UN WOMEN Jobs - 115433- UN Women: Policy Specialist

UN Women: Policy Specialist – Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Nairobi, KENYA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

19-Mar-24 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

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 programming and policy support to allow UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver effective and efficient initiatives to support the implementation of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and women’s empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. PPID provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. PPID also 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 work of UN Women’s Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) Section within PPID is focused on a comprehensive approach to ending violence against women that addresses legislation and policies, prevention, services for survivors, research and data, in public and private spaces. Prevention is an integral part of UN Women’s approach to ending violence against women and the EVAW Section has been expanding this policy and programmatic area of work for the organization.

Under the supervision of the EVAW Chief of the Section, the Policy Specialist is responsible for providing technical advice and support to UN Women country and regional offices working on EVAW, especially in the area of prevention, as well as leveraging the work of existing initiatives to build the EVAW evidence and knowledge base and identifying new strategic partnerships to support evidence-based policies and programming on EVAW, including prevention. The Policy Specialist may be required to supervise a junior professional officer and junior consultants in the EVAW section supporting the prevention portfolio, other external EVAW experts, as well as liaising with other Policy Specialists in Section to ensure successful implementation of the Section’s bi-annual work plan.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide policy advice and technical support to UN Women country and regional offices and partners in the area of violence against women, and particularly in the area of prevention:

Lead the development of tools and guidelines on EVAW for use by UN Women field offices, the UN system, and other entities;
Identify and catalyze work in new/cutting edge areas in the area of VAW prevention and identify funding sources;
Provide technical support, including through technical inputs and support to intergovernmental processes, to the development of new global normative and intergovernmental standards;
Provide technical guidance and advice on programme documents, country strategies, and knowledge products;
Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning;
Provide policy advice and technical support to UN Women field offices.

2. Provide capacity building support to country offices/ multi country offices in close collaboration with regional teams and external partners:

Provide capacity building and technical advice to country offices and multi-country offices in developing and strengthening policies and programmes on EVAW and VAW prevention with impact indicators and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in place;
Manage the identification of knowledge and implementation gaps and possible solutions;
Develop, implement and monitor capacity building initiatives;

Identify spaces for mutual learning and sharing across offices, regions and divisions.

3. Research, analyze and manage knowledge on ending violence against women, particularly in the area of prevention:

Conduct on-going research and analysis of global, regional and national trends and promising strategies related to prevention to support the development of policies and innovative programming;
Establish global communities of practice that promote collaboration, innovation and exchange of good practices;
Maintain, update and oversees the EVAW Global Knowledge Platform, including the Virtual Knowledge Centre, to strengthen the knowledge and evidence base on EVAW;
Lead and coordinate the design and dissemination of the quarterly editions of the EVAW Newsletter;
Engage in global research and multi-sectoral networks to strengthen and communicate the linkages between research findings on evidence-based programming on EVAW and EVAW policies and programmes within and outside UN Women.

4. Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/ international actors in the area of EVAW, particularly in the area of prevention:

Build and strengthen strategic partnerships for the advancement of innovative prevention strategies and programming;
Engage actively in existing thematic and gender equality networks and cultivate new partnerships with other relevant interdisciplinary networks (e.g., academia, private sector, information, communication, technologies/innovation) to include a focus in their work on prevention of VAW;
Identify strategic opportunities to link and strengthen EVAW programming, especially in the area of prevention, with other EVAW initiatives, thematic areas/priorities of UN Women and UN wide priorities (including but not limited to: Generation Equality Action Coalitions, the Spotlight Initiative, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, SDGs, etc.);
Build and strengthen close relationships with relevant donors and other actors, including the private sector, supporting efforts towards EVAW and VAW prevention.

5. The incumbent will perform other duties within their functional profile as requested by the Supervisor and deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

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 Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

Strong and proven knowledge of gender issues and violence against women and girls;
Excellent networking skills;
Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising;
Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research;
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Excellent analytical skills;
Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings;
Strong knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management and reporting.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Master degree (or equivalent) in international development, social sciences, gender/women’s studies, law, public policy or other related social science field;
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.

Experience:

At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in designing and managing programmes, in addition to undertaking policy advocacy, on the elimination of violence against women, especially in the area of prevention;
Experience of working with and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field;
Experience of working in developing countries is an asset;
Experience working with the UN is an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required;
Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. 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.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.