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 Strategic Partnerships Division (SPD) works to strengthen UN Women’s position as a partner of choice for gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) among governments and private sector actors around the world. The Division does this by positioning GEWE in the intergovernmental and multilateral fora, and engaging with governments and private sector corporations, foundations and individuals as policy, programme and resource partners. A key premise for SPD is that engagement with partners should be holistic based on multiple aspects of partnerships, including policy advocacy and resource mobilization.

SPD convenes a number of partnerships with private sector partners and seeks to ensure that these are complementary and synergistic. The Multi-Stakeholder Private Partnership Section brings these together, leveraging the range of UN Women’s partnership vehicles and its National Committees to achieve maximum impact for gender equality.  It is the driver of UN Women’s corporate engagement with the private sector both in terms of substantive partnership and resource mobilization. 

With European Union funding, UN Women and the International Labour Organization have created an innovative programme that focuses on “Promoting women’s economic empowerment at work through responsible business conduct in G7 countries” (WE EMPOWER) that is being implemented over a period of three years 2018-2020. The project’s operational platform is the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), established by the UN Global Compact and UN Women in 2010. The WE EMPOWER-G7 programme advances women’s economic empower in the private sector by developing various knowledge products on the implementation of the WEPs, convening knowledge exchanges and organizing advocacy campaigns to put the WEPs into action.

UN Women seeks a Consultant for the activities under the deliverables of WEPs in accordance with the WE EMPOWER – G7 Programme plan and objectives and the implementation of the programme in G7 and EU countries. The Consultant will support the delivery of the programme’s two main objectives: (1) Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues and knowledge exchanges (case studies, good practice, tools), campaigns and incentives and (2) Further engage with the private sector in the elimination of gender inequality faced by women in the world of work.

Reporting to the Policy Adviser for WEE and WEPs, and under day-to-day supervision of WE EMPOWER – G7 WEPs Specialist, the WEPs Consultant will work closely with the entire WE EMPOWER-G7 team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

Support the WEPs Secretariat in its day-to-day operations in accordance with the WE EMPOWER – G7 Programme plan and objectives.

Description of key functions:

Responsibilities are not limited to but will include:

WEPs Secretariat Operations

  • Organize monthly WEPs focal points meetings.
  • Support the organization of the virtual WEPs Forum in November 2020.
  • Research and identify women’s organizations, professional business organizations, women’s entrepreneurship organizations in G7 and EU countries with a view to collaborate with them on the WEPs.
  • Monitor the WEPs email account and assist companies with their needs.
  • Support the coordination with external partners and vendors.
  • Support any other task relevant to the effective implementation of the WE EMPOWER-G7 programme.

WEPs Outreach and Advocacy

  • Identify stakeholders for potential collaboration for the #WeCommit and #WeShare campaigns.
  • Monitor the WEPs website with a view to prompt the companies to create their profile pages, liaise with the social media team on their CEO Cards and suggest updates for the website.
  • Coordinate the preparation of the WEPs bulletin in the team’s email marketing tool Constant Contact
  • Research and propose content for WEPs social media.

WEPs Knowledge and Communication Products Coordination

  • Research the signatories for potential case studies and interviews.
  • Coordinate the team’s inputs for WEPs training modules.
  • Liaise with the editorial team and coordinate the editorial schedule.

 

Impact of Results:

The position has an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of WE EMPOWER – G7 and WEPs programme interventions and results. Efficient and prompt delivery of services will contribute to positioning the WEPs Secretariat as the framework for women’s empowerment and gender responsive in the workplace, marketplace and community.

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 basic 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, multiethnic 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.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

  • Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competences:

  • Work experience in the private sector and/or collaboration with the private sector.
  • Experience advocating for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
  • Excellent planning and organizing skills and ability to complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities.
  • Capable of handling large volumes of work under time constraints.
  • Excellent written and oral communication, research and analytical skills, and an ability to write clearly and concisely.
  • Effective Team player with the ability to work and think independently, and to be resourceful and proactive.
  • Familiarity with email mass marketing tools, such as Constant Contact.
  • Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advance university degree (Masters or equivalent) in business administration, gender studies, social sciences, international development, or related fields. Undergraduate degree in similar field will be accepted with two additional years of work experience.

Experience:

  • Relevant entry level experience in the field of international development, business and/or public relations.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of other official UN language is an asset.