Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as  reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Travel:  

While the assignment is home based, occasional travel to Lebanon to meet with partners may be required as and

when needed and depending upon security and COVID 19 measures. It is anticipated that the selected applicant travel to the duty station twice throughout the duration of the contract.

UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon

completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only in the event that the function will be undertaken

physically in the duty station and excludes working from home arrangements.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

Office/Unit

The Gender Analysis Specialist will work in the Coordination Unit of the UNDP Lebanon Country Office and contribute to the overall objectives of the programme through conducting/facilitating a range of activities as a team member and as an individual. The UNDP Coordination Unit is responsible for UNDP’s coordination and leadership on the stabilization dimension of the Lebanon crisis response. In this role, UNDP’s work is focused on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and building resilience in the refugee and host community response in Lebanon and reinforcing Lebanon’s economic, social and environmental stability to prevent further crises. As of March 2020, there are four international and 12 national staff in the unit, of which four are based in regional field offices.

Project background and objective

The impact of the Syria crisis on Lebanon is reaching a scale unprecedented in the history of complex, refugee-driven emergencies. The crisis is not only challenging the country’s existing social and economic infrastructure, it also brings to Lebanon a new set of disparities, cleavages and tensions that threaten to undermine Lebanon’s delicate social and political stability.

With the protracted nature of the crisis, refugees are living in poverty, accumulating debt and making tough choices to reduce costs, with negative consequences for quality of shelter, access to health, clean water and education opportunities. Furthermore, areas with the highest concentration of refugees, North Lebanon and the Bekaa valley, are among the poorest and most underserved regions of Lebanon. Even before the crisis, social services, infrastructure and livelihood opportunities were inadequate. Now, increased refugee populations are putting enormous pressure on water, sanitation, education and health care systems, with critical consequences for Lebanon’s natural and environmental resources. Furthermore, this dynamic is unfolding within the context of a socio-economic crisis in Lebanon where on 17 October 2019, nation-wide protests erupted throughout the country, coinciding with a major economic and financial crisis. The unfolding crisis presents new challenges which are resulting in further di?culties for both vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees in terms of livelihoods, food security, and health care (including mental health). In the medium to longer-term, the number of vulnerable families is likely to rise and the situation for those already living in poverty will worsen. The unpredictability and fluidity of the situation is affecting the crisis response.

Reflecting the protracted nature of the crisis and its profound impact on Lebanon, the response to the crisis moved in 2017 towards a four-year integrated humanitarian-stabilization response, the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) 2017-2020. The LCRP is an integrated humanitarian and stabilization strategy. The main objectives are to: (1) Ensure protection of vulnerable populations, (2) Provide immediate assistance to vulnerable population, (3) Support service provision through national systems, and (4) Reinforce Lebanon's economic, social and environmental stability by investing in Lebanese institutions, services and systems in a manner that helps maintain Lebanon's stability throughout the crisis. The LCRP is steered by the Minister of Social Affairs (MoSA) and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, in collaboration with other ministries and the lead UN agencies. The plan covers 10 sectors and all activities are coordinated by line ministries through sector working groups. Response partners thus work across a range of areas: Food Security, Basic Assistance, Education, Health, Water, Protection, Social Stability, Livelihoods, Energy, and Shelter.

UNDP’s role has evolved in parallel, with UNHCR leading on the refugee dimension of the response, UNDP leads on stabilization, under the overall leadership of the Government of Lebanon. In addition to this overall leadership role, UNDP is also leading three of the ten sectors of the response, the social stability, livelihoods and energy sectors, while UNDP programmes are providing crucial contribution to Lebanon’s stability by supporting host communities in the areas of livelihoods, basic infrastructure and environmental and social stability.

Furthermore, UNDP has been at the forefront of strengthening the monitoring & evaluation framework of the LCRP as well as ensuring that programming across the response is both conflict sensitive and environmentally responsive. As the crisis response progresses with a better integrated understanding of risks and vulnerabilities, further efforts are required to also strengthen gender analysis and programming. A wealth of both quantitative and qualitative data is collected across the response, much of which is disaggregated by gender. Steps have been taken to strengthen gender analysis on topics such as vulnerability and social tensions, however, there is definite potential to strengthen this. A particular area of interest is to look at how gender roles have changes as a result of the displacement crisis, and how these changes can be used as an opportunity for programming to support gender equality and women’s voices in decision making, political engagement, reconciliation and eventually also peacebuilding.

