UN WOMEN Jobs - 67106- UN Women: Head of Office, UN Women Liaison Office

UN Women: Head of Office, UN Women Liaison Office

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Geneva, SWITZERLAND

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

02-Mar-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

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 sustainable development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Geneva is the internationally recognized center of expertise in many priority areas of UN Women’s engagement and in related global issues, including human rights, health, peace and security, labour, economics, trade, migration, humanitarian affairs, disaster risk reduction, science, telecommunications, the environment and sustainable development. UN Women is establishing a Liaison Office in Geneva in order to expand, deepen and broaden its strategic engagement with intergovernmental processes and a broad range of stakeholders in supporting them to effectively contribute to the full realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and their human rights by 2030.

The UN Women Liaison Office in Geneva is organizationally integrated into UN Women’s Intergovernmental Support Division. That Division plays a central role to deliver on UN Women’s normative support functions and to strengthen linkages between normative work and operational activities. It contributes to the Entity’s support for the development and strengthening of a comprehensive set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment that is dynamic, responds to new and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities and is applied through action by Governments and other stakeholders at all levels. The Division also has special responsibility for the coordination of substantive servicing of intergovernmental and expert bodies as mandated in relevant legislative documents.

Under the overall supervision of the Director of the Intergovernmental Support Division, the Head of Office, UN Women Liaison Office in Geneva, will (a) Strategically influence, strengthen coordination, engage and deepen partnerships with the broad range of stakeholders and intergovernmental processes at UNHQ Geneva on gender equality and the empowerment of women; (b) Enhance UN-Women’s global voice for women and girls and establish its leadership role in International Geneva and at UNHQ Geneva for full and timely implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; (c) Accelerate operational results for women and girls in sectors covered by the Geneva-based UN and international entities and intergovernmental processes.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Functions:

Lead the engagement with intergovernmental processes and stakeholders on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls:

Develop and implement an engagement strategy for UN Women in Geneva-based intergovernmental processes to increase attention to gender equality issues;
Advocate for the inclusion of gender perspectives in the outcomes of intergovernmental processes;
Provide technical advice and inputs and present evidence and rationale for the integration of gender perspectives including through the delivery of statements, organization of events, convening of stakeholders for exchanges of views, and facilitation of consensus-building;
Lead the engagement with permanent missions, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, research and academic institutions in Geneva on UN Women’s mandate, priorities, results achieved and opportunities for collaboration.

Enhance UN Women’s global voice for women and girls and its leadership role in International Geneva and at UNHQ Geneva:

Regularly update Geneva-based stakeholders on the work of UN Women and that of New York-based gender-specific intergovernmental processes and bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women and provide opportunities to enhance linkages between Geneva and New York-based processes;
Represent UN Women in United Nations system inter-agency meetings and task forces, build alliances, collaboration and joint approaches for enhanced attention to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
Consolidate UN Women’s system coordination role vis-à-vis the Geneva-based UN entities through advocacy and technical support;
Identify opportunities and provide technical support to UN Women senior management participating in high-level interagency and other meetings in Geneva.
Build, strengthen and consolidate partnerships and accelerate operational results for women and girls
Build, strengthen and consolidate partnerships with civil society organizations, private sector companies, philanthropic organizations/foundations, academic institutions and UN entities headquartered in Geneva around opportunities for support to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
Engage with development partners and make the case for gender equality and women’s empowerment in operational results.

Lead the management of human and financial resources of the Office:

Lead the preparation and submission of the Annual Workplan and budget of the office and monitor implementation;
Lead the management of material and financial resources of the office, in line with UN Women policies, rules and procedures;
Finalize terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary;
Manage, coach and guide staff and other personnel as applicable provide performance feedback;
Provide technical support to the development of the Office security strategy and plan as required.

Impact of results:

The Head of Office impacts on the effective development of a comprehensive set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment that is dynamic, responds to new and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities and is applied through action by Governments and other stakeholders at all levels.

Specific expected results:

Targeted Engagement strategy with Geneva-based intergovernmental processes and partners developed and implemented;
Strategic engagement with intergovernmental processes to integrate/promote gender perspectives;
Timely and regular updates to Geneva-based stakeholders on the work of UN Women resulting in greater awareness of the work of UN Women to implement its strategic plan and fulfill its mandate;
Key partnerships established and maintained with civil society organizations, private sector companies, philanthropic organizations/foundations, academic institutions and UN entities headquartered in Geneva to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
UN Women Office in Geneva is managed in line with UN Women policies and processes;
Work is implemented according to timeline and budgets as indicated in workplan.

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 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:

Substantive knowledge of gender equality issues, the UN system and intergovernmental processes;
Understanding of, and ability to evaluate political situations, intergovernmental discussions and negotiations, and to create strategic entry points for gender equality considerations;
Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with government counterparts, UN agencies, civil society representatives and other key stakeholders;
Ability to interact with high-level decision-makers;
Proven ability to develop and maintain productive partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders;
Proven communications and presentation skills, including ability to produce concise and clear messages on gender perspectives in sectoral areas;
Proven analytical and problem solving skills;
Proven ability to manage a small team and work independently;
Outstanding leadership skills;
Proven planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's degree (or equivalent) in gender studies, development, law, political affairs, international relations, social sciences, or related fields.

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years progressively responsible experience in gender equality, development or related issues, of which ideally 5 years on gender equality and the empowerment of women;
Experience in an international organization or in diplomacy is a distinct advantage;
Substantive experience and record of accomplishment in intergovernmental processes.

Language:

Fluency in written and oral English is required. Fluency in French is a distinct advantage.

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.

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