Parity and Coordination Officer

Volunteering Admin Human Resources

Overview

Support and oversee implementation of Gender Parity Strategy.

You have:

• Experience in implementing and reporting on development programmes and initiatives involving gender mainstreaming and women’s rights is required.
• Experience with data collection, analysis, and reporting, coordination, or monitoring and evaluation is highly desirable.
• Experience working as part of a team.
• Experience with human resources is an asset.
• Field experience, in particular working in the United Nations or other international organizations at a duty station in Africa, is an additional asset.
• Ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential.
• Solid familiarity with monitoring gender deliverables, preferably in the field of peace and security.
• Recognized expertise on gender equality and women’s empowerment; track record on advising peers, senior management and uniformed personnel.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

This UNV position is in MONUSCO, United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC, in the Gender Affairs Section at the mission hub in Goma. Located in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission, the Gender Affairs Section is guided by UNSCR 1325 (2000) and other UNSC resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, by the Department of Peace Operations’ revised Policy on Gender-Responsive United Nations Peacekeeping Operations of 1 May 2024, MONUSCO’s gender and women, peace and security mandate as stipulated in UNSCR 2808 (2025), OP. 40, the Mission Concept, as well as by the DRC's National Action Plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325. The Gender Affairs Section focuses on making MONUSCO’s functions more gender responsive across Mission priorities of protection of civilians, support to peace processes, DDR and stabilization, and Security Sector Reform through its civilian, as well as military and police components. The UNV incumbent reports to and is supervised by the Head of Gender Affairs.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Gender Adviser, Head of Gender Affairs, the UNV/Parity and Coordination Officer is responsible for supporting and overseeing the implementation of the United Nations (UN ) System-Wide Gender Parity Strategy, the Mission Leadership Team (MLT) decisions and directives on Gender Parity, and the Gender Affairs annual work plan.

In particular, s/he will have the following responsibilities: - Support the implementation of Department of Peace Operations (DPO ) guidance on Gender-Responsive Peacekeeping Operations; - Ensure close monitoring of the progress on implementation by Hiring Managers, the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMS ), and Gender Affairs, as per the distribution of tasks fixed in the MLT Parity decisions; - Collect data regularly on vacancies and screen their compliance with the requirements set in the MLT Parity decisions; - Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports on parity progress and advancement towards the gender parity targets, including recruitment data and sex-disaggregated statistics and percentages per level for civilian personnel; - Extend any additional administrative and tracking support to the Senior Gender Adviser (SGA ) in relation to advancing parity across the mission.

• In addition, the UNV/Parity and Coordination Officer is responsible for monitoring implementation and following up on recommendations of the evaluation on the creation of an enabling workplace to advance gender parity with O/DMS, O/COS, O/SRSG, and Gender Affairs, and carrying out after action review to assess compliance and impact/results.
• S/he supports roll-out and conducts unconscious gender bias trainings for Hiring Managers.
• Under the supervision of the SGA, s/he prepares draft presentations, reports, and materials to inform and advocate for gender parity within the Mission.
• Besides, the UNV/Parity and Coordination Officer acts as coordination focal point for incoming requests to the Gender Affairs Section and supports delegation of tasks and tracks deadlines.
• S/he maintains and updates knowledge management systems and archiving of the Gender Affairs Section; supports implementation of the Gender Affairs Section’s annual work plan and ensures implementation and reporting on the third focus area: Gender Parity.
• S/he participates in meetings, workshops, and training programmes relevant to the work of the team. S/he allocates 20% of work time to providing administrative support to the team.
• S/he performs other duties as required.

• Professionalism: Recognized expertise on gender equality and women’s empowerment; track record on advising peers, senior management and uniformed personnel. Strong conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and experience in the development and use of gender markers. Ability to analyse and evaluate critical matters pertaining to organizational gender responsiveness. Solid familiarity with monitoring gender deliverables, preferably in the field of peace and security. Ability to extract lessons learned and prepare good practices for a broad use. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.

• Experience in implementing and reporting on development programmes and initiatives involving gender mainstreaming and women’s rights is required.
• Experience with data collection, analysis, and reporting, coordination, or monitoring and evaluation is highly desirable.
• Experience working as part of a team.
• Experience with human resources is an asset.
• Field experience, in particular working in the United Nations or other international organizations at a duty station in Africa , is an additional asset.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa, and as a result is quite diverse.

Living conditions therefore vary between MONUSCO duty stations, with all usual amenities present in the capital Kinshasa, but only very basic conditions in remote duty stations in the provinces, where, for instance, there may be no guarantee of public power supply nor running water. The ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential.

Accommodation is very expensive in Kinshasa. Supermarkets exist in the large towns (e.g. Goma), but consumer items are generally very expensive (as everything is imported). For food, local markets offer a much cheaper alternative.

All MONUSCO duty stations are considered non-family duty stations, except for Kinshasa and Entebbe which are family duty stations, and most are currently under UN Security Phase III (“relocation phase”: internationally recruited staff are temporarily concentrated or relocated to specified sites/locations). In addition to insecurity related to the relatively volatile political situation as well as various conflict situations, certain places are subject to increasing street and residential crime, including

Kinshasa, Goma and all the other towns. Some degree of medical service is provided in all MONUSCO duty stations. Certain vaccinations are mandatory for MONUSCO personnel to enter the DRC, while others are compulsory for all other incoming persons. It is possible for incoming MONUSCO personnel, including UN Volunteers, to be asked to provide proof of some or all vaccinations, though this is unlikely. All UN Volunteers must ensure that they are up-to-date with all appropriate vaccinations, which should be clearly and properly endorsed in the International Certificate of Vaccination (“carte jaune”). Malaria is present virtually throughout the DRC, and it is therefore recommended to take prophylaxis.

The unit of currency is the Congolese Franc. The US dollar is the other preferred currency. It may be impossible to exchange traveller’s checks away from the capital city. Credit cards are usually accepted in major hotels only in Kinshasa. In larger towns and cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Goma), UN Volunteers are recommended to open US Dollar bank accounts, while in other places, banks may be absent (including ATMs) and VLA payments will be processed in cash. UN Volunteers have the possibility to send part of their allowances to a bank account abroad.

In addition to French, there are four major spoken languages in DRC, namely Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.

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Potential interview questions

Added 2 days ago - Updated 3 hours ago - Source: unv.org