Background

UN Women’s Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) vision is to achieve the empowerment of all women and girls and the full enjoyment of their human rights in the Arab States, propelling economic prosperity and sustainable development for all. Our goal is to accelerate achievements for the largest possible number of women and girls in the region, including the most vulnerable. To accomplish this, we work with our partners and offices across 17 countries in the region to implement targeted programmes that support women’s economic empowerment, women’s leadership and participation, women, peace and security, and humanitarian issues, as well as ending violence against women. Our growing portfolio capitalizes on existing enablers, and works with men and boys, while tackling some of the most challenging issues, including overt and unconscious bias and discrimination against women and girls.

Under the supervision of the Regional Director (RD) with matrix management from the Deputy Regional Director (DRD), the incumbent provides substantive and practical support to the Regional Executive Office. The incumbent provides timely analytical information (both programmatic and political), prepares documentation and talking points for RD and DRD representational events, and coordinates and leads the Secretariat of the Senior Leadership (SLM) and Inter-Team Coordination Meetings (ITCM). He/she has a proven ability to work and act under pressure, with confidentiality and discretion in a sensitive environment.

The incumbent is expected to have excellent communication and organizational skills and strategically support the functions of the Regional Office. The Programme Specialist substantively supports the RD and DRD in the Regional Offices’ oversight, UN Coordination, Normative, and programme role and advances partnerships and resource mobilization initiatives. The role is central to coordination with teams in the regional office, with offices across the region, with Headquarters, and with external partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support the Regional Office Leadership in taking forward strategic priorities:

• Review and analysis of key management issues, synthesized for quick decision-making;
• Support coordination across different UN Women teams and offices to help take forward key strategic priorities for UN Women;
• Support the preparation of internal and external correspondence on issues related to the priorities, as well as provide quarterly socio-political briefs pertaining to key regional developments;
• Support in coordinating follow-up of SLM and ITCM decisions and actions;
• Provide coordination support to the Regional Director in his/her interactions and exchanges with UN Women Representatives, Regional Office, and HQ staff, keeping records and ensuring action and follow-up when required in a timely and efficient manner;
• Provide support to the Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director interactions, representation duties, exchanges, and relationship cultivation with other UN agencies, UN regional coordination mechanisms, intergovernmental bodies, national authorities, and public and private partnerships;
• Work with the RD’s Executive Associate to ensure appropriate and timely action is taken on incoming requests, correspondence, and all matters requiring the RD’s attention;
• Guide the Executive Associate as needed in the planning and organization of the Regional Director´s agenda and official travel, including the timely preparation of official travel files, background documents, and briefing notes;
• Review/ draft talking points and /or design presentation materials for delivery by the Regional Director (or the DRD where delegated) in key events, meetings, and other internal and external fora ensuring that UN Women´s corporate and regional perspective, goals, objectives, strategies and/or policies on gender issues and UN Women programmes are appropriately reflected, working closely with thematic leads and relevant staff as required.

Coordinate the Regional Executive Office inputs to the Regional Office Work Plan, ROAS Strategic Note, and Annual Reporting Processes:

• Work closely with the strategic planning unit to revise annual work plans in alignment with the priorities of the ROAS Senior Leadership;
• Gather and synthesize information to report in RMS on relevant Outcomes, Outputs, and Indicators aligned to the priorities of the Regional Executive Office;
• Gather and analyze quarterly information for ROAS leadership related to the quarterly business review, evaluation, and management responses to audits and evaluations for ROAS.

Facilitate and contribute to regional partnerships for financing and resource mobilization strategies and initiatives:

• Seek and promote new partnerships and resource mobilization opportunities, working with UN Women colleagues to identify needs and broker or support the realization of resource mobilization and financing agreements to meet those needs;
• Scan and scout external environments within ROAS priority areas for opportunities and risks and share information in a timely manner with the RD and DRD;
• Contribute to oversight of the development and coordination of cooperation agreements, MoUs, etc. with partner institutions;
• Draft briefs on possible areas of cooperation and identification of opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Support the determination of programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs, and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships;
• Provide technical inputs to the development of project proposals in line with the UN Women’s strategy and the interest of donors;
• Develops and maintains deep knowledge and familiarity with current and prospective partners and relevant stakeholders, contributing to a database of key contacts on partnership and resource mobilization.

Manage day-to-day coordination of the regional executive office:

• Leads the day-to-day management of the Regional Executive Office, including the direct supervision of specific projects upon request, mission planning and prioritization, and calendar coordination under the portfolio of the Executive Associate.

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

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: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent programme formulation, and implementation skills;
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, and budgets, and deliver them;
• Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Strong knowledge of UN programme management systems;
• Strong networking skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization;
• Ability to work in a highly pressured environment;
• Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality, and accountability;
• Knowledge and understanding of gender equality issues as well as more broadly, human rights and development cooperation;
• Experience with development issues in the Arab States region;
• Proficient in IT skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in International Relations, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other relevant discipline 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:

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in international/ regional organizations, coordination, facilitation, and programme development/management is required;
• Experience with UN Women/UN agencies or other international organizations working closely with senior management is desirable;
• Experience in international development work focused on, or strongly involving gender equality at national, regional, and international levels is desirable;
• A solid understanding of UN Women’s policies, frameworks, and workflows is desirable;
• Prior experience working in the Arab States Region is desirable.

Language Requirements:

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

Application:

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• A cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and a link to the portfolio of work;
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc
• Personal CV

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all of them since the online application submission only permits to upload of one file per application. Incomplete submissions can be grounds for disqualification.

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.

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.