Background

The 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 center of all its efforts, the 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.

About the UAE Liaison Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC):

The UAE Liaison Office for the GCC was inaugurated in 2016 to focus on 3 areas in terms of its mandate. These include advocacy for UN Women to drive its global mandate, resource mobilization for UN Women programs globally and coordination of partnerships to drive the work and strategic priorities of UN Women in the GCC region. The office acts as a liaison between UN Women globally and stakeholders in the GCC from the private sector, government, academia and non-profits. The office reports to UN Women global headquarters.

Reporting to the Director of the UAE Liaison Office, the Partnerships Development Specialist will provide technical support to the development and management of UN Women’s strategic partnerships and relationships, and resource mobilization strategy. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Director in the Abu Dhabi LO in close collaboration with the Resource Mobilization Branch at UN Women Headquarters and the Arab States Regional Office.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical support to the development and management of UN Women’s strategic partnerships in the Gulf region:

  • Manage and coordinate relationships with key partners; provide technical inputs to senior management’s efforts to develop new and innovative partnerships;
  • Set and monitor annual priorities, goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for regional partnerships;
  • Provide strategic advice to the Director on building and maintaining partnerships and positioning with potential donors, including Civil Society, Private Sector and other relevant stakeholders.
  • Develop relationships with key private partners; provide substantive technical inputs to senior management’s efforts to develop new and innovative partnerships;
  • Manage UAE National Chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance, providing technical and operational support to the Chapter, liaising with private sector partners and UN Women HQ.

Facilitate/ Coordinate the implementation of the GCC resource mobilization strategies and initiatives:

  • Coordinate the development and implementation of differentiated, donor fund-raising strategies, aligned and coordinated with GCC activities initiatives and outreach activities. Develop targeted products and initiatives to enhance the capacity of UN Women to mobilize core and programmatic  resources and attract additional donors’ funding;
  • Undertake ad-hoc donor studies, research, and other activities to identify funding opportunities; update the resources mobilization strategy as needs emerge;
  • Provide technical support to and ensure coordination with the Regional Office for Arab States on resource mobilization strategy and outreach to GCC countries.

Build trust and maintain effective corporate relationships with Donors:

  • Provide technical support to the Director and other senior managers in the preparation of missions, meetings and other consultations with donors, including the preparation of notes, briefs and other materials;
  • Act as a direct entry point for partners, building institutional relationships;
  • Provide regular updates on donor profiles, databases (e.g. contacts management) and donor intelligence;
  • Identify opportunities to secure additional non-core resources; Monitor emerging issues that could affect partnerships and resource contributions at the GCC level;
  • Provide technical support to the drafting and review of partner-specific Framework Arrangements and Cost Sharing Agreements, and the preparation of brief funding proposals and concept notes, where appropriate.

Coordinate the submission of high quality and timely reports to Donors:

  • Maintain systems to promote compliance with the terms of grants and agreements, across the region;
  • Provide technical support to programme managers for the preparation of high quality and timely donor reports.

Participate in knowledge building and provide support to strengthen internal resource mobilization capacity:

  • Contribute to the development of knowledge products and mechanisms to effectively position UN Women in the region wherever possible;
  • Share knowledge and enhance organizational learning among UN Women regional and field offices through the development and use of on-line tools, templates, tips, mechanisms and guidelines;
  • Facilitate partnership and resource mobilization training to program staff and managers based in the Liaison Office for the Gulf Region including the development of tools and products, as needed;
  • Advise on the creation of UN Women communication products, packages and positions.

Contribute to the UN Women communications activities and advocacy efforts:

  • Liaise closely with UN Women Communications Team at HQ to coordinate communication activities ensuring consistency with corporate policies, messaging and initiatives;
  • Contribute to UN Women corporate activities to highlight GCC partnerships initiatives in GEWE;
  • In adherence with UN Women Communications policies, and in collaboration with HQ Communications Section, contribute to communication activities to increase UN Women visibility in the GCC region in relevant UN Women online platforms and other social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn).

Impact of Results: 

The key results have an impact on the overall Liaison Office efficiency and success in implementation of operational strategies as they relate to the use of corporate resources. The results also impact on staff morale within the office.

  • Timely attention and response to UN Women’s partners and donors;
  • Timely targeting of funding opportunities and timely tracking of donor intelligence.
  • Quality communication and advocacy products which result in increased resources and a strong investment case for UN Women;
  • Quality knowledge products and timely sharing of best practices to improve/ enhance donor relations;
  • Quality monitoring and reporting mechanism to ensure quality of data and limit redundancy in efforts.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity;
  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism.

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:

  • In-depth knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues;
  • Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with government representatives of Member States (donor and programme);
  • Proven networking skills, and ability to mobilize support on behalf of UN Women;
  • Excellent negotiating skills;
  • Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes;
  • Excellent IT skills, including databases, extranet and office software packages;
  • Strong risk management skills;
  • Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, business management, social sciences, public administration, international relations, communications, women's studies, or a related field is required.
  • A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: 

  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in resource mobilization, communications/ advocacy, and/or business development;
  • Experience in gender equality and women's empowerment;
  • Experience working with civil society organizations, international institutions and donors;
  • Experience working in the UN system is required.

Languages: 

  • Fluency in English and Arabic working language is required;
  • Knowledge of another UN working language is an asset;
  • Knowledge of the Arab Gulf Region is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558. 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.

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.