Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) Coordinator – P5  

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.

Following the Independent Review of the United Nations System’s Capacity to Deliver on Gender Equality and a thorough examination of all the recommendations by a Task Team comprised of 12 Entities (including UN Women). It guided by an external High-level Facilitator, the United Nations System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) was defined and agreed by an Advisory Group, including the principals of these entities. The Acceleration Plan calls for a principled, strategic and norms-based approach to advance and prevent further rollback of the rights of women and girls. To this effect, it seeks the internal transformation of power dynamics, leadership approaches, strategies, priorities, structures and the accountability of the United Nations to better deliver for women and girls. 

The GEAP was launched on March 7, 2024, by the UN Secretary-General who called on UN entities to ensure its full implementation across two phases. The first phase, ending in March 2025 (CSW69) is focused on culture change and concrete action. In line with this, the work around the GEAP is driven by five key accelerators: 1) a clarion call; (2) gender-responsive leadership; (3) accountability measures; (4) resourcing; and (5) action with all stakeholders for a systemwide pivot to gender equality. 

The Secretariat of the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan will be housed within UN Women and will report directly to the UN Women Executive Director. In line with guidance received from the UN Women Executive Director, the GEAP Task Team and the United Nations System-Wide Gender Steering Group (GSG), the Secretariat will support and monitor the implementation of the GEAP and foster cross-UN collaboration to support system-wide accountability, leadership and work on gender equality and women’s empowerment.  The GEAP Secretariat will consist of an External Senior Advisor and full/part-time Technical Officers drawn/seconded from UN WOMEN, UNFPA, OHCHR and UNDP. The Secretariat will liaise regularly with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General.

Under the direct supervision of the GEAP Head of Secretariat and in close collaboration with the Chief of Staff, the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan Coordinator has the main responsibility for the substantive coordination and day-to-day management of the GEAP Secretariat.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

1.    Lead strategic planning, oversight and management

• Provide day-to-day management and oversight to the implementation of the GEAP Implementation Plan. Translate key directives from UN Women Executive Director, the Task Team and the Gender Steering Group into relevant workplan, strategies and timelines for the implementation of the GEAP Implementation Plan;
• Foster coordination and horizontality among different parts of the UN System in order to support coherence in the implementation of the GEAP, including through the establishment of mechanisms to support effective information flows;
• Support the visibility and strategic positioning of the GEAP, including by preparing and delivering written and oral presentations, updates and briefings on the initiative;
• Lead on the drafting of a comprehensive “implementation support package” for the GEAP at global, regional and country levels (including by drafting/co-drafting and providing quality assurance to ToRs, guidance, templates and other related documents) for UN System-wide partners;
• Advise on and contribute to UN System-wide statements, messages and briefs on GEAP implementation (as requested by EOSG and other UN Entities).

2.    Support high-quality preparations for regular meetings of GEAP governance bodies, including by:

• Lead and oversee the substantive and operational preparations for:
  • Bi-annual meetings of the principal-level Gender Steering Group (GSG), chaired by the Secretary-General;
  • Quarterly meetings of the Director-level Task Team, co-chaired by UN Women and a second rotating member.
  • Other governance bodies for the GEAP. 
• Provide substantive inputs to and collaborating with regional entities and country leadership in order to backstop biennial country-level reviews of progress on GEAP implementation (led by the Deputy Secretary General and in-country Heads of the UN).

3.    Lead and quality assure annual integrated reporting

• Provide technical assistance and quality assurance support to UN System-wide Entities in the development and drafting of annual progress reports on the implementation of the GEAP;
• Serve as primary pen-holder for the drafting of the annual UN System-wide consolidated progress report on the implementation of the GEAP (to be delivered on International Women’s Day, March 8th each year).

4.    Establish partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Identify, develop and implement resource mobilization opportunities in support of the implementation of the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan;
• Develop and provide quality assurance to resource mobilization documents, including concept notes, fundraising pitches and related documents; 
• Establish partnerships, draft agreements and monitor their implementation;
• Collaborate with relevant partners and provide quality assurance to ensure high-quality donor reporting.

5.   Manage the people and financial resources of the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) Secretariat 

• Manage financial resources assigned to the GEAP Secretariat, including by monitoring the programme budget; 
• Review and submit timely mandated financial reports; 
• Manage GEAP Coordination Specialist, seconded technical staff, and consultants (as relevant); 
• Coordinate operational and administrative support to the GEAP Secretariat; 
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

6.   Support internal UN Women processes relating to the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP)

• Lead Secretariat support to UN Women’s bi-annual Gender Equality Steering Committee meetings; 
• Coordinate and support linkages with other relevant initiatives and processes, especially the UN-SWAP;
• Develop strong working relationships with all UN Women Divisions in support of the implementation of relevant elements of the GEAP. 

7.    Support leadership of the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) Secretariat 

• Provide support to the work of the GEAP External Senior Advisor and the GEAP Advisor, as requested;
• Deputize the GEAP Advisor, as needed;
• Serve as primary liaison / focal point with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG) on matters relating to the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan. 

8.    The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Well-structured GEAP Secretariat that provides high-quality and timely support to UN Entities around the GEAP implementation plan 
• Standardized and user-friendly toolkit and implementation resources for UN System Entities’ implementation 
• Strong UN system-wide coordination, alignment and/or coherence around GEAP implementation 
• Regular and high-quality meetings of the governance architecture for the GEAP 
• High-quality and timely reporting on GEAP implementation 
• Resources mobilized and allocated for the implementation of various elements of the GEAP Implementation Plan 
• High visibility of the GEAP in UN System-wide and global processes and initiatives
• GEAP Secretariat is fully integrated and aligned with UN Women’s operational frameworks.
• Strong performance of GEAP Secretariat personnel, enabling work environment in line with UN Women values and competencies.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, or a related 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.
• A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in policy support, particularly regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment, development programming, strategic planning, or coordination support, preferably in an international organization is required.
• Experience in management processes of an international organization in required.
• Demonstrated experience in partnership management and resource mobilization.
• Strong experience in leading and coaching staff in international settings, including with matrix reporting arrangements is required.
• Prior experience in advising senior executives is an advantage. 
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

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.)

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