Fixed Term: Gender & Development Specialist, NOD, Islamabad, Pakistan, Req

Contract

This is a NO-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-4 contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world toughest places, to reach the world most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Hope!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves.

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives -- being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

The Gender and Development Manager provides advisory support to the Deputy Representative and Representative, and technical assistance to colleagues and Chief of Sections and Field Offices and key government officials and partners on the implementation of the Gender Policy and Gender Action Plan (GAP). S/He advises the Communication, Operations, and HR sections to achieve the advocacy efforts and institutional commitments. The Gender and Development manager provides authoritative technical guidance/operational support throughout all stages of programming to facilitate the management and delivery of results contributing to gender equality and adolescent development. The role of the Gender and Development Manager is primarily technical and programmatic, with the normative advocacy and coordination roles serving as a secondary function.

To make a difference, the incumbent shall be responsible for following key strategic functions, accountabilities and related duties/ tasks;

1. Management and/or advisory support to Deputy Representative, Senior Gender Programme Specialist or Representative

• Actively participate in Country Management Team (CMT); Programme Coordination Team; partnerships, research, financial and contract review committees; and other key country-specific leadership teams to ensure strategic inclusion of gender in all country-specific programming
• Coordinate with the Regional Gender Advisors and the Headquarters Gender Section to plan, utilize, monitor and report on the Gender Thematic Fund, or other programmatic funds with large gender components that are allocated to the country-specific interventions for the Country Programme, under the Country Office senior management.
• In collaboration with sectoral colleagues and under the guidance of Deputy Representative, participate in the planning and monitoring of the utilization of the budget allocated to sectoral and cross-sectoral gender interventions with sectoral colleagues
• Lead the gender component of the reporting of the routine country-level programme expenditures, including the annual reporting and the RAM.
• Provide technical input and review on the gender components in key funding proposal appeals and submissions and in the design of funded projects/programs so that gender technical components are clearly defined and technical capacities are included

2. Program development and planning (including emergency contexts)

• Lead and/or support the evidence-based programme planning on gender, incorporating robust measurement and evaluation of results - especially in the event of the Country Programme development and Mid-Term Review.
• Provide technical leadership on integration of gender into country programming phases, including strategic planning, SitAns, strategic moments of reflection, CPDs, CPMPs, mid-term reviews, extended annual reviews, programme component strategy notes and in the programmatic assessment and institutional strengthening components of gender reviews
• In collaboration with sectoral colleagues, identify the areas of focus for gender programming with the greatest potential for impact and scale, in alignment with the GAP and the country/regional priorities.
• Work with sectoral counterparts to incorporate sound gender indicators and measures in programme and policy initiatives, proposals, and advocacy efforts and assist in developing gender-sensitive theories of change models for sector and cross-sectoral programming.

3. Program management, monitoring and delivery of results (including emergency contexts)

• Provide technical support in indicator identification, measurement and performance tracking as it relates to gender mainstreaming and the Targeted Gender Priorities, in collaboration with Planning, M&E and planning section and sectoral teams.
• Lead cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination on key programmatic results on gender, ensuring coherence, maximization of synergies and efficiency in utilization of resources and delivery of results
• Support the strengthening of data systems and collection, as well as accountability mechanisms to monitor and evaluate progress on gender results.
• Support high quality reporting on gender results, and a biannual performance review of GAP specified results.
• Work closely with evaluation colleagues to effectively integrate data collection, tracking, analysis and reporting on the indicators for the GAP into programme results and gender performance benchmarks into M&E systems.
• Support and strengthen the quality of research and evidence building on gender related programming, bringing in the latest learning and insights from the field of gender and development, and putting in place a coherent, well-prioritized research agenda in alignment with the GAP.
• Oversee the planning and implementation of the gender reviews and make sure that the recommendations that come out of the gender review are integrated into the Country Programme strategy and action plans and humanitarian strategies and action plans in emergency contexts.
• Actively represent UNICEF in relevant coordination bodies at the inter-agency level (gender theme group or other networks, GBV cluster if relevant), participate as a member of steering committees, and provide close oversight of inter-agency joint programmes

