to effectively measure SRO capacity, in line with UNIFEM's accountability framework
• Lead efforts to increase staff capacity in the region in Results Based Management and Results Based Budgeting including systems and quality assurance in implementing results based, rights based programming and budgets.
• Ensure that the Geographic Section has access to the resources it requires to undertake its responsibilities, and accounts for their use in line with UNIFEM's rules and regulations
• Assist in the hiring and review of all staff for the Section and for international staff in SROs
• Identify and support capacity-building/learning opportunities at HQ and in SROs/CPOs

Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNIFEM
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Functional:

• Has substantive and demonstrated professional experience and record of accomplishment in the area of gender equality and women's human rights
• Has knowledge of UNIFEM and the UN system
• Has proven ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Has a successful track record in developing strong partnerships with donors and mobilizing significant resources for development assistance programmes
• Has ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting
• Has ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes
• Has a deep knowledge of the LAC Region (political, economic, social and cultural)

Behavioral

• Leadership and Management Skills: Has strong 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 
• Knowledge Management : Demonstrates ability to 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 UNIFEM
• Managing Relationships: Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback; Displays a high level of respect, diplomacy and tact when dealing with government officials, donors and other stakeholders; Excellent interpersonal skills, able to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment
• Managing Complexity: 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
• Communication Skills: Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills, including ability to convey complex concepts to different stakeholders in a clear and concise style

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced University degree in a development-related area of study.

• At least 10 years of active participation or leadership in a position with gender-related development programmes of which 6 years working internationally
• Experience with managing, supporting and overseeing development policy-making, programme and operations management, resource mobilization and partnership creation.
• Working experience in the region

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish is required.  Working knowledge of French and Portuguese an asset