UN WOMEN Jobs - 77794- Substantive Editor

Substantive Editor

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

30-Mar-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months

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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Based on UN legislative mandates and UN Women Strategic Programme Plan, the Policy Division undertakes and/or coordinates global or sectoral research and data analysis; advises on norms, policies and strategies for achieving the internationally agreed goals related to gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. It acts as a knowledge hub, collecting evidence on progress and emerging issues, identifying trends in implementation of global commitments; and sharing knowledge on innovative approaches and lessons learned in implementation. It designs tools for inter-regional capabilities building and institutional development programmes and fosters strategic substantive partnerships with academia and other UN partners, in close collaboration with the Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnership Bureau, the Programme Division and UN Women Training Center (Santo Domingo).

To successfully perform its mission/mandate, the Policy Division is organized into Sections, bringing together technical experts who undertake issues-based research; analyze data on country, regional or 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.

The Research and Data (R&D) Section in the Policy Division is responsible for leading UN Women’s research and data agenda and for positioning UN Women as a global knowledge broker on gender equality and women’s empowerment. It produces knowledge products including UN Women flagship publications such as Progress of the World’s Women, the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development and the upcoming Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The section also conducts other policy-related search relevant to gender equality and women’s rights, and oversees the global flagship programme on gender statistics.

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Women requires a substantive editor for the next edition of Progress of the World’s Women, which will focus on the theme of “Families in a Changing World.” The report will answer the question: How can laws, policies and public action support households and families in ways that enable women’s rights to resources, bodily integrity and voice? Drawing on positive examples from around the world, the report will outline a comprehensive agenda for public action, by states, civil society - including feminist movements, the media, schools and religious organizations - and the private sector, one that supports diverse families while triggering the kinds of changes in power dynamics, social norms and stereotypes needed for women to enjoy substantive equality. Strengthening gender equality within families is critical to ensure women’s rights more broadly (whether within the ‘private’ or ‘public’ domain) to resources and income; to bodily integrity; and to voice and agency.

The substantive editor will be responsible for the following:

Take the lead on editing the full report, which will consist of seven chapters, plus an executive summary and a shorter final recommendations chapter. This work includes:

Providing comprehensive comments on the second drafts of the chapters, which will incorporate feedback from the expert advisory group, focused on issues of structure, narrative flow, sources and overall direction.
Work closely with chapter authors in every phase of chapter revision, and provide inputs as an iterative process
Suggest a comprehensive set of key messages that should head each chapter, summarizing its most salient arguments.
Once the revised chapters are finalized and peer reviewed, do a comprehensive global edit of the entire report, with attention to coherence in narrative voice, flow, structure and smooth out any inconsistencies.

Competencies

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:

Demonstrates and safeguards ethics and integrity;
Demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
Facilitates and encourages open communication and strives for effective communication;
Stays composed and positive even in difficult moments, handles tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and has a consistent behaviour towards others;
Surfaces conflicts and addresses them proactively, acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution;
Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in development studies, social sciences, political sciences, public administration or related field.

Experience:

At least 5 years of international development experience with demonstrated experience in writing and editing international reports;
Substantive knowledge and expertise in gender equality, social policy, international development, and human rights

Language:

Working language is English;

Fluency in other official UN languages is advantageous but not essential.