Institutional Arrangement

The Gender Analysis Specialist will work closely with the Inter-Agency coordination team and report to the Chief Technical Advisor of the Coordination Unit in UNDP. Under the guidance of Senior Inter-Agency Coordinator, and with support from the Inter-Agency coordination team (UNDP and UNHCR), the Gender Analysis Specialist will contribute to monitoring & evaluation, strategic planning and design of programming aimed at strengthening the analysis of needs, progress and impact within the LCRP from a gender perspective. These efforts will also serve to further strengthen ongoing protection mainstreaming efforts across all sectors/

His/her main role will be to support the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan Inter-Agency coordination mechanism with strengthened gender analysis, which will help inform more gender responsive strategies and programming. The Gender Analysis Specialist will play a key role furthering the gender analysis aspect of the regional crisis response (3RP), based on lessons learned from the Lebanon experience. A dedicated person supporting the Inter-Agency coordination team will ensure a cross-cutting approach and will help to bridge the gap between humanitarian action and development activities, in support of SDG 5.

The Gender Analysis Specialist is also expected to interact with national and local authorities and stakeholders, international agencies, sector working groups to ensure that key gender analysis is conducted and solutions to improve gender inclusion are developed and applied across sectors projects and programming. The Gender Analysis Specialist will work closely with the protection, SGBV, the PSEA focal point/network and conflict sensitivity mainstreaming focal points to build on existing efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The scope of work of the assignment includes:

1. Support Monitoring & Evaluation of the Impact of the LCRP from a gender perspective

• Compile and codify quantitative and qualitative gender data from existing databases, research, surveys, evaluations and assessments;
• Review inter-sector and sector research plans from a gender perspective and provide inputs to existing survey teams and operations to fill knowledge gaps on gender-equality and women empowerment related issues;
• Analyse the needs of women and men, girls and boys, household and community dynamics to better inform the LCRP and partners’ strategic planning;
• Analyse the impact of the Syria crisis on women and men, girls and boys, household and community dynamics to contribute to the overall M&E system;
• Develop in-focus briefs and guidance notes to inform advocacy on particular topics from a gender perspective, such as gender-based violence, economic inclusion, empowerment and voices in decision-making, capacities for reconciliation and conflict resolution.
• Provide constructive feedbacks on the current reporting tools & products to improve gender inclusion and communication on gender inclusion

2. Support gender analysis efforts within the LCRP

• In support of the ongoing protection, SGBV and conflict sensitivity mainstreaming efforts:
• Provide training and capacity building support for LCRP partners on gender data analysis
• Facilitate knowledge building and mainstreaming of gender perspectives within the LCRP planning process;
• Build on the protection risk analysis conducted and support the implementation of the protection mainstreaming workplan by including gender data analysis;
• Mentor LCRP sectors to ensure operationalization of gender disaggregated indicators, analysis and mainstreaming of gender considerations, in collaboration with the inter-agency Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist;

3. Identify and support opportunities to apply gender analysis to strengthen  gender responsive programming

• Based on the needs assessments and analysis developed, support response partners in key sectors in identifying further opportunities for gender responsive programming, with a particular focus on support to public institutions and durable solutions;
• Support the integration of gender considerations throughout the project management cycles of key partners, from design through implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning;
• Support partnership building, leveraging gender expertise across government, international and national actors and private sector.

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
• Building support and political acumen;
• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
• Building and promoting effective teams;
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards;
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
• Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Functional Competencies:

Results-Based Programme Development and Management:

• Identifies country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach;
• Sets performance standards, monitors progress and intervenes at an early stage to ensure results are in accordance with agreed-upon quality and timeframes and reports on it;
• Makes use of a variety of resources based on UN/UNCT priorities to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches;
• Oversees and documents the process of strategy formulation for programmes at country level.

Building Strategic Partnerships:

• Effectively networks and coordinates with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UN/UNCT’s strategic agenda;
• Sensitizes UN Partners, donors and other national and international organizations to the strategic agenda of the LCRP, identifying areas for joint efforts;
• Develops positive ties with civil society to build/strengthen gender analysis in the LCRP;
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
• Effectively attentive to programmatic synergies in inter-agency meetings.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
• Serves as internal analyst in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff;
• Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

Client Orientation

• Anticipates client needs;
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective.

Required Skills and Experience