UN Women: Operations Associate

Contract

This is a GS-7 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about GS-7 contracts.

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.

2020 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), (Beijing + 25). Based on a recommendation made by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in March 2018, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) decided that at its sixty-fourth session, in 2020, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) will: a. undertake a review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly; b. assess current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women; and contribute towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through a gender perspective.

In this regard, States are urged to undertake comprehensive national-level reviews of the progress made and challenges encountered. Regional commissions are encouraged to undertake regional reviews, and the outcomes of regional intergovernmental processes will feed into the Report of the UN Secretary-General assessing progress, gaps and setbacks in national implementation, drawing on the national and regional reviews and other sources, and aiming at identifying strategies for addressing those gaps and challenges in an effective and accelerated manner.

ECOSOC also recommended that the General Assembly convene a high-level meeting of one day, in September 2020, to mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Platform for Action. The outcome of that meeting will be a Chair’s summary.

To mark the occasion and to galvanize action for gender equality and women’s rights, UN Women will also organize a Generation Equality Forum to take place in the summer of 2020 which will be a collective mobilization moment, to galvanize all stakeholders to implement actions that remove the most egregious barriers to gender equality. The Forum 2020 will bring together civil society and the women and young people of the world, gender equality advocates from all walks of life, in a global public conversation on the urgent actions that need to be taken for the realization of gender equality.

The Action Coalition Programme will develop a set of concrete, ambitious, and transformative actions that Coalition members will take between 2020 and 2025 to achieve immediate and irreversible progress towards gender equality. Six themes have been identified for the Action Coalitions following an evidence-based and consultative process, aligned with the outcomes of the Beijing+25 review processes. These themes are: i) Gender Based Violence, ii) Economic Justice and Rights, iii) Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights, iv) Feminist Action for Climate Justice, v) Technology and Innovation, vi) Feminist Movements and Leadership.

Under the supervision of the Action Coalition Programme Manager, the Operations Associate will be responsible for providing administrative, budget and financial support to the Action Coalitions programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

Contribute technically to the operations of the Action Coalitions initiative in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations and policies and strategies:

• Provide technical inputs to the design of the Action Coalitions Action Plan and provide operations support with its implementation and monitoring;
• Provide technical support and guidance to the team on operational issues;
• Provide suggestions to optimize processes and scale new and existing processes
• Ensure a continuous and up-to-date flow of information on operational issues with other sections.

Contribute technically to the planning, expenditure tracking and auditing of financial resources in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations and policies and strategies:

• Create a financial tracking tool and provide weekly update on financial expenditures;
• Prepare and oversee the project creation, budget set up and mapping between ATLAS and RMS activities as needed;
• Monitor the tracking and auditing of financial resources for the project by regularly updating budget, expense and resource mobilization tools , and updating Atlas data;
• Provide substantive inputs to the management of programme financial resources while exercising proper financial controls by drafting key analyses to be presented to the decision-makers/team on funding gaps and expected resources;
• Provide input and administrative assistance on all major funding initiatives and problem-solving challenges to achieve the goals of the AWP, including targeted financial results (delivery rates);
• Review and verify accuracy and relevancy of the supporting documents for payments and financial reports;
• Develop and present financial, budgetary operational status reports to stakeholders;
• Prepare for internal and external audits as needed.

Contribute technically to the provision of Human Resources services in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations and corporate policies and strategies:

• Provide substantive inputs to and oversee recruitment processes and contract management, liaising with Human Resources as necessary;
• Consolidate and ensure follow-up of HR contracts related to the Action Coalitions programme;
• Update the Action Coalitions Programme budget file based on inputs from HR.

Contribute technically to procurement processes in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations and corporate policies and strategies:

• Ensure alignment between the procurement plan and the budget;
• Manage the provision of goods and services following established procurement corporate procedures regarding sub-contact review and award of contracts, evaluating cost effectiveness and managing negotiations in connection with agreements;
• Proceed to the payment of goods and services as per approved contracts and required activities;
• Liaise on and oversee procurement processes including submissions to the Procurement Committee;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of procurement plans;
• Ensure proper inventory control of assets and liabilities.

Contribute to knowledge sharing:

• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination with relevant UN Women units including field offices, the Division of Management & Administration, and Human Resources on operational matters.

Provide any other support as requested by the supervisor.

Key Performance Indicator:

• All services are provided in compliance with UN Women rules, regulations and policies;
• Finances are properly identified, tracked, reviewed, and processed in a timely manner;
• Timely and accurate implementation of procurement & HR contracts;
• Timely and quality operational support as required.

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 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:

• Good knowledge of administrative and financial rules and regulations;
• Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions;
• Ability to extract and interpret data;
• Ability to manage business processes re-engineering, and implementation of new systems;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;
• Strong IT skills;
• Ability to priorities work and to multi-task;
• Ability to handle web-based management systems;
• Good knowledge of UN operations, structure and administrative procedures;
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently;
• Detail oriented.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Secondary Education.
• University Degree in Business, Administration and Finance, would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.
• Candidates who do not have a university degree or an accredited certification in a related area will be required to complete the Global General Service Test (GGST) or UN Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) – formerly known as the UN Clerical Test.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in administration, finance, procurement, human resources or logistic support services at the national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.);
• Experience liaising with diplomatic personnel and UN organizations is an advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

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.

GS fixed-term appointment (FTA) and temporary appointment (TA) positions located in New York are open to candidates who are either US Permanent Residents, US Citizens or holders of a valid G4 visa at the time of their application and whose G4 visa has been acquired on account of their employment in the UN Systems based in New York.

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.