Coordination Specialist

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.

In South Africa, UN Women contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (Cooperation Framework) 2020-2025, within the context of UN Delivering as One. The Cooperation Framework supports the achievement of the international development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in line with national, regional, and global development priorities. It is aligned to South Africa´s long-term National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, which recognises the environment and science and technology as central drivers of change, and the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2019-2024, and firmly anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Charter and the localization of global norms and standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). UN Women is mandated to lead, coordinate, and promote the accountability of the UN system in its work on GEWE. Under this mandate and in line with the 2020 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), UN Women provides technical and coordination support across the UN system in South Africa to deliver results for diverse groups of women and girls.  

Towards this end, UN Women serves as the secretariat for the UN Gender Theme Group which is a mechanism for Coordination of work on gender equality in South Africa and countries under its purview, supporting the Resident Coordinator as the group’s chair, to strengthen the UN’s contribution to advancing GEWE. In this capacity, UN Women also provides substantive support for the implementation of the UN System-Wide Action Plan (UNCT-SWAP). The UN System in South Africa has developed a Common Country Analysis (CCA) and is operating under the current UNSDCF 2020-2025.  In the context of UN reform, the UNSDCF is the key planning and operational framework, outlining the UN’s support to Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. The UN Gender Theme Group has a key role to play in ensuring that GEWE is strategically positioned across the CCA and UNSDCF, in line with the global norms set out in the UNCT-SWAP Scorecard, and to ensure the participation of diverse groups of women and girls. The UN Gender Coordination Mechanisms also provides an important opportunity for the UN to coordinate its support to Government and CSO partners as well the Private Sector working to advance the rights of women and girls, including the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP), the National Gender Policy and the implementation of the normative framework.

The UNCT in South Africa has increasingly focused on addressing the intersections between gender and other key issues within the Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) agenda, such as disability inclusion, including through strengthening coordination across these critical issues. 

Reporting to the UN Women Deputy Representative, the Coordination Specialist will work in close collaboration with UN Women’s East and Southern Africa Regional Office, and the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), to support the UNCT in achieving greater normative, operational, and institutional coherence on GEWE and as required, to connect the UN system internally and externally with key government and civil society partners.

Manage Inter-Agency coordination on GEWE and LNOB to achieve a coherent and aligned presence for the UN portfolio in South Africa

• Provide substantive technical support to the South Africa RCO and UNCT on Inter-Agency coordination on GEWE+LNOB related activities;
• Support and provide technical support on the coordination of GEWE in countries also covered by SAMCO, i.e. Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia, working closely with GEWE Coordination Analysts and RCOs;
• Convene Inter-Agency dialogue and strategic positioning on critical GEWE issues.
• Participate in and provide support to joint Inter-Agency UN planning processes and similar exercises;
• Oversee the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Scorecard and Gender Marker;
• Provide coordination and technical support to the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the disability scorecard;
• Ensure efficient management of the PSEA coordination mechanisms, in close collaboration with the RCO, UNICEF/UNFPA and other UN agencies;
• Provide substantive support to policy papers, briefing notes and talking points as required;
• Coordinate with the RCOs, other UN agencies, government departments, donors, and NGOs on GEWE+LNOB to ensure harmonization and alignment with other in-country efforts;

Provide technical support on gender mainstreaming and LNOB principles to the UNCT in strategic planning and reporting.

• Provide technical support  localization of global norms and standards on GEWE within UN strategic planning processes.
• Participate in and coordinate agency gender and LNOB focal point engagements at country level CCA/ UNSDCF processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;
• Prepare substantive inputs towards the establishment of a gender transformative CCA/ UNSDCF and other documents as necessary;
• Provide substantive inputs to country programming processes and products to ensure the incorporation of gender equality perspectives, including Joint Work Plans, ensuring the incorporation of the UNCT Gender Equality Marker, programme/ project documents and other UN system joint programming;
• Coordinate substantive agency inputs to joint UN reporting on GEWE results.
• Provide coordination support  the engagement of GEWE CSO’s, women’s rights advocates, and other stakeholders in UN strategic planning processes and coordination.

 Provide technical support and guidance to the development of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization efforts

• Develop and foster UN partnerships on GEWE and LNOB principles with relevant line ministries, development partners, and civil society organizations, including organisations representing the most marginalized groups of women;
• Coordinate UN support to national GEWE coordination mechanisms, including the Development Partners Group – Gender and the Gender Mainstreaming Working Group – Macro Policy;
• Ensure  capacity development on GEWE and gender mainstreaming of UN Agencies in country, Civil Society Organizations, Private sector and other stakeholders as necessary

Facilitate Inter-Agency Knowledge Building and Sharing on GEWE

• Monitor GEWE trends globally and in South Africa and update the RC and UNCT as appropriate.
• Facilitate engagement of the UN system in South Africa on strategic GEWE issues, including CEDAW, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Country Gender Equality Profile;
• Participate in and contribute to policy dialogues and initiatives around GEWE;
• Manage the development and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned on GEWE and gender mainstreaming across the UN system in South Africa; support incorporation into programme and policy planning;
• Provide knowledge management and awareness raising support across the UN system on critical GEWE issues;
• Oversee Inter-Agency capacity building exercises on GEWE, including gender mainstreaming.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality contributions to the UN Gender Group, LNOB, PSEA and other coordination meetings;
• Quality inputs and technical support on coordination and GEWE provided to UN agencies;
• Quality inputs to planning processes and reports;
• Greater awareness among UN stakeholders of global GEWE norms and standards;
• Quality briefing notes and advocacy materials;
• Timely engagement with government, CSO and Development  partners on critical GEWE events and initiatives.
• Increased awareness of UN work on GEWE.

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: 

Functional Competencies

• Strong knowledge of gender equity and women’s empowerment and LNOB issues
• Strong knowledge of UN system and understanding of Inter-Agency coordination processes.
• Strong knowledge of results-based programme planning and management.
• Strong analytical, writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to promote and monitor inclusion of gender-specific objectives, indicators, targets, and activities in the UN agencies programmes.
• Ability to provide advice and support.
• Familiarity with UN Women and its mandate and strategic priorities a strong advantage

Education and Certification

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in international development, public administration, public policy, or other relevant social science field is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Professional Experience

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience working with Inter-Agency coordination to advance GEWE, including gender mainstreaming in strategic planning processes; 
• Previous international and country level experience with the United Nations, preferably on UN interagency coordination and reform – delivering as one or joint programming.
• Experience in engagement with gender equality and intersectionality issues including report writing, evaluative assessments and data compilation and analysis of relevance to broad accountability frameworks.
• Experience in coordinating and working with multiple stakeholders, Development partners, governments, and civil society, on gender and intersectionality issues including mainstreaming GEWE and LNOB.
• Previous experience of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard a strong advantage.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required;  
• Knowledge of another  official UN language is desirable

All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from 

Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Notes:

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.