Job Identification : 14138

Locations : New York, United States Nairobi, Kenya

Posting Date : 10/12/2023, 05:36 PM

Apply Before : 10/26/2023, 09:00 PM

Job Schedule : Full time

Grade : D1

Vacancy Type : Fixed Term

Rotational/Non Rotational : Non-Rotational

Contract Duration : 1 Year with Possibility for extension

Education and Work Experience : Master’s Degree – 15 year(s) experience

Required Languages : English

Desired Languages

French, Spanish

Vacancy Timeline : 2 Weeks

Job Category : Management

Job Description

Please note this is a Re-Advertisement.

This position is currently located in New York, USA, and will be relocating to Nairobi, Kenya, by 2025.

Background

Under the auspices of the Agenda 2030, UNFPA is committed to contribute to the SDGs achievement, in particular SDGs 3 on health and wellbeing and 5 on gender equality.

Women are much more likely than men to be impoverished, deprived of education and opportunities, and victimized by sexual and domestic violence. Goal 5 calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, the end of all forms of gender-based discrimination, and the elimination of harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). It also calls for ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

The new UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025 paves the way for the organization to take the lead on the efforts to achieve three transformative goals: ending preventable maternal deaths; addressing the unmet need for family planning; and ending GBV and Harmful Practices. Underpinning all these major changes, the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls remains critical, as no progress can be sustained within ICPD Agenda if not underpinned by gender equality and empowerment of women and adolescent girls. To implement this vision, the new Strategic Plan proposed a dual approach for the integration of gender in field level programming and action through both targeted efforts and mainstreaming gender in programmes.

UNFPA’s third Gender Equality Strategy elaborates in detail pathways to achieving the three transformational results of the UNFPA strategic plan. The strategy provides direction and includes a strong focus on approaches that advance the rights of women of ALL ages. The Strategy emphasizes that in order for this goal to be realized, women and adolescent girls must have greater Agency, Choice, and Access (ACA) to and for the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The strategy applies a life-course approach and recognizes that while programming primarily targets women of reproductive age, adolescents and youth, programmes should also be adaptable to meet the SRHR needs of ALL persons, with no exceptions, across the life course. UNFPA therefore applies a Human Rights and Gender transformative approach across the life course to its policy and programme support.

Within the UN Reform, UNFPA is partnering with other sister agencies in joint programmes and thematic funds through which each agency brings its comparative advantage and together assist countries in the delivery of the joint commitments. This includes the Joint Programme on Elimination of FGM, the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, and the European Union and the United Nations Spotlight Initiative aimed at addressing all forms of violence against women and girls, and harmful practices. These programmes follow a transformative and evidence-informed approach, addressing unequal power relations between men and women and focusing on human rights, gender equality and women’s agency and empowerment.

The Chief of the Gender, Human Rights Branch is currently located in the Technical Division of UNFPA Headquarters. The Technical Division and its respective Branches fall under the overall leadership of UNFPA’s Deputy Executive Director for Programmes. The incumbent will report directly to the Director of the Technical Division, who provides overall strategic direction and technical leadership to the work of UNFPA. The Chief is also part of the Technical Division Management Team (TDMT) which ensures coherence and integration across UNFPA’s thematic areas of work. Technical Division pursues an agenda of Technical Excellence in support of Programme excellence in population, SRHR and gender equality. The organizational context is currently under review and subject to changes.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

The Chief of the Gender and Human Rights Branch will provide strategic guidance and technical leadership in the substantive areas of gender, social norms and human rights, contributing to position UNFPA’s policies and programming at global level, collaborating and providing guidance for regional and national policy and programming, leading to a coordinated vision and sound technical work of the organization at all levels. In addition to the technical and conceptual leadership, the Gender and Human Rights Chief is responsible for the oversight of global joint programmes and partnerships as well as for the oversight and management of the financial and human resources of the Gender and Human Rights Branch.

You would be responsible for:

Major Activities/Expected Results

Strategic Direction, Policy and Technical Leadership

•  Support the Division Director in the strategic positioning of UNFPA in the assigned substantive thematic areas of gender equality and human rights;
•  Provide vision, strategic direction, and leadership in the Branch’s area of responsibility, and ensure incorporation of the substantive area into organizational priorities, including through adequate implementation of gender programming and gender-responsive management (UN Gender SWAP, gender-responsive budgeting, benefit analysis and interlinkage of gender aspects with poverty and human rights, among others).
•  Conceptualize, plan, coordinate and lead the development and implementation of evidence-informed policy, strategy, frameworks, technical guidance and tools in the substantive area of responsibility, providing quality outputs which are timely, coherent and relevant to the needs of countries;
•  Provide and manage technical assistance for development and implementation of the Fund’s GBV and Harmful Practice (HP) programmes, including for monitoring and tracking results of regional and country programmes;
•  Collaborate with and contribute to the mainstreaming of Gender and Human Rights- Based Approaches to the other areas of work of UNFPA, including the global programmes on Maternal and newborn Health, Family Planning, population and demographic work, adolescents and youth, and others;
•  Lead the provision of policy recommendations and guidance to strategic planning and positioning on advancing towards zero GBV and HP in the Fund’s programmes, in close collaboration with Humanitarian Response Division;
•  Identify and commission state-of-the-art research, evidence and knowledge in support of country responses and in global positioning in the areas of gender and human rights, and ensure that such knowledge is developed and feeds into the UNFPA’s programmes and approaches;
•  Provide authoritative technical advice, guidance and support to UNFPA senior management, HQ Divisions and, in particular, to UNFPA regional and country offices;
•  Support the use of the substantive work of the Branch in UNFPA programming, UN programming, and national development processes including related to SDG reviews, the General assembly, the High level Political Forum, ECOSOC, the Commission on the status of Women (CSW), the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), ICPD reviews, Beijing Reviews, Generation Equality Forum Action Coalitions among others; and
•  Coordinates the establishment and implementation of a forward looking research agenda in the field of gender and SRHR based on future casting and scenario planning among other prospective data analysis and projections.

