Job Identification : 14298

Locations : Syria

Posting Date : 10/23/2023, 11:19 AM

Apply Before : 11/07/2023, 04:59 AM

Job Schedule : Full time

Agency : UNDP

Grade : NPSA-5

Vacancy Type : National Personnel Service Agreement

Practice Area : Crisis management / Country Management Support

Bureau : Regional Bureau for Arab States

Contract Duration : 1 Year

Education & Work Experience : Bachelor’s Degree – 2 year(s) experience OR High School certificate- 5 year(s) experience

Required Languages : English, Arabic

Vacancy Timeline

2 Weeks

Job Description

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity and inclusion in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

In the intricate socio-economic landscape of Syria, where ongoing challenges persist and displacement is widespread, a critical focus is needed on addressing the diverse needs and gender inequalities within the affected communities. Within this prolonged crisis, priority is given to vulnerable groups, including women, young girls, young boys, the elderly, and persons with disabilities who meet specific criteria. Recognizing that these groups already encounter additional obstacles, our emphasis lies on minimizing their marginalization and vulnerability. It is imperative to acknowledge that marginalized populations bear a disproportionate burden, exacerbating existing gender disparities. Our approach to overcoming these challenges necessitates a combination of mainstreamed and targeted interventions comprehensively designed to address root causes and foster gender equality.

The primary goal is to promote gender equality within institutions, including UNDP and other stakeholders, by empowering women and actively involving men in the process of building inclusive communities. The Gender Team Assistant plays a vital role in navigating this complex terrain, ensuring that UNDP’s initiatives not only respond to the specific needs of Syrian women but also contribute to the establishment of resilient and inclusive communities. Central to this endeavor is the recognition of men’s essential role in fostering positive change and their active engagement in the pursuit of gender equality.

Moreover, the Gender Team Assistant is expected to prioritize issues related to promoting access, control over resources, and participation by different gender and age groups. These concerns are paramount, underlining the importance of equitable distribution and empowerment across all segments of the population. By concentrating on needs and inclusivity, we aim to transcend the challenges posed by the conflict, fostering a more balanced and resilient Syrian society.

The Gender Team Assistant will operate within this complex environment to ensure that UNDP’s initiatives are not only responsive to the specific needs of Syrian women but also contribute to building resilient and inclusive communities that actively involve men in the pursuit of gender equality. S/he is expected to support the implementation of Gender equality and women empowerment twin-track strategy (mainstreaming and specific objective) in developing and implementing the relevant work plan at the field level.

The Gender Team Assistant will operate under the overall guidance and technical supervision of the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Analyst. Additionally, the direct supervision by field area managers ensures alignment with the operational aspects of the field office. This dual supervision structure is designed to seamlessly integrate administrative and financial services (30%) with the implementation of the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Twin-Track Strategy. Such an approach ensures that gender considerations are embedded in both the operational and technical dimensions of UNDP’s programs, fostering a comprehensive response to the challenges faced in the Syrian context.

Duties and Responsibilities

These activities and responsibilities collectively contribute to the successful implementation of the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Twin-Track Strategy within the field work plans. The Gender Team Assistant plays a crucial role in ensuring that gender considerations are systematically integrated into UNDP’s initiatives, fostering positive change and contributing to the establishment of resilient and inclusive communities.

Gender Mainstreaming Activities:

•  Support in conducting regular gender assessments and analyses to identify gaps and opportunities for mainstreaming gender considerations across all UNDP activities in the respective area office.
•  Assist in developing and implementing customized training modules for project teams, ensuring a gender-sensitive approach in program design and implementation.
•  Contribute to advocacy efforts and facilitation of gender considerations integration into policies, programs, and initiatives, emphasizing a twin-track approach that addresses both mainstreaming and specific objectives.
•  Support fostering good partnerships with UN agencies, and local stakeholders, ensuring that initiatives are culturally appropriate and responsive to the unique needs and context of each community.
•  Support as needed in defining the ERL sector in the specified section and actively promoting gender-sensitive/responsive approaches among ERL sector members and their programs by highlighting the platform’s advocacy role.

