Background

Applicants who previously applied need not re-apply.

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 presents the evidence base for the advice and guidance UN Women provides to intergovernmental processes, the UN system, and to UN Women staff working at country and regional levels 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 on what works in practice. It also designs and oversees the training and capacity development programmes 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 including through knowledge and exchange platforms/communities of practice; propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards and for UN Women global programme and Flagship Initiatives; and contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes.

Under the supervision of the Chief of Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Section, the Policy Specialist, Institutional Change is responsible for contributing to the development and implementation of the organization policies in the area of institutional change to prevent and address violence against women and girls (VAWG), in order to eliminate this violence and achieve gender equality and advancement of women. S/he provides technical and policy advice at global, country and regional levels, through strategy development, thematic reviews, tools for capacity building and channels for knowledge-sharing, in addition to preparing documentation for UN normative intergovernmental processes, preparing studies, reports and content for policy advocacy. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide policy advice and technical support on EVAWG:

• Develop tools, guidelines and manuals related to institutional changes and document good practices to effectively prevent and respond to VAWG, for use by UN Women country offices, the UN system, and other partners;
• Identify and catalyze work in new/ cutting edge areas including through the initiation of/and technical support to global programmes and flagship initiatives when relevant, including working with the resource mobilization unit to identify potential funding sources at the global level;
• Provide substantive technical support to the development of concept notes and global policy support projects to submit to the resource mobilization unit;
• Provide substantive technical support, to the development of new global normative and intergovernmental standards;
• Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning;
• Provide policy advice and technical support to Regional Offices (ROs)/Multi-Country Offices (MCOs)/Country Offices (COs), including on programme documents, concept notes and terms of reference on substantive issues, country strategies, and knowledge products.  

Provide research, analysis and knowledge management support:

• Identify emerging issues, cutting edge knowledge and approaches on the elimination of VAWG using diverse formats (e.g. compendium of practice, case studies, training modules, policy briefs, blogs, etc.) for diverse stakeholders;
• Oversee comparative research and/or compilations and reviews of relevant research on the prevention and response to VAWG by other institutions, for both internal and external use;
• Engage actively in existing thematic and gender equality networks and cultivate new partnerships with other relavant inter-disciplinary networks (e.g., academia, private sector, information communication technologies/innovation) to include a focus in their work on prevention and response to VAWG, and intersectionality of gender inequality and discrimination, and to better incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women’s work to promote learning and innovation;
• Develop global flagship publications on key emerging issues affecting VAWG including on institutional change, and provide policy recommendations to address these issues;
• Establish and maintain online global knowledge and exchange platforms/communities of practice that enable collaboration among diverse stakeholders, promote the exchange of good practices, lessons learned, and identify opportunities to respond to gaps in policy and practice, as well as needs and opportunities;
• Maintain and manage internal flow of information throughout the organization on policy and technical issues related to institutional change.

Provide substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development:

• Provide substantive inputs in the preparation of position papers and reports 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; 
• Prepare substantive inputs and help coordinate the development of analytical reports to contribute to the Secretary-General’s mandated reporting to intergovernmental fora;
• Provide support on the implementation of General Assembly resolutions, decisions and other directives in relevant areas of focus, including through support to expert bodies created by intergovernmental forums;
• Provide inputs in international fora to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies.

Represent and advocate for UN Women and build strategic partnerships:

• Represent UN Women at policy making inter-agency, intergovernmental and international technical and advocacy fora as requested by the Chief of Section;
• Oversee the organization of, and participate in, international meetings and provide programmatic/substantive expertise;
• Convene and/or participate in regional or national meetings to be agreed in consultation with relevant Regional or Country Offices;
• Contribute substantively to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, advocacy and outreach; 
• Liaise with centres of excellence around the world, building relationships to promote joint action and resource mobilization, as well as making visible policy driven programming and achievements in the prevention and response to VAWG;
• Contribute substantially to 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, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, Under Secretary Generals, etc.).

Key Performance Indicators:

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.

• Quality knowledge products and publications which lead to the better creation of EVAW strategies and implementation of projects/ programmes;
• Quality and timely support to ROs, MCOs, and COs;
• Relevant and topical research and analysis on EVAW;
• Quality position papers and reports;
• Quality representation, coordination and input to intergovernmental/ interagency fora.

Competencies

Core Values:

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.

Respect for 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:

• Ability to synthesize large thematic research reports in to policy briefs, guidance notes, and training modules;
• Ability to provide policy advice and technical leadership;
• Excellent knowledge of gender issues and violence against women and girls, in particular, in the area of institutional change;
• Establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipate client needs and address them promptly;
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work under time constraints; Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender studies, anthropology, urban studies, sociology, economics, public policy, law, governance, 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, institutional change and gender analysis and at international level, at least 4 of which is in the area of EVAW.

Languages:

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

Application Information:

• 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;
• UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.

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.