Background

The Intern will contribute to management and implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy at the Regional Level and provide substantive analytical policy and technical input towards mainstreaming gender across UNDP’s core practices and supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment in dedicated interventions. The Intern is responsible for supporting the Gender Practice Team Leader with regard to quality assurance on development effectiveness, gender seal process and organizational effectiveness across the Gender Team. The Intern will report to the Regional Programme Advisor and Team Leader, Regional Center for Africa Addis Ababa/Ethiopia, and will work in close collaboration with other practices within the Regional Center, UNDP Regional Bureaus for Africa and UNDP BPPS in New York.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:
 
The intern will contribute to management and implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy at the Regional Level and provide substantive analytical policy and technical input towards mainstreaming gender across UNDP’s core practices and supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment in dedicated interventions. The intern is responsible for supporting the Regional Programme Advisor and Team Leader with regard to quality assurance on development effectiveness, gender seal process and organizational effectiveness across the Gender Team. Programme Management/Implementation: Provide effective support to the Gender Advisor and Team Leader in supporting country offices in implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy.

  • Policy Advocacy and Advisory Services: Contribute to and lead initiatives to foster a deeper practical understanding of the integration of gender in programmes and practice areas of UNDP Arab States Country Offices
  • Knowledge Management and Learning: Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the region and COs
  • Policy development, Gender Seal process

Duties and responsibilities:

Programme Management/Implementation: Provide effective support to the GPTL in programme implementation on the following results:

  • Assist the Regional Programme Advisor and Team Leader with management and implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy and trickling it down to the Country office implementation, and UNDP’s work on gender mainstreaming across the focus within Country offices.
  • Assist the Regional Programme Advisor and Team Leader with Country offices Process of the Gender Equality Seal.
  • Ensure that gender-related linkages with other projects and programmes are identified and incorporated in the documentation, including on-request support to country offices (COs) in the design and/or evaluation of gender-linked objectives, indicators, targets and activities of Country Programmes.
  • Ensure that gender concerns are addressed during the design, monitoring and evaluation of country offices and regional programmes.
  • Support, wherever possible, specific identification of gender gaps and successes in final project reports; external review by gender experts/ subject specialists of project and programme documents in all practice areas; and the development of performance indicators for establishment of gender baselines and continuing monitoring.

Policy Advocacy and Advisory Services: Contribute to and lead initiatives to foster a deeper practical understanding of the integration of gender in programmes and practice areas of UNDP focusing on the following results:

  • Provide and organize policy and advisory services to Regional Center in Addis Ababa and Country Offices and through country offices to Governments and other partners.
  • Support the formulation of Country Offices programmes including clear and measurable goals, targets and indicators related to gender equality and women’s empowerment, focusing on outcomes.
  • Organize capacity development events on gender concepts, gender analysis and planning for staff and counterparts across thematic areas

Contribute to production and commissioning of appropriate materials and organization of events on gender issues to make these available to colleagues; including

  • Policy advocacy, high-quality research on specific issues related to gender equality, poverty and Sustainable Development Goals, environment and sustainable development, governance/crisis, prevention and recovery and institutional development, conferences and trainings, community of practices, and support to events and publications related to the thematic issues named above;
  • Provide effective support and backstopping for, and timely feedback and corporate reporting on implementation of the gender equality.

Knowledge Management and Learning Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on achievement of the following results:

  • Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
  • Contribute to the development global lessons learnt, best practices and generate knowledge needed to shape UNDP’s strategies globally;
  • Contribute to  knowledge creation and dissemination related to national, regional and global know-how in the subject area, collaborating and building partnerships with internal and external networks or communities of practice covering prominent experts in government, non-government, think tanks, private agencies, international development organizations and the UN system.
  • Participate in local Knowledge Management sharing events and support the corporate Knowledge Management agenda.

Policy Development

  • Contribute to the development and formulation of regional and global policies, norms and standards with the Gender Team.

Contribute experience and expertise to the formulation at the regional and central level of new and evolving global policies, norms and standards.

Competencies

Core competences:

  • Ethics & Values;
  • Working in Teams;
  • Communicating Information & Ideas;              
  • Self-management & Emotional intelligence;
  • Decision making.

Functional competences:

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

  • Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
  • 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.

Knowledge Management and Learning Development

  • Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office;
  • In-depth knowledge on development issues;
  • Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
  • Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness   

  • Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
  • Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources;
  • Strong IT skills and  internet literate;
  • Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change;
  • Strong ability to function at both policy and project implementation levels;
  • Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.

Policy/Advocacy

  • Advocates for the inclusion of UNDP’s focus areas in the public policy agenda;
  • Brings visibility and sensitizes decision makers to relevant emerging issues;
  • Builds consensus concerning UNDP’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives;
  • Leverages UNDP’s multidisciplinary expertise to influence the shape of policies and programmes;
  • Demonstrates political/cultural acumen in proposing technically sound, fact based approaches/solutions;
  • Develops internal organizational policies promoting strategic approaches to UNDP’s focus areas (HQ);
  • Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional, and global perspectives.

Required Skills and Experience

 

Education:

  • Enrollment in a University for a postgraduate study (Master) in any Social Science fields.

Work Experience:

  • Two years of experience in a relevant field would be desirable but not a requirement;
  • Experience in the area of gender and development would be desirable;
  • Demonstrated development practice experience in the above skills areas, with demonstrated capacity to work at both policy as well as grassroots levels would be desirable;
  • In-depth grasp of the relevance of gender in conceptualizing, articulating and debating issues relating to UNDP’s mission would be desirable;
  • Good computer research and network management skills;
  • Prior knowledge and experience of the UN system would be desirable

Language:

  • English
  • Working knowledge of French is an asset.

Intern requiements:

  • Applicants should indicate which months they are available part and/or full time and when they complete their studies;
  • UNDP internship programme does not provide a salary or remuneration for the internship;
  • All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring Government or institution;
  • UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
  • The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
  • Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship.
  • The intern must provide proof of enrollment in health insurance plan;
  • Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;
  • The Intern is expected to work full time but flexibility is allowed for his/her education programme;
  • The intern will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his/her own arrangements for internship, travel, VISA, accommodation etc.;
  • Additional information regarding the UNDP Internship Programme may be obtained at http://www.undp.org/internships.
 

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.