UNDP Jobs - 5470- Practice Leader, Gender

Practice Leader, Gender

Location :

Bratislava, SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Type of Contract :

200 Series

Starting Date :

01-Sep-2008

Application Deadline :

25-Jul-08 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

L-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 Regional Centres, 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 regional centre-level is composed of a dedicated Practice Leader (PL) for each practice/thematic area and a Knowledge Management Team Leader (KMTL) at the 6 Regional Centres in Bangkok, Bratislava, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg and Panama City. The Practice Leader 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 Regional Centre will be part of this restructuring and will move forward UNDP’s gender equality agenda of work in the regions.

Regional Context

The Bratislava Regional Centre (BRC) is UNDP’s main knowledge and advisory hub for the 31 countries serviced by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS (RBEC). It connects the region to a global network of development experts, to build knowledge and capacity, and to forge partnerships to meet the development challenges of a large and diverse region. The BRC works to codify and disseminate development successes and best practices in the region, and to improve the impact of UNDP’s work through effective communications and advocacy.

The BRC employs a team of in-house policy advisers, backed by an extensive roster of outside experts. Policy advisers provide user-driven advisory services, access to knowledge and technical expertise to RBEC country offices (and other UNDP and UN clients) in a timely and responsive manner. Specific services include diagnostic missions, on-site support to UNDP Country offices, programming and project formulations, expert referrals, capacity development, the development of briefs, strategies, and presentations for UNDP senior management, training and applied policy research. Policy advisers are also responsible for establishing and maintaining active regional communities of practice in their respective areas of expertise, as part of the global Community of Practice. Sub-practices in each thematic area also manage the Regional Programme, including project formulation and implementation. Policy advisory services within BRC are grouped into practice areas forming organization units of the Centre, including the Gender Practice team.

When it comes to gender, the Europe and CIS region has experienced substantial changes in the post transition period. European and CIS region is largely varied; hence it is difficult to make generalizations about gender. Progress on gender equality varies by thematic issue, and by sub-region. Circumstances for women (and men) are generally speaking most favorable in the new member states of the European Union (EU), and deteriorate as one moves east and south. The effect of the post-communist transition on gender equality is also mixed, bringing improvements in the status of women in some countries but deterioration in others. It is clear that the transition has had a differential effect on women and men and that marginalized and poor woman are most vulnerable to its negative effects. According to economic indicators, women are worse off than men. Women are paid less and have lower economic activity rates. Further, the unemployment rate of women is sometimes lower than men. Key socio-cultural gender issues include a massive migration mostly of men in some countries, trafficking of women but also men, and a revival of discriminatory gender stereotypes and cultural expectations. However, women’s participation in civil society is increasing to the point that civil society is mostly led by women, particularly in CIS countries. On the political front, women’s participation has been low and declining. The region’s demographics show large declines in fertility, including unprecedented declines in fertility levels in lower middle income countries—as well as surprising gaps between female and male mortality (to the detriment of the latter) in some CIS countries.

RBEC’s Gender Strategy outlines the priorities of the region and addresses these crucial but varied gender issues. The Practice Leader will be instrumental in supporting country offices to address these key priorities throughout the region.

Duties and Responsibilities

The PL’s role is to strengthen the global practice 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 x practice and x 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 and quality of results to both the Deputy Regional Director (DRD) at the RSC and the Practice 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 Practice Directors, who can ensure consistency between 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:

Policy Advisory/Programme Support-Delivery;
Policy Development;
Practice Management/Coordination;
Practice Advocacy;
Partnership Building;
Quality Control and Assurance; and
Knowledge Management.

Policy Advisory/Programme Support-Delivery:

Provide and organize policy advisory services to the Governments and other partners in the region in the practice area;
Contribute to the design and 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 agenda;
Strengthen internal CO capacity on the use of UNDP corporate practice development frameworks;
Promote the utilization of financial resources mobilized and allocated for practices 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;
Provide guidance on cross thematic issues and lead the development of cross practice synergy.

Policy Development:

Develop corporate policy and guidance in gender area with the Practice Director in BDP NY and the Regional Bureau focal point on regional initiatives;
Contribute experience and expertise to the formulation at the central level of new and evolving global policies, norms and standards;
Act as a liaison between the UNDP country office and UNCTs with HQ units on substantive policy and programme related matters;
Provide substantive inputs to international fora to help shape global and regional development strategies, policies, norms and standards.

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 practice’s 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;
Lead the practice area in the region ensuring UNDP’s credibility in delivery on a highly visible programme which in turn links to UNDP’s delivery on its Strategic Plan 2008-2011.

Coordination and Management:

Consolidate and anchor the gender architecture in RBEC to support country offices;
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 BRC overall workplan;
Provide practice/cluster programme management oversight including development/management of global programmes;
Liaise with country offices to support the inclusion of practice areas at the planning stages of country offices (and regional programmes);
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 the practice;
Manage all activities related to gender at the BRC including direct supervision, when appropriate, of the policy advisors and specialists, including regional programme personnel; create positive team environment and ensure access to learning opportunities for all staff;
Ensure coordination and management of all related human and financial resources in a politically complex environment;
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;
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;
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;
Further develop and maintain 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 of regional partnerships to support gender and
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;
Represent the organization in international for a where appropriate and contribute to present the UNDP’s position and work.

Mobilizing the Community of Practice:

Promote the development of a gender community of practice (COP) at the regional level and catalyze and connect to global experiences including cross-regional/practice collaboration;
Coordinate all cross-practice collaboration and capitalize on the approaches and tools in other practices.

Practice Advocacy:

Provide substantive and content leadership in UNDP corporate discussions and Inter-Agency coordination on practice issues;
Represent UNDP (and UN partner organizations) to advocate practice messages in the international development for a discussion;
Mobilize external partnerships behind UN/UNDP initiatives.

Partnership Building:

Effectively position UNDP’s practice 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;
Provides 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;
Engage national and regional partners in practice policy and programme responses under the leadership of the country offices and the UNCT;
Lead partnership building with regional and local institutions and consultancies;
Develop with staff an expert roster for the region in the practice area;
Develop multi-partner proposals;
Lead the formulation and implementation, in the practice areas, of the regional partnership to support the practice area and support resource mobilization strategies in liaison with the Regional Bureaux and other concerned units;
Scan partnership opportunities and donor intelligence and inform DRD of new partnership developments – e.g. donor priorities; pledges, new donor funding modalities, etc. ensuring that this supports the practice area;
Maintain and strengthen partnerships with key multilaterals (BWIs, Regional Banks, etc) and key regional institutions to support the practice architecture.

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 practice level.

Knowledge Management (KM):

Develop with the Knowledge Management Team, in co-ordination with the Practice 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;
Support the development of a knowledge system and support the utilization of KM strategies and tools;
Link KM to business processes; and
Promote UN wide Knowledge Management Strategies.

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

A Masters degree in a development related area –Economics, Public Policy, Development Management, International Relations, etc.)
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 and international working experience with increasing managerial responsibilities in the development arena and UNDP’s practice areas and the ability to link to global policy development for UNDP;
Experience in leading/managing knowledge product development and dissemination.
Fluency and proficiency in English; working knowledge of Russian desirable, another UN language or a regional language is an asset.