Gender Programme Specialist (Gender and AAP, Emergency) NO-3, Bucharest, Romania (, 364 days)

Contract

This is a NO-3 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-3 contracts.

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

The war in Ukraine has triggered the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. By 23 April 2022, more than 774,000 refugees from Ukraine had arrived in Romania. The overwhelming majority of refugees are women and children, often separated from husbands and fathers who remained in Ukraine; older people; and significant numbers of unaccompanied children, including those from state care facilities.

Local and national authorities have established reception facilities at border crossing points to receive new arrivals and are providing life-saving assistance, including accommodation, food, and other basic needs, as well as onward transport for those moving to urban centers. In the reception centers, information is also provided on the asylum process and temporary protection, as well as on the risks of trafficking. Access to basic rights and services, such as health, has been facilitated. Steps have already been taken to foster protection and inclusion into national systems, such as for health and education. Referral services are being scaled up, focusing especially on case management and protection of unaccompanied children and those evacuated from boarding schools, institutions and other alternative care arrangements, survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), victims of trafficking, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups

UNICEF Romania Country Office is involved in the emergency response by supporting the national government and local partners in delivering assistance and protection services.

How can you make a difference?

The Specialist works across all UNICEF programme components within the the Refugees Response Plan (RRP) to ensure accountability to and inclusion of people affected by the crisis, facilitating refugees' participation and strengthening their resilience, with a particular view to the different needs of girls and boys - as part of the office's wider efforts to leverage gender transformative programming. Coordinates with all relevant stakeholders and RRP partners and improves the capacity of humanitarian actors to effectively receive, listen and act on the views of affected populations and take into account differentiated needs. The incumbent is expected to closely collaborate with all programme sectors within the RRP and ensure the specific gender integration of UNICEF’s Core Competencies in Emergencies and, particularly with the child protection staff regarding the prevention of and response to all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation - including with a view to harmful gender stereotypes, social norms and practices.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Contribute to the design and implementation of strategies and action plans to scale up Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) interventions and gender focused actions

• Facilitate the development of plans of action for scaling up AAP that have clear deliverables, indicators and timeframes to enable timely marked improvement in AAP performance, based on operational modalities, community preferences and global best practice
• Ensure feedback, concerns and priorities from affected populations are consistently and systematically well highlighted during emergency clusters and coordination groups, internal meetings and planning processes, especially but not limited to OMPs, CMT/PMTs, MYR/EYR.
• Facilitate development and use of harmonized tools and standards for staff and third-party monitoring and reporting of AAP activities, in accordance with agreed work plans and ensuring corrective actions are taken as required.
• Supports the assessment and identification of gender specific needs in the emergency preparedness and response, and provides guidance and technical input on gender responsive emergency programming based on UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies
• Support 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.
• Monitor the use of resources as planned and verify compliance with organizational guidelines, rules and regulations and standards of ethics and transparency
• Identify additional resources (human, financial, technical, etc.) needed to implement the AAP strategy and key programmatic results on gender and explore options to mobilize these.
• In collaboration with sectoral colleagues and senior management, identify the areas of focus for gender programming/projects with the greatest potential for impact and scale, in alignment with the GAP and the country/regional priorities.
• Work with sectoral counterparts and senior management to incorporate sound gender indicators, gender tagging, 15% minimum expenditure allocation and measures in programme/project and policy initiatives, proposals, and advocacy efforts and assist in developing gender-sensitive theories of change models for sector and cross-sectoral programming in alignment with the MoRES framework.
• Supports the effective implementation of protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) action plans and mechanisms in the emergency response and supports developing the capacity of CSOs and local stakeholders to more effectively plan and advocate for GBV prevention and response actions in collaboration with Child Protection section.

