Policy Advisor, Sustainable Development and Deputy Chief, Economic Empowerment – 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.

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) positions UN Women as a global thought and practice leader on gender equality and women’s empowerment to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across UN Women’s normative, operational and coordination mandate. Accountable for implementation of UN Women’s Strategic Plan through effective and efficient inter-governmental, policy and programmatic support and results, PPID’s core functions include ensuring that UN Women offices and stakeholders receive high quality technical policy and programme guidance, substantive support and strategic direction, knowledge and data in all contexts to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, and leading the work on data, evidence and knowledge on gender equality and women’s empowerment and tracking progress on the SDGs.

Economic empowerment (EE) is one of PPID’s thematic sections that leads and coordinates one of UN Women’s four Strategic Plan Impact Areas. UN Women works with governments, multilateral organizations, the UN System, civil society organizations and the private sector to promote women’s economic empowerment in alignment with UN Women’s Economic Empowerment Strategy. Women’s economic empowerment is a transformative, collective process through which economic systems become just, equitable and prosperous, and all women enjoy their economic and social rights, exercise agency and power in ways that challenge inequalities and level the playing field, and gain equal rights and access to, ownership of and control over resources, assets, income, time and their own lives. In its work on sustainable development, EE Section provides technical assistance and policy advice in a number of areas, among them, the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Rio Conventions and leads the implementation of the global programming framework on Gender Responsive Climate Action and Women in the Blue and Green Economies, and makes links with other areas of UN Women’s work including on Women in the World of Work and Transforming Care Systems.

Reporting to the Chief of Economic Empowerment, the Policy Advisor, Sustainable Development and Deputy Chief will oversee the development of gender equality and sustainable development policies and programmes, contribute to inter-governmental, normative and UN system coordination work, provide technical assistance and policy advice to UN Women’s regional and country offices, establish and strengthen partnerships, develop relevant knowledge products, and provide representational, advisory and strategic support to the Chief, including taking on section supervisory and management responsibilities as requested.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

1. Substantive contributions to policy development on gender equality and sustainable development:

• Lead development of policies and strategies on gender equality and sustainable development
• Conduct and/or lead the analysis of data and provide evidence to build the case for policies and interventions on gender equality and sustainable development and distill relevant lessons
• Research, develop and/or present policy papers, guidance notes/concepts and other knowledge products and tools for discussion in global and regional forums to help influence/advance policy dialogue
• Provide technical and policy leadership when UN Women participates in, convenes, or leads interagency groups on policy related areas, e.g., UN Water, UN Energy, Environmental Management Group, Committee on World Food Security
• Provide thematic contributions and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning
• Oversee, develop proposals and/or manage projects/studies with respect to global/thematic gender equality and sustainable development policies and projects or other relevant interventions
• Contribute to the preparation of UN Women’s flagship reports in relevant areas
• Plan, organize and substantively service expert group meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops and similar gatherings, including identification and determination of major issues for discussion and selection of participants, development of background documentation, preparation of reports and policy recommendations, and dissemination of results of such meetings.

2. Advisory services and programme/project support:

• Provide policy and programmatic advice on sustainable development to UN Women regional, country and multi-country offices in alignment with global programming frameworks for EE and the WEE Strategy
• Support development and implementation of regional and country office Strategic Notes, projects and knowledge products
• Develop catalytic global projects with normative, coordination and operational content through which UN Women can add value from both technical and gender perspectives
• Develop tools, guidelines and manuals on sustainable development, for use by UN Women regional and country offices, the UN system, and other partners
• Manage, supervise and carry out the sustainable development workplan to ensure substantive and technical quality
• Collaborate with other thematic sections to provide integrated policy and programmatic advice to regional and country offices across development and humanitarian contexts.

3. Substantive support to intergovernmental and normative processes:

• Manage and supervise preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes
• Prepare substantive contributions to and help coordinate the development of analytical reports to contribute to the Secretary-General’s mandated reporting to intergovernmental forums
• Support the implementation of resolutions, decision and other directives in relevant areas of focus, including through support to expert bodies created by intergovernmental forums
• Contribute to international fora, including the Rio Convention Conferences of the Parties, to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies

4. Representation and advocacy:

• Represent UN Women at policy making inter-agency, inter-governmental and international technical and advocacy fora
• Participate in international, regional or national meetings and provide programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions
• Contribute substantively to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, advocacy and outreach
• Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutions, civil society and experts to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women’s work
• Contribute to pro-active positioning and planning for Executive Leadership Team and senior management trips and meetings

5. Knowledge generation and capacity development:

• Contribute substantively to the knowledge management and capacity development of UN Women staff on gender equality and sustainable development
• Contribute to the development/expansion of knowledge management strategies and methodologies in the area of sustainable development
• Establish and lead global communities of practice that promote collaboration, peer support, consultation and surface innovation, good practices, lessons and needs and opportunities
• Engage in existing thematic and gender equality networks to better connect UN Women and partner work and promote learning and innovation
• Develop and maintain rosters of gender experts, who can develop technical support to UN Women offices, national partners, UNCTs or other UN system entities
• Contribute to the internal flow of information throughout the organization on policy and technical issues
• Produce knowledge products to meet UN Women needs and standards of quality
• Maintain and ensure quality of content in the area of Sustainable Development for UN Women guidelines, tools and other materials
• Advise possible evaluations to the Independent Evaluation Service and extract learning from evaluations and reviews across the regions

6. Provide advisory and specialized strategic support to the Chief of Economic Empowerment

• Advise, guide, and provide substantive contributions to the WEE Strategy and its implementation in line with the UN Women Strategic Plan
• Provide strategic support to resource mobilization efforts at global, regional and country levels
• Develop strategic partnerships to advance the integration of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and collaborate with inter-agency partners on sustainable development across UN Women’s triple mandate
• Represent UN Women in lieu of the Chief when needed
• Support the Chief in section management and supervision

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The Policy Advisor and Deputy Chief supervises staff and consultants working on sustainable development, including on gender-responsive climate action, migration and rural women’s economic empowerment, and supports the Chief in overall section management and supervision.

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:

• Excellent knowledge of gender equality, women’s rights and economic empowerment
• Substantial knowledge and experience of sustainable development policies and practices
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience
• Excellent analytical skills
• Demonstrated ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative policy research
• Experience in policy advocacy and providing policy advice
• Proven expertise in writing cogent and convincing policy and programme papers, reports, speeches, briefings for diverse audiences (UN system, Member States, development practitioners, policy advocates)
• Demonstrated political acumen and technical capacity in representing the organization effectively in national, regional and international fora
• Strong communications and networking skills
• Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising
• Excellent knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management and reporting
• Proven track record of excellent management and technical leadership, decision-making, problem-solving and accountability

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, international development, gender studies, environmental studies, or 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

Experience:

• At least 10 years progressively responsible experience that combines intellectual, strategic and managerial leadership in international development, policy analysis and economic empowerment, at least seven of which is in gender equality and sustainable development
• Experience in developing countries is required
• Experience in policy analysis and strategic planning is required
• Experience in working and building partnerships with governments, UN system, donors and civil society organizations globally is required
• Experience leading and coaching staff in international settings is required
• 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 working with the UN system is required

Language Requirements:

• 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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.

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