UN Women: Policy Specialist, Gender-Responsive Green/Blue Economies

Overview

Provide policy guidance and technical support on gender-responsive economies.

You have:

• Master's degree or equivalent in international development studies, gender/women's studies, environmental studies or a related field is required.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in policy research and analysis and programme development and management in the area of gender equality, women's economic empowerment, and gender-responsive green/blue economies.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in contributing to normative and intergovernmental processes, such as CSW and UNGA.

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 131,084 USD and 171,644 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

The duration of the assignment is until 31 December 2022. Whereas an external candidate will be offered a temporary appointment, subject to release agreements, staff members in UN Women may be administered as a temporary assignment and staff members in the UN Common system may be administered under a loan arrangement.

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.

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division develops and implements UN Women’s programme of work across its normative, coordination, and operational triple mandate and provides policy advice and guidance and technical support to intergovernmental processes, UN system, and UN Women regional and country offices, among other partners and stakeholders. The Division is organized in thematic sections, which undertake policy research; analyze data on country, regional and global trends; and propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards as well as for UN Women’s policy advocacy and global programme strategies, including flagship programme initiatives. The Division also undertakes substantive preparations for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and drafts reports on behalf of the Secretary-General on multiple topics. With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN Women is supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards achieving gender equality and women's economic empowerment by 2030 to benefit all women and girls. UN Women works in partnership with governments, multilateral organizations, the UN System, civil society organizations and the private sector.

Economic empowerment (EE) is one of the priority areas of UN Women. UN Women works with governments and partners to promote women’s income security, decent work, and economic autonomy. Under UN Women’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the Economic Empowerment section will undertake signature interventions on Women’s Climate Action and Green/Blue Economies and Decent Work and Entrepreneurship. The Policy Specialist will focus on gender-responsive green/blue economic strategies that integrate decent work and entrepreneurship opportunities for women.

Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor, Sustainable Development, and in close coordination with the “Stimulating equal opportunities for women’s entrepreneurship” programme team, the Policy Specialist will contribute to UN Women’s triple mandate in the area of gender-responsive green/blue economies, providing policy advice and technical support to UN Women HQ and field offices, as well to partners, and contributing to interagency and intergovernmental processes. The Policy Specialist will additionally support the development of the signature interventions on climate resilience and the blue and green economies, and decent jobs and employment.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide policy guidance and technical support on gender-responsive green/blue economies with decent work and entrepreneurship opportunities

• Provide technical support to strengthen the women’s climate action and green/blue economies and decent work and entrepreneurship signature interventions at UN Women HQ and field offices
• Develop policy briefs and guidance on key issues related to the signature interventions
• Identify policy gaps, emerging issues and cutting-edge knowledge on gender-responsive green/blue economies
• Provide technical contributions to global annual reports, project assessment committees (PACs) and annual peer review of regional and/or country office strategic notes and annual work plans
• Ensure timely contributions to corporate documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials for development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions and donor proposals

2. Conduct research and analysis related to gender-responsive green/blue economies and ongoing initiatives on climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable energy, entrepreneurship and gender-responsive procurement

• Provide technical and analytical support to the elaboration of policy briefs, guidance notes, research papers
• Maintain relationships with academia, research institutes, civil society organizations and experts to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, and incorporate cutting-edge thinking into UN Women’s work
• Conduct bibliographical searches and literature reviews, and identify and analyze relevant developments at the country level
• Provide analytical contributions to the preparation of concept notes, research and funding proposals

3. Provide substantive support to intergovernmental and interagency processes

• Provide substantive support for UN Women’s engagement in normative processes, including CSW, Beijing +25, and UNGA by drafting background papers and briefings and preparing analytical summaries of debates, negotiations and outcomes
• Provide technical contributions and participate in international meetings and conferences, bringing UN Women expertise into global debates and discussions

4. Facilitate partnerships and collaboration on gender-responsive green/blue economies with an emphasis on climate change, biodiversity loss, and women’s rights and access to land, water, energy and other natural resources as well as decent work and entrepreneurship

• Identify, propose, and coordinate opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with UN agencies, research institutions, civil society organizations and/or think tanks working in these areas, to bring learning and innovative practices into UN Women’s work
• Participate in and/or represent UN Women as needed in internal and external meetings
• Provide technical support for UN Women’s engagement with UNEP, UNESCO WWAP, UNIDO, IUCN, ENERGIA, NAMA, among others.

5. Facilitate and oversee knowledge management on gender-responsive green/blue economies

• Facilitate and oversee development and dissemination of policy papers, practice notes/concepts, other knowledge products and capacity building tools to help influence/advance policy dialogue, the evidence base for action and build knowledge among stakeholders.
• Create opportunities for experts and practitioners to share expertise, lessons learned and good practices by organizing online and offline dialogues (e.g. technical meetings/ consultations/conferences/webinars, etc.)

Key Performance Indicators

• Quality and timely research, analysis and writing on gender equality and sustainable development as per annual workplan
• Quality technical support to UN Women country, multi-country and regional offices on sustainable development
• Quality and timely contributions to briefings, knowledge products, publications and other documents which contribute to positioning UN Women as a knowledge leader and repository on gender equality and sustainable development
• Quality representation, coordination and contributions to intergovernmental/interagency fora

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Substantive knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights issues in the area of economic empowerment and gender-responsive green/blue economies;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of gender equality and gender-responsive green/blue economies experience;
• Strong oral communication and writing skills, with proven expertise in writing cogent and convincing policy and programme documents
• Demonstrated track record in policy research and preparing policy reports and papers, employing qualitative and quantitative evidence and data;
• Significant familiarity with intergovernmental and normative processes, i.e., CSW, UNGA, 2030 Agenda, etc.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with representatives of government, UN entities, donors, academia and civil society;
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks under time constraints by establishing priorities;
• Proven ability to produce high quality written work within short timeframes.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in international development studies, gender/women’s studies, environmental studies or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in policy research and analysis and programme development and management in the area of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and gender-responsive green/blue economies
• Demonstrated experience in contributing to normative and intergovernmental processes, such as CSW and UNGA
• Experience in organizing workshops, meetings, and side events is an asset.
• Experience working within the UN system highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of another UN official working 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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. 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.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)

Potential interview questions