Stakeholder Management and donor resource mobilisation

•  Identify new and maintain strategic partnerships and collaborative work within the UN system, external to the UN and especially with civil society, academia, private sector, parliamentarians and others in the area of gender and human rights.
•  Represent UNFPA, and advocate for the ICPD Programme of Action in the Branch’s substantive area, in policy dialogues and technical meetings with donors, programme countries, international agencies and institutions, academia and development fora;
•  Ensure the accuracy, consistency, coherence, and availability of technical content in the substantive area for global advocacy efforts and link regional efforts with global efforts especially as relates to the global gender related programmes, thematic funds and advocacy campaigns such as the body right campaign, 16 days of activism;
•  Develop and ensure the implementation of UNFPA’s commitment to support and partner with women’s and youth led organisations and feminist movements and efforts around localization; and
•  Support, in coordination with other units in the organization, resource mobilization efforts for technical issues.

Capacity Development

•  Establish and maintain partnerships, and contribute to strengthen the capacity of global partner institutions including implementing partners for advancing state-of-the-art knowledge and technical advisory resources;
•  Strengthen the substantive capacity of UNFPA technical and programme staff to ensure effective thought leadership and programming excellence;
•  Foster partnerships and collaboration at the global level, including UN System, foundations, private sector and NGOs, to ensure a functioning network that facilitate access to financial and technical resources, and broad-based knowledge management and knowledge sharing in the area of gender and human rights;
•  Identify lessons learned, and ensure, with knowledge management staff, their incorporation into the UNFPA knowledge sharing system;
•  Establish and maintain a UNFPA Reference Thematic Group/Community of Practice on gender equality and harmful practices; and
•  Ensure the validation of a broad-based roster of international experts and institutions in the field of gender and human rights.

Quality Assurance

•  Ensure the availability of new or updated global strategies, policies, indicators, tools and guidance for substantive quality assurance in the area of gender equality, GBV, human rights;
•  Direct and manage a substantive quality assurance framework for the Branch’s work;
•  Ensure the quality assessment of the UNFPA technical delivery system in the Branch’s substantive area; and
•  Provide management response and follow through on the recommendations and actions of related gender evaluations.

Resources Management

•  Accountable for overall management and oversight of financial resources in order to achieve the expected results of the Branch and its joint programmes/thematic funds;
•  Propose and recommend annual financial requirements for the work of the Branch and monitor the use of core and external resources to ensure sound financial management in compliance with UNFPA rules, regulations, and procedures;
•  Direct, manage and supervise the staff of the Branch, including work closely with direct reports to ensure countries are properly supported and that country programming is aligned with the gender strategy, that policy guidance is provided, external partnerships are managed, innovation is supported, and knowledge and tools are developed, disseminated and used;
•  Manage GHRB human resources including ensuring training and learning opportunities are provided for required capabilities, managing the performance of Branch staff. Provide input to Division of Human Resources (DHR) on selection of gender/SGBV candidates and provide technical input to the regions on the selection of Regional technical candidates in the substantive area;
•  Establish and maintain a harmonious working environment; promote communication; encourage innovations; strengthen team-building through active participation and interaction at all levels; and, foster staff engagement, development and empowerment; Promote an ethics-based approach in the Branch to management of human and financial resources;
•  Develop, ensure approval, implement and monitor the Branch Office Management Plan/My Results;
•  Ensure that Audit recommendations applying to the Branch are implemented and followed up on; and
•  Carries out any other duties as may be required by the Division Director and the Deputy Executive Director for Programmes

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Advanced university degree in social sciences, preferably in gender, sociology, demography, anthropology, public health, human rights, or population, including economics and data analysis/qualitative research.

Knowledge and Experience:

•  At least 15 years of international experience in population and development, focusing on human rights, gender and social norms/ social protection with international organizations and at least 8 years at country or regional/field level.
•  UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender quality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of a second UN official language such as French or Spanish is desirable.

Required Competencies:

Values:

•  Exemplifying integrity,
•  Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
•  Embracing cultural diversity,
•  Embracing change

Core Competencies:

•  Achieving results,
•  Being accountable,
•  Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
•  Thinking analytically and strategically,
•  Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
•  Communicating for impact

Functional Competencies:

•  Global leadership and advocacy for ICPD goals
•  Advocacy/advancing a policy oriented agenda
•  Generating, managing and promoting the use of knowledge and information
•  Leading global advocacy for organizational priorities
•  Creating visibility for the organization

Managerial