UN WOMEN Jobs - 63543- UN Women: Programme Specialist

UN Women: Programme Specialist

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

TA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

09-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months

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 Programme Specialist works in the Executive Office, under the direct guidance and supervision of the Special Assistant to the Executive Director and the overall guidance of the Chief of Staff. She/he will also work closely with all team members in the Executive Office, in particular the Communications Adviser and the Executive Associate. The Office of the Executive Director, UN Women is responsible for managing and ensuring the provision of substantive support to intergovernmental processes on gender equality and the empowerment of women on a global level. The Office of the Executive Director is responsible for providing vision, strategic planning and establishing priorities, leading the senior management team, leading advocacy as a global voice for women, ensuring coordination in the UN Common System, providing overall management and oversight and ensuring accountability to governance bodies.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical support to the Executive Director’s Office in the development and management of logistical, informational, and administrative systems:

Provide technical support and assistance to the Executive Office in managing the Executive Director’s agenda by anticipating and keeping track of important events, meetings and making necessary arrangements for the ED’s participation;
Perform thorough background research on events and invitations addressed to the ED;
Provide coordination support the Special Assistant in prioritizing engagements of the Executive Director by leading consultations with Divisions and relevant staff;
Coordinate the preparation of relevant background documents and briefing materials for the Executive Director; invite and/or inform relevant staff of meetings;
Maintain the electronic system for briefing note requests and file management system for briefing notes, notes to the file, official documents and other files;
Suggest improvements to the briefing note template and submission system based on the feedback of the Executive Director and Chief of Staff;
Liaise with all divisions to develop generic sets of briefing notes on recurring topics, including country profiles;
Provide coordination and logistical support in the planning and organization of the Executive Director's official travel and assist in follow-up actions arising from missions, as necessary;
Accompany the Executive Director, the Chief of Staff or the Special Assistant on official engagements, events, and missions, and record and communicate follow up actions to relevant staff.

Provide coordination support to the development and management of the Executive Office’s official correspondence:

Draft correspondence for and on behalf of the Executive Director, in consultation with relevant Divisions;
Provide support the Special Assistant in coordinating and prioritizing all communications addressed to the Executive Director;
Manage the correspondence registry and ensure timely response to all correspondence addressed to the Executive Director;
Develop templates and tools to enhance the quality of submissions for the correspondence of the Executive Director and accelerate the response time;
Update and manage information and administrative systems, contact lists, files and records.

Coordinate internal communications between the Executive Office and the organization:

Liaise with all divisions and facilitate effective communication and coordination to/from the Executive Office on the engagements and priorities of the Executive Director;
Support the organization of Town Hall meetings and other types of internal staff meetings;
Maintain the Intranet Portal for the Executive Office and develop new tools and materials to enhance internal communications online.

Provide substantive support and inputs to strategy documents:

Undertake research for substantive inputs required by the Executive Director or other senior staff in the Executive Office;
Develop concept notes and other documents on specific topics, as required by the Executive Director and other senior staff;
Review, fact-check and edit official documents for accuracy and alignment with the Executive Director’s priorities;
Compile information on the basis of different existing sources at short notice;
Participate in internal task forces and groups, as requested by the Special Assistant or the Chief of Staff.

Provide coordination support in event planning and personnel management:

Provide coordination support in the organization of official events;
Provide support in the Chief of Staff and Special Assistant in coordinating the work of administrative staff;
Provide coordination support to the Executive Office in the hiring and managing of interns.

Perform other official duties and special assignments as may be requested by the Supervisor or the Executive Director.

Key Performance Indicators:

Quality and timely delivery of background reports and briefs;
administrative, informational, and logistical systems are up to date and documents are easily retrievable;
Timely and accurate correspondence to and from the Executive Office;
Timely organization of meetings and events;
Quality communication tools and materials;
Quality inputs to documents and strategies.

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. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in teams:

Build and promote effective 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.

Communication and Information Sharing:

Create and promote an environment for open and 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:

Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to produce qualitative, accurate outputs with considerable attention to detail, in a timely manner;
Ability to manage complexities, shifting priorities, and is able to work effectively without constant supervision;
Maintain constructive, effective business relationships with clients and partners;
Adhere to deadlines and follow up on time-bound issues;
Ability to maintain diplomacy, tact and strict confidentiality with internal and external partners and clients;
Strong interpersonal and communication (verbal, listening, writing) skills;
Strong time management, efficient administration, and multi-tasking skills;
Ability to work under pressure within strict deadlines;
Ability to adapt quickly to work demands, and changing deadlines;
Willingness to “inter-change” work functions with other staff within the Unit, when required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in the field of communications, economics, gender studies, public relations, public administration, international development, law or other relevant/similar field.

Experience:

At least 5 years of specialized professional experience in international development, public relations, communications, donor relations and advocacy at the national and international level;
Substantive knowledge on gender equality issues and familiarity with the United Nations is required;
Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and in handling web-based management systems;
Prior experience working in an executive office is an advantage.

Languages:

Fluency in English, both oral and written, is required;
Working knowledge of other UN official language will be an asset.

Note:

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.

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.

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.