Advocacy, networking, and capacity building for AAP and gender equality commitments

• Evaluate capacity building needs in AAP and gender in emergencies and facilitate training, monitoring and reporting efforts at national and subnational levels
• Design and implement a capacity building strategy to build the knowledge of, and commitment to AAP approaches and gender mainstreaming for UNICEF and partner staff
• Develop context-specific capacity building materials by contextualizing global and national tools
• Identify opportunities to integrate AAP into existing training and tailor content to specific
• audiences
• Collaborate with internal, national, regional and global partners to update, harmonize, link and coordinate activities, tools and processes designed to enhance communication and community engagement in humanitarian response, including use of communication platforms
• Maintain and strengthen partnerships and stakeholder engagement through networking and proactive collaboration and engagement with strategic partners, including NGOs, local authorities, community and religious leaders and relevant stakeholders, to promote AAP
• Regularly monitor changes and emerging trends, including public perceptions that could impact access and acceptance of UNICEF and the programmes it supports, and recommend appropriate response measures
• Provide technical support and guidance to national government, NGOs, UN Agencies and other country-level and local-level partners on AAP issues and approaches, and aspects of gender programming and to ensure incorporation of relevant indicators, implementation plans and measures in programmes/projects, policy initiatives, proposals, and M&E systems.
• Participate in needs assessment missions on gender with stakeholders and partners critical for the RRP in country
• Support implementing/operational partners and implementing arrangements and gender quality review of PCA/PD’s in order to ensure an effective, gender-inclusive emergency response.
• Build strategic alliances for gender equality with various partners, including with women and girls specific agencies, institutional links with UN agencies and other relevant entities in the RRP
• Advocate with all program sections and support key actions for gender, PSEA and AAP mainstreaming during planning, policy development and programming, and through participation in Emergency Clusters and Coordination Groups in country
• With the Child Protection section, contribute to the implementation of GBV strategies across all sectors, including working with CSOs, women’s groups, and other community groups to develop risk mitigation processes and advocate for GBV services and implementation

Represent and coordinate collective AAP approaches and gender responsive initiatives in the humanitarian response

• Serve as the primary focal point within the Country Office on Gender and AAP and regularly update on current AAP practices and gender responsive measures
• Represent UNICEF at inter-agency Working Groups, clusters and other relevant groups or networks, formulating and articulating Gender integration and AAP plans and outcomes and disseminating key results, good practices and lessons learnt.

Evidence generation, innovation and knowledge management

• In the absence of relevant secondary data, conduct a community engagement and accountability needs assessment to understand community information needs, communications preferences, community dynamics, social norms, cultural beliefs and other anthropological factors that could impact programmes
• Ensure systematic collection and data analysis of feedback from affected populations through integration of AAP questions in cluster assessments, surveys and other data collection tools and activities, and their inclusion in IMEP
• Manage the conduct, analysis and dissemination of results of community perception surveys (perception of UNICEF and quality supported programmes), especially in the context of a humanitarian response
• Support the establishment and management of internal AAP information management functions through a common system to share, aggregate and analyse feedback to identify trends, priority issues and track actions based on feedback from affected populations
• Facilitate the implementation and documentation of innovative practices, approaches and latest technology on media and digital platforms and networks that are appropriate/available for the humanitarian context and audience
• Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge products with global/local partners and stakeholders to build capacity of partners and disseminate these products to key audiences including donors and national and global partners.
• Initiate documentation and sharing of the country-level experience in gender programming and lessons learned as part of the Refugee Response Plan
• 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…

• Advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in the social and behavioral sciences (i.e. sociology, demography, anthropology, psychology, gender studies, political science, social policy or economics), education, communication, public relations, 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.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience and demonstrated track record in the humanitarian sector with significant experience working on AAP and gender related interventions.
• Proven experience of gender/GBV in Emergencies, violence against women and girls prevention and response programming, including assessing GBV and PSEA interventions
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing evidence-based community engagement strategies in humanitarian contexts
• Experience in designing and facilitating participatory sensitization and capacity building sessions at different levels with diverse, multicultural teams
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team in a challenging and highly fluid environment, flexibility and ability to handle constant change
• Relevant experience in related areas in a UN agency or international organization is an asset
• Experience in designing, implementing, managing, and delivering results-based programmes/projects 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 (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

Core Competencies

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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:

Eligible UNICEF National Officer (NO) and General Service (GS) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to this TA, which is dedicated to L3 Response, may be able to retain a lien on their existing post for the duration of this TA.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.