4. Advisory services and technical support

• Provide technical support and guidance to national government, NGOs, UN Agencies and other country-level and local-level partners on aspects of gender programming and to ensure incorporation of gender indicators and measures in programmes/projects, policy initiatives, proposals, and M&E systems.
• Provide technical support and advocacy to reporting and follow-up on international and regional gender equality commitments made by the countries
• Support the development of adequate emergency preparedness measures, updating of contingency plans and establishment of early warning mechanisms that reflect gender needs.
• Support the development and of sex-disaggregated databases on information crucial for the planning and implementation of emergency plans.
• Support the development and deployment of emergency training that incorporates gender issues and relevant strategies.
• Lead and/or participate in needs assessment missions on gender, and in the event of an emergency, be deployed as a member of the Emergency Response Team.
• Identify implementing/operational partners, and establish implementing arrangements in order to ensure an effective, gender-inclusive emergency response.

5. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Liaise and consult with sections, government and other external partners (civil society, NGOs, UN Agencies, private sector) to identify areas for convergence, and develop and reinforce partnerships in gender programming.
• Forge and support internal and external partnerships and networks in the development of harmonized, gender-transformative programme interventions.
• Build strategic alliances for gender equality with various partners, including institutional links with UN agencies and other relevant entities.
• Collaborate with other UN agencies and partners to enhance robust gender results in sectoral programmes at the country level. If necessary, represent UNICEF in external meetings on gender integration into sectoral and cross-sectoral results, including UN Country Team meetings and UNDAF/UNAF preparations.
• Lead mapping of potential new partnerships and leverage existing partnerships to accelerate GAP implementation at the country level in determined priority areas

6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Initiate documentation and sharing of the country-level experience in gender programming and lessons learned, which will be shared with internal network and external partners and utilized for South-South cooperation.
• Represent the gender section at sectoral, country-level and regional-level network meetings, and ensure best practices on gender programming according to 5 GAP principles are highlighted in these forums
• Bring best practices in gender programming and measurement to the attention of senior management and sectoral colleagues, as well as Regional Gender Advisor and gender section staff at HQ
• Support and conduct innovative research on gender at the country-level
• Support Regional Gender Advisor in advancing the technical and research capacity of country-level staff, offices and programs on gender to continue to build evidence base for programming and to ensure continuous capacity in gender at Country Office level.

• Support management and HR in the development of systems, tools and processes that enable staff members and external partners to enhance their understanding and adoption of gender sensitive behaviors and to support implementation of the GAP.

  To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in the social sciences (i.e. sociology, demography, psychology, political science, social policy or economics), public health, public policy, public administration, international development, or in an area relevant to UNICEF’s sectoral work (e.g. Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, Social Inclusion, HIV/AIDs, etc.)

• Academic credentials in gender are a strong asset.
• *A first University Degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience and demonstrated track record of having undertaken and led substantive programming and research on gender and development in key issue areas that are the focus of UNICEF’s Gender Action Plan.
• Experience in designing, implementing, managing, and delivering results-based programmes on gender and development or any other cross cutting programme, especially at country/field level
• Experience in emergency response is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

The competencies required for this post are Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2), Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (3), Works Collaboratively with others (3), Builds and Maintains Partnerships (3), Innovates and Embraces Change (3), Thinks and Acts Strategically (3), Drives to achieve impactful results (3), Manages ambiguity and complexity (3)

View our competency framework at Competency Framework Brochure.pdf

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. Our contracts, benefits and wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

Remarks:

• This vacancy announcement is open to all candidates, both internal and external.
• Verified educational certificates/ HEC Attested Degrees are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF. During the recruitment process, candidates will be required to present HEC-attested degrees/certificates.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.