UN WOMEN Jobs - 94043- Chief, Intergovernmental Support Section

Chief, Intergovernmental Support Section

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

06-Oct-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

D-1

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

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) provides global support to UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver results in support of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and women’s empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Division provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and programme advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management, and cutting-edge technical expertise to support UN Women programmes and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The Intergovernmental Support Section in PPID is responsible for leading UN-Women’s strategic engagement with, and support for intergovernmental bodies and processes towards ensuring that a comprehensive and dynamic set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is strengthened and implemented. It manages and coordinates the Entity’s substantive servicing of intergovernmental bodies on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and drives the process of integration of normative frameworks into UN Women’s operational and UN system coordination functions.

The Chief, Intergovernmental Support Section reports to the Director, PPID and is responsible for leading UN Women’s interface with normative intergovernmental bodies and processes, and the development, planning and implementation of support and engagement strategies with Member States and other stakeholders towards strengthening attention to gender perspectives in the intergovernmental sphere.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead UN-Women’s strategic support for, and coordinate the Entity’s substantive servicing of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and other intergovernmental bodies:

Ensure the provision of effective substantive secretariat services to the CSW, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and the Security Council on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
Provide authoritative advice on policy issues, programmes of work and working methods of relevant intergovernmental bodies and processes;
Lead and oversee the planning, organization and effective support for formal and informal meetings of an intergovernmental nature to facilitate consensus-oriented outcomes, including for intergovernmental negotiations and assistance in the preparation of resolutions, decisions and other negotiated outcomes, as applicable, working in close collaboration with all relevant offices and services of the United Nations Secretariat;
Ensure that mandates and requirements for normative support falling within the purview of UN Women are met, including contributing to and overseeing the drafting of mandated reports and other documents, as applicable, and their timely submission;
Coordinate UN-Women’s presentation of reports and statements to intergovernmental bodies as required;
Contribute to UN-Women’s preparation of proposed programme budgets and presentation to relevant programme and budgetary committees of the General Assembly.

Lead and strengthen the strategic positioning of gender perspectives in the intergovernmental sphere:

Scan the intergovernmental environment to identify and proactively address risks, challenges, and opportunities to promote and strengthen the gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda, including by translating policy expertise into normative outcomes, and by reporting back on relevant intergovernmental discussions;
Drive support, and create opportunities for the creation of an enabling environment and the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls across sectoral/thematic intergovernmental processes, especially in areas such as sustainable development, human rights, peace and security and humanitarian action, environment and climate action and other relevant areas.
Work to ensure that gender perspectives are addressed and mainstreamed across sectoral/thematic intergovernmental deliberations and outcomes;
Ensure effective interactions with Member States and mobilize a conducive environment through briefings for Permanent Missions, outreach to delegates, alliance building activities involving different stakeholder groups, and sharing of key messages, good practices and lessons learned derived from UN Women’s mandate and work.

Drive the process of integration of normative frameworks into UN Women’s operational and UN system coordination functions for stronger results and enhanced gender mainstreaming:

Provide leadership and advice in applying intergovernmental mandates and directives to the strategic goals and annual work plans of UN Women to ensure follow-up and support for their implementation;
Contribute substantively to the development of and updates to UN Women’s Strategic Plan;
Develop strategies and tools, and coordinate with other UN Women Divisions at Headquarters and with field offices, to strengthen linkages between the global normative framework and support for its implementation, including through UN Women’s operational and UN system coordination activities;
Provide guidance and advice on, and facilitate as applicable, effective forms of engagement by UN Women field offices with intergovernmental processes;
Engage with entities of the UN system, including through the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality, on opportunities for collaboration in intergovernmental processes to advance gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and gender mainstreaming.

