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 for women as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.  Placing women’s rights at the centre 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.

In Viet Nam, UN Women contributes to the development objectives of Viet Nam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan and the National Strategy for Gender Equality. Its Country Strategy Note for 2022-2026 is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 and is focused on supporting Viet Nam’s fulfilment of Gender Equality commitments under The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the promise of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to “leave no one behind”.

Viet Nam signed the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1980, and ratified it in 1981. Viet Nam also committed to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under which UN Member States are urged to achieve “zero violence” by 2030. To abide by these international commitments, the Government of Viet Nam has made great effort to address gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuses, including rape. through the promulgation of a number of important laws.

Despite the Government’s strong political commitment, the 2019 National Study on Violence Against Women released in July 2020 found that nearly 63 percent of women (compared to 58 percent in 2010) have experienced one or other forms of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence, and controlling behaviors by their husband or intimate partners in their lifetime; and, almost all women (90.4 per cent compared to 87.1 percent in 2010) who experienced physical and/or sexual violence by husbands did not seek any help while only a very few (4.8 per cent) went to the police.

Ending violence against women is one of the prioritized thematic areas of UN Women in Viet Nam under the UNSDCF (2022-2026) outcome 4: By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will have benefited from and have contributed to a more just, safe and inclusive society based on improved governance, more responsive institutions, strengthened rule of law and the protection of and respect for human rights, gender equality, and freedom from all forms of violence and discrimination in line with international standards.

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative, the Ending Violence against Women Specialist, is responsible for leading UN Women’s programme for Ending violence against women (EVAW) in Vietnam. S(he) will lead the partnerships and coordinate with various partners and stakeholders, across both prevention and response efforts.

As a thematic lead, the Ending Violence against Women Specialist will provide expert policy and programme advise premised on UN Women’s international best practices and frameworks and seek opportunities to build synergies with other relevant initiatives implemented by UN Women and key relevant stakeholders at the country, regional and global level.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Lead and coordinate the Ending Violence against Women Portfolio of the UN Women Viet Nam

• Analyze country context and identify key opportunities and partners to advance the Ending violence against women Portfolio in Viet Nam;
• Develop country strategy to advance the Ending Violence against Women Portfolio in Viet Nam including development of strategy documents, proposals, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to ending violence against women;
• Lead UN Women’s implementation of the joint Programme “Elimination of Violence against Women and Children” in Viet Nam 2021-2025;
• Develop a detailed work plan and implementation plan of programmes under the portfolio in line with the approved programme documents in close consultation the Country Representative to ensure that it is aligned with UN Women’s strategic priorities on Ending violence against women at the country level;
• Manage the implementation of the country-level programme based on the Results-based Management (RBM) principles and in accordance to the UN Women’s standard rules and regulations;
• Connect the country level activities with regional and global level initiatives and cross-country learning
• Coordinate country-level needs assessment and development of training materials and workshops to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure coherence in the overall approach within UN Women and other partners at the country level;
• Identify country-level capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training, cross partner learning and sharing.

2. Lead monitoring and reporting of the country-level programme

• Monitor progress of implementation of related programme and finances using results-based management tools in close collaboration with the National Management Specialist at country level and relevant counterparts at regional and global level;
• Lead the drafting and consolidating of the reports on monitoring missions, programme results, outputs and outcomes at the country level;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports, including quarterly and annual results reporting in RMS, narrative and financial reports;
• Identify and support capacities for monitoring progress on ending violence against women in the country;
• Manage programme risks and undertake risk mitigation actions.

3. Manage financial resources and supervise staff

• Supervise and manage a team of professional and administrative staff, review performance and mentor/coach staff;
• Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the project including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting;
• Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners, along with the purchasing processes for goods and/or services;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

4. Build partnerships and lead resource mobilization on ending violence against women at the country level

• Develop and manage diverse partnerships within the UN, bilateral and multilateral agencies, government and civil society partners and experts at the country level to ensure timely and efficient delivery of activities and design of strategies;
• Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Identify and pursue resource mobilisation opportunities to advance country-level results on ending violence against women;
• Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and partners’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships;
• Engage in high-level dialogue at country level with the government and CSOs to create and/or strengthen their commitment to ending violence against women.

5. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts at the country level

• Lead the documentation of the programme implementation process and ensure products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines;
• Lead the design of advocacy strategies and support relevant, high-impact advocacy activities and campaigns with key partners and their implementation;
• Collect knowledge on current and emerging trends by gathering relevant information on programme, projects, strategies, approaches and ongoing experience for lessons learned, best practices;
• Coordinate exchanges of information and knowledge products internally and externally of the programme at country level;
• Contribute to the elaboration and implementation of the knowledge management strategy.

6. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on ending violence against women to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the region and countries

• Represent UN Women in inter-agency coordination mechanisms within the UN and with other stakeholders by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects to be developed are harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative.
• Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to lead design, implement, monitor and evaluate development programmes and projects on ending violence against women.
• Strong knowledge of gender equality normative frameworks.
• Knowledge of Results Based Management principles and approaches.
• Ability to maintain networks and partnerships with UN agencies and other international partners to promote partnership and build alliances to advance organizational interests and competencies.
• Demonstrated good oral and written communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of UN programme management systems.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:	Master’s degree or equivalent in public administration, law, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas 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 A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage
Experience:	At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects on ending violence against women A minimum of three years of leading a team at project or programme level, preferably involving diverse functions Experience in managing budgets, developing complex work plans, participating in programme monitoring Proven track record of knowledge generation and dissemination Excellent written and communication skills Experience in managing government and donor relations in Vietnam Previous experience working in the UN system is an advantage
Language Requirements:	Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required Working knowledge of another official UN language 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/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.