UN Women: Chief Technical Adviser to the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 178,499 USD and 223,700 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 January 2014, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission appointed a Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security with the mandate to enhance the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa with particular emphasis on the recognition of the agency of women in building sustainable peace on the continent through their active participation in peace processes and governance. Indeed, though the critical role women play in all aspects of conflict prevention, management and resolution has been formally recognized since the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000), and even though progress has been made in several African countries, women’s participation remains limited.

In a bid to enhance the participation and leadership of women of Africa in a peaceful, stable and prosperous Africa as envisioned by Agenda 2016, the Office of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security and UN Women embarked on a project, with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany on “Women’s Leadership Initiative for Stability in Africa” for the period 2017-2018. The project aims to establish a network of African women leaders, expose African women leaders to major international and regional events and to support the participation of African women leaders in national electoral processes and peace processes. In line with this endeavor, AU and UN Women seek to recruit a Chief Technical Adviser to support the Special Envoy at the African Union Headquarters to lead the implementation of the project, in addition to her continued work on High Level Advocacy and bridging the gap between policy and implementation of commitments on the role of women in conflict management, crisis prevention or peacebuilding as well as the continental results framework on WPS.

The position of Chief Technical Advisor is in the Office of the AU Commission Chairperson's Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security. At the African Union Commission, the incumbent will work under the supervision of the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security. The Advisor reports to the UN Women Chief of Peace and Security and UN Women Country Representative to Ethiopia, and works in close consultation with the UN Women Regional Director, East and Southern Africa. The Advisor will play lead role in coordinating the substantive engagement of the African Union in the Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action Compact.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead the substantive and political coordination of the African Union (AU) as a regional organization member of the Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPSHA) Compact:

• Provide technical assistance and policy advice to the AU Commission and Member States on their engagement in the WPSHA Compact;
• Represent the African Union as a WPSHA Compact Board member;
• Ensure communication and coordination amongst the African Union member states vis a vis the Compact launch and implementation.

Provide assistance and policy advisory services related to the implementation of the Special Envoy’s mandate, the Continental Results Framework on WPS, and her leadership as a Compact Board member:

• Oversee the research, advocacy and communication of the Office of the Special Envoy;
• Plan, manage and execute representational visits, including coordination with all relevant parties, and accompany the Special Envoy and/or representing her when required;
• Coordinate the participation of the Special Envoy in executive level meetings on the advancement of women’s rights, with particular emphasis on women in peace and security and governance;
• Provide substantive inputs into strategy documents, programme/ project proposals, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to the mandate of the Special Envoy in the region;
• Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design;
• Coordinate the activities between the AU, UN Women and other UN agencies, AU Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Regional Economic Communities, Centers of Excellence and Women’s Forums for a concerted action on the peer support network for African women leaders;
• Provide expertise and strategic advice to the Special Envoy on effective strategies and methods to implement her mandate in accordance with the policies and procedures of the African Union Commission (AUC);
• Provide strategic advice to the Special Envoy on key actions related to enhancing women issues and gender mainstreaming in the Africa Peace and Security Architecture and Roadmap;
• Provide support to the Special Envoy in her role as Co-convener of the African Women Leaders Network.

Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/ international actors and development partners to advance ownership and buy in of the AU Member States for the WPSHA Compact and implementation and monitoring of the Continental results framework:

• Lead the efforts of the Office of the Special Envoy in coordinating with the AUC Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the Peace and Security Council, the Africa Governance Architecture, the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate and other relevant departments on the overall Gender Equality and Women empowerment agenda of the African Union Commission specifically with regard the Compact.
• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships for the advancement of the role of the AU as a Compact board member.
• Engage the African Women Leaders network as stakeholders in the Compact and ensure coordination and communication with network members.
• Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Women HQ and regional office in Nairobi.

Key Performance Indicators:

• African Member States join the Compact as Signatories.
• Strong participation of the African Union Commission as well as Member States in the compact.
• Increased awareness of Women, Peace and Security issues within the AUC and AU Member States.
• Increased uptake of the Continental results framework.
• Adherence to all UN Women operational rules and regulations.
• Increased funds raised.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent knowledge of women, peace and security;
• Strong knowledge of region;
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work under time constraints;
• Ability to approach work consistently with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to identify core issues in a complex situation and to address the heart of the problem quickly and propose an appropriate course of action;
• Discretion and sound judgment in applying expertise to resolve complex and/or sensitive issues;
• Ability to speak and write in a clear manner including ability to draft a variety of reports;
• Strong diplomatic and political understanding of the region;
• Strong understanding of AU mission, objectives, rules and regulations and its working partnership with the United Nations;
• Ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships and mobilize resources;
• Excellent analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree, preferably in gender studies, peace and conflict studies, political sciences, development studies or other disciplines related to women, peace and security; a first-level unversity degree with additional 2 years of experience in peace and security and capacity building may also be considered.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience working in peace and conflict issues, gender, institutional development, networking and capacity building;
• Experience in managing international organization and inter-agency processes.

Languages:

• Excellent command of oral and written English;
• Knowledge of French is highly desirable and constitutes a considerable advantage.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558. 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.

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.