Represent UN Women, and build and expand collaboration and partnerships:

Represent UN Women in intergovernmental bodies and processes, including informal meetings/events, on policy issues as appropriate;
Facilitate the participation of civil society representatives, experts, and other stakeholders in the work of intergovernmental bodies, as applicable;
Lead and strengthen collaboration with all relevant offices, services and units of the United Nations secretariat in the exercise of UN Women’s substantive servicing of intergovernmental bodies and in strengthening gender mainstreaming across intergovernmental processes;
Play a key role in supporting the preparation of programme budgets and their approval by relevant committees of the General Assembly;
Engage with stakeholders to advocate for attention to gender perspectives in intergovernmental processes.

Work across the Entity to strengthen UN Women’s normative support and manage the Intergovernmental Support Section:

Drive the prioritization, across PPID Sections, of high-quality and inclusive preparations, reporting and support to intergovernmental bodies in accordance with mandates and requirements, provide related guidance and advice, and guide internal lessons learned processes;
Facilitate UN Women’s coordinated positions related to intergovernmental processes and outcomes;
Work across the Entity, convene internal working groups and collaborate with other Divisions and the Executive Office at UN-Women Headquarters, as well as UN Women’s field offices, to expand opportunities for UN Women senior managers and staff to participate in, contribute to and engage in follow up to, the work of intergovernmental bodies and processes;
Ensure that the Section is represented in internal peer-review mechanisms for strategic notes, annual work plans, and other programme mechanisms to ensure that the intergovernmental and normative perspectives are adequately taken into account in UN Women’s operational work;

Manage the Intergovernmental Support Section

Manage UN Women’s long-term documentation forecast and support corporate compliance with guidelines and timelines;
Oversee the work of the Geneva Liaison Office and ensure that Geneva-based intergovernmental processes benefit from UN Women’s support and expertise; Lead and supervise the preparation and implementation of the Section’s annual work plan, establish financial and human resource needs, and identify capacity gaps and mitigation strategies;
Manage, guide and oversee the team, create a positive and enabling work environment, encourage learning and development opportunities for personnel, and ensure all team members adhere to UN Women performance management processes
Manage and monitor financial resources. Submit timely mandated reports;
Oversee security requirements for the team

Undertake other tasks in support of the Director, PPID, as relevant and in line with areas of responsibility.

Key Performance Indicators:

Quality of support and advice provided to intergovernmental bodies, CSW Bureau, and Member States in the preparation and conduct of intergovernmental meetings;
Timely and quality strategic and political advice to the Director PPID and UN Women’s senior management team on the exercise of the Entity’s normative support function;
Strategic engagement with ongoing and ad hoc intergovernmental processes to position gender equality issues and UN Women’s work;
Strong collaboration across PPID and with other HQ divisions and field offices;
Stakeholder engagement to advance support for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
Performance of personnel, enabling work environment, in line with UN Women values and competencies.

Competencies

Core values:

Integrity;
Professionalism;
Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
Accountability;
Creative Problem Solving;
Effective Communication;
Inclusive Collaboration;
Stakeholder Engagement;
Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

Excellent knowledge and extensive experience related to intergovernmental processes;
Substantive knowledge of gender equality issues;
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision;
Strong communications skills, with proven expertise in writing for a range of audiences, including a proven record of reports and other documents on gender issues presented to intergovernmental bodies;
Ability to leverage information technology, executive information systems, management techniques and tools for optimal office performance;
Proven analytical and problem solving skills;
Excellent strategic planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills;
Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and NGO partners in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women;
Strong leadership and people management skills; ability to create a productive, respectful work environment;
Strong, proven commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters (or equivalent) in gender equality issues or in related discipline, such as political science, public policy, international relations, law, or other social science fields, with significant focus on gender equality;
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible work experience in the areas of gender equality, development, policy analysis or related areas;
Experience in gender equality issues from a global policy perspective;
Proven experience of effectively managing teams, creating inclusive and collaborative teams;
Direct experience in procedures and working methods of intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations, preferably with a focus on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required;
Knowledge of the other UN official working language is very desirable.