Project Integration and Implementation:

•  Collaborate closely with area associate and technical officers to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment into mainstreamed and targeted projects.
•  Support in tailoring interventions to address the specific needs of marginalized groups, including women, young girls, young boys, elderlies, and persons with disabilities, ensuring their active participation in project activities.
•  Support in implementing strategies to engage men in gender equality initiatives, fostering their understanding of and contribution to women’s empowerment.
•  Support in mapping gender-relevant services at the local level and strengthening collaboration with other stakeholders to enhance effective confidential referral mechanisms and proper documentation.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

•  Assist in developing local gender equality and women empowerment work ( project design, analysis, tailoring activities, capacity enhancement, M&E, etc.) that is in line with the UNDP national plan and strategy to be the baseline for monitoring and evaluation.
•  Assist in the development and implementation of a robust gender monitoring system aimed at tracking the seamless integration of gender considerations across various projects and activities.
•  Contribute to the regular impact assessments to measure the effectiveness of gender interventions, ensuring continuous improvement and learning.
•  Draft periodic reports to gender analysts, area managers, and management, highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations related to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Community Engagement and Networking:

•  Facilitate community engagement initiatives to ensure the active participation of women and marginalized groups in project activities.
•  Assist in collaboration with local partners, NGOs, and community leaders to advocate for gender-sensitive policies and foster networks that support women’s empowerment.
•  Support in conducting outreach programs to enhance awareness of gender equality issues within the community.
•  Promote community engagement, fostering a collaborative, integrated approach incorporating marginalized groups’ voices and experiences, ensuring the interventions resonate effectively within the local context.

Documentation and Reporting:

•  Ensure proper documentation of all gender-related activities, including success stories, lessons learned, and challenges faced.
•  Assist in developing responsive documentation protocols to capture the impact of conflict, socioeconomic conditions, and other unforeseen events on gender dynamics and inform adaptive programming.
•  Support Area Manager and Gender Analyst in collaborating with the communication team to disseminate information on gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives through various channels.

Capacity Building and Training:

•  Support in capacity-building activities implementation to local partners and project teams to ensure the effective implementation of gender-responsive activities.
•  Support in developing and delivering training sessions on gender-sensitive approaches, addressing the unique challenges faced in the Syrian context.
•  Support the development of gender-focused project proposals and engage in resource mobilization efforts to secure funding for gender initiatives.

Administrative and Financial Services

•  Support in budget Oversight: Monitor and manage the budget allocated for gender programs, ensuring efficient utilization and adherence to financial protocols.
•  Support in Financial Reporting: Generate accurate and timely financial reports, facilitating transparency and accountability in financial transactions.
•  Support in Logistical arrangement: Provide logistical support for gender-related events, workshops, and initiatives, ensuring smooth operations.

Competencies

Core Competencies

•  Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
•  Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
•  Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
•  Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
•  Act With Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
•  Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
•  Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

•  Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making.
•  Digital Awareness and Literacy: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.
•  Customer Satisfaction / Client Management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
•  Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.
•  Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
•  Budget Management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.
•  Event Management: Support projects with event management including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•  Secondary education is required, or University Degree in in gender studies, social sciences, Public Administration, international development, engineering or equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

•  Minimum of 5 years (with high school diploma) or 2 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment, or related fields, preferably in a humanitarian or conflict setting in Syria.
•  Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages is required.
•  Previous experience in conducting gender assessments and developing action plans in conflict settings is desirable.
•  Previous experience in project integration and community engagement in contexts of displacement is desirable.
•  Knowledge of the Syrian social, economic and political context is essential.
•  knowledge of programmeand administrative rules and regulations is an asset.
•  Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews
•  Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools
•  Knowledge of project management processes
•  Knowledge of procurement procedures of national / international organizations

Language Requirements:

•  Proficiency in Arabic and English is required.

Female Candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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