UN WOMEN Jobs - 56053- UN Women: Policy Specialist

UN Women: Policy Specialist - Multi-Sectoral Services for Violence against Women

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

20-May-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 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

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Policy Division develops and implements the UN Women programme of work on analysis, research and knowledge management that provides the evidence base for the advice and guidance UN Women provides to the intergovernmental processes, the UN system, and to UN Women staff working at country and regional level on issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It identifies emerging issues and trends, and develops and proposes new strategies for achieving the agreed goals through innovative approaches and lessons learned about what works in practice. It also designs and oversees the training and capacity development programs of UN Women, working closely with the UN Women training facility in Santo Domingo.

The Policy Division staff is organized in Thematic sections, bringing together technical experts who: undertake issues-based research; analyze data on country, regional and global trends; build a knowledge base on policy commitments and their implementation; propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards and for UN Women global programme strategies; and contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes.

Under the supervision of the Chief of Section, the Policy Specialist is responsible for contributing to the development and implementation of the organization policies and technical work in the area of multi-sectoral services, with a particular focus on social services (e.g. crisis services; counselling; safe accommodation and shelters; social and economic support services and legal aid), provided to women and girls who have experienced physical and sexual intimate partner violence and/or non-partner sexual violence. She/he provides technical and policy advice, based on international available evidence and good practices, related to the multiple aspects, demands and requirements of providing women-focused VAW multi-sectoral services at country level that are ethical, safe and of good quality, with a special focus on middle and lower income countries. In order to provide effective, knowledge-based technical guidance in the area of multi-sectoral services for VAW supported by UN Women Country Offices and a wide range of global, regional and national partners, this position requires knowledge of and experience in policy and strategy development, thematic reviews, development of tools for capacity building, knowledge sharing and preparing a wide range of documents for UN/ partner processes, preparing studies, reports and content for policy and advocacy related to the technical subject area. The Supervisor provides overall direction, guidance and oversight on policy issues and effective delivery of jointly agreed annual workplans.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

Policy advice and technical support;
Research, analysis and knowledge management;
Support to intergovernmental processes and policy development;
Representation and advocacy.

Policy advice and Technical Support:

Under the guidance of the supervisor and in close collaboration with the Section team contribute to the development of policies, technical tools, guidelines and manuals related to a wide range and functional aspects of the establishment, provision and management of multi-sectoral services for VAW, particularly social services (e.g. crisis service; counselling; safe accommodation and shelters; social and economic support services and legal aid) in order to respond to women and girls who have experienced VAW, for use by UN Women Country and Regional Offices, the wider UN system, and other partners;
Support the UN Women field structures in the areas of the provision of efficient and effective multi-sectoral services for VAW, quality control, client-oriented services, coordination and the sustainability of services and effective partnership of government-women’s organizations;
Identify and catalyze work in new/ cutting edge areas in the area of multi-sectoral services for VAW, particularly social services;
Support, including through technical inputs, the development of new global normative and intergovernmental standards;
Provide technical inputs into programme documents, country strategies, and knowledge products related to the establishment, management, quality control, monitoring and evaluation of multi-sectoral VAW social services;
Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning;
Provide policy advice and technical support to COs/ROs.

Research, analysis and knowledge management:

Conduct on-going research and analysis of global, regional and national trends and changes in VAW and the different approaches, models and modalities for VAW service provision;
In close collaboration with the Section team, contribute to the establishment of global communities of practice that promote collaboration, peer support, consultation and surface innovation, good practices, lessons and needs and opportunities;
Ensure the internal flow of information throughout the organization on policy and technical issues related to the thematic area;
Engage in existing thematic and gender equality networks to better connect UN Women and partner work and promote learning and innovation, especially in the area of multi-sectoral services for VAW.

Substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development:

Under the guidance of the supervisor, provide substantive inputs in the preparation of position papers and reports related to multi-sectoral VAW services for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes;
Support the implementation of resolutions, decision and other directives in relevant areas of focus, including through support to expert bodies created by intergovernmental forums;
In general consultation with the Section Chief, provide inputs in international fora to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies.

Representation and advocacy:

Represent UN Women at policy making inter-agency, intergovernmental and international technical and advocacy fora as requested by the Supervisor;
Participate in international, regional or national meetings and provide programmatic/substantive expertise on multi-sectoral services for VAW, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions;
Under the guidance of the Supervisor, contribute to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, advocacy and outreach;
Establish and nurture relationships with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts in Human Rights to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women’s work;
Substantively service high-level corporate advocacy and communications, including through the preparation of quality speeches, talking points, briefs and media/outreach messages for UN senior officials (e.g. UN Women, SG, DSG, USGs, etc).

Impact of Results:

The key results expected will have positive impact on the overall effectiveness of UN Women’s work on Ending violence against women, specifically through work in the thematic area of responsibility, by contributing directly to achievement of the relevant Goals in UN Women’s Strategic Plan.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

Conceptual innovation in the provision of policy advice and technical leadership;
Excellent and proven knowledge of gender issues and violence against women and girls;
Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities;
Ability to handle a large volume of work under time constraints;
Establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipate client needs and address them promptly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender issues, social work/social sciences, public policy or other social science fields, directly related to the thematic area of the post.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in gender programming, policy research and gender analysis at international level, at least four of which are in the area of direct service delivery, i.e. providing and managing multi-sectoral VAW services to women, either provided through public services provided by governments or by women’s organizations.

Languages:

Written and oral proficiency in English is required;
Knowledge of another UN working language is desirable.

Application procedure:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.