Policy Specialist, Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW)

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.

In the Americas & Caribbean Region, UN Women has a Regional Office based in Panama City, 10 Country Offices, one Multi Country Office and programmatic presence in 5 countries throughout the region. In addition, the Regional Office provides support to the governments, civil society, and UN system as a nonresident agency in countries with no UN Women presence.

The goal of UN Women´s presence in the region is to support the achievement of gender equality, women´s empowerment and the promotion and protection of women´s human rights.  Ending violence against women and girls has been identified by UN Women as a key primary focus area in the region.  UN Women is working to improve the quality of, and increase accessibility to, coordinated services and responses to violence against women.  UN Women works with partners to reach a shared understanding at the regional level on the range of services and responses required and the corresponding standards and/or guidelines for the provision of the services that are considered essential to meet the needs of women and girls subject to violence. In addition, UN Women actively participates and contributes to various UN inter-agency processes and collaborates with UN organizations around specific programme areas. 

The scope of work of the Policy Specialist on Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) requires experience and in-depth understanding of gender equality and strategies to prevent and address violence against women, to translate UN Women´s strategic plans in EVAW into effective programmes and results.  It also requires developing mutually reinforcing partnerships with relevant Government counterparts, UN organizations, and Civil Society Organizations.

Reporting to the Deputy Regional Director, the Policy Specialist, EVAW will oversee the development of EVAW programmes and resource mobilization strategies on the thematic areas of gender equality and EVAW, provide capacity building to Country Offices (CO), Multi Country Offices (MCO), programme presence offices (PPO) and Non Residency Agencies (NRA), establish and strengthen partnerships, and develop relevant knowledge products on EVAW.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Oversee the development of programmes on gender equality and ending violence against women to support to Programme Presence Office (PPO)/Country Office (CO)/ Multi Country Office (MCO) teams

• Oversee the development of regional programme documents on gender equality and EVAW;
• Provide technical inputs to programme proposals from MCO, COs and PPOs;
• Provide advice on contextualizing/ localizing programme documents, country strategies, and knowledge products;
• Coordinate monitoring and reporting on gender equality and EVAW in collaboration with programme teams.

         2. Provide capacity building support to Programme Presence Office (PPO)/Country Office (CO)/ Multi Country Office (MCO) teams  and partners

• Provide substantive technical and policy support to MCO, COs and PPOs programme teams in developing and strengthening projects/ programmes to support the implementation of global norms and standards;
• Develop, implement and monitor capacity building initiatives;
• Provide technical support to partners on implementation of gender equality and EVAW programmes and initiatives;
• Provide technical policy advice to programme/ project managers/ specialists in the region.

        3. Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/ international actors and development partners

• Build and maintain alliances and strategic partnerships for the advancement of gender equality and EVAW, including with donors;

• Produce periodic updates and briefs on regional/country development situation to be used by stakeholders, RO, CO and HQ;
• Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Women HQ. 

       4. Manage the resource mobilization strategy for EVAW in the region

• Participate in the implementation, monitoring and periodic updating of the resource mobilization strategy on EVAW in the region;
• Provide technical support to field-based presences in the region in mobilizing resources for the implementation of EVAW initiatives;
• Research and analyze information on donors; prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation. 

       5. Oversee the design of gender equality and ending violence against women initiatives in the region and the development of  relevant knowledge products

• Provide policy recommendations and guidance to strategic planning and positioning on EVAW;
• Work closely with and provide advice to regional/ national bodies and interagency groups that influence national policies related to gender equality and EVAW and where necessary represent UN Women;
• Research, develop and present analytical reports, research papers, briefing notes, background papers, summaries, correspondence, and knowledge products on gender equality and EVAW;
• Identify promising practices, technical expertise, and strategic opportunities in EVAW.

      6. Oversee knowledge building and sharing for gender equality and ending violence against women

• Identify and disseminate lessons learnt and good practices in collaboration with country offices;
• Ensure technical skills and knowledge are shared within and among RO/PPOs/COs/ MCO.

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

     Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:  The incumbent leads a team of 5 including (1 P2 staff and 1 G6 staff) and 3 consultants

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:

Functional Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of gender equality and ending violence against women issues
• Knowledge of methodologies and best practices for promoting gender equality, equity and ending violence against women in general and in the Americas and the Caribbean region in particular 
• Strong knowledge of the Americas and Caribbean region
• Knowledge of the UN System
• 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’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, international relations or other social science fields is required.  Specialized studies in gender is a distinct advantage.
• 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 7 years progressively responsible experience in designing and managing programmes and advocating for gender equality and ending violence against women, ideally with some experience in developing countries, preferably in the Americas and Caribbean region, is required.
• Experience in programme, policy analysis, and strategic planning is required.
• Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field is required.
• Experience leading and coaching staff in international settings is requiered.
• Experience working with the UN is desirable.
• Experience working in the Americas and Caribbean region is desirable.
• 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.

Language Requirements:

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

HOW TO APPLY:

Application:

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

Only short-listed qualified candidates will be contacted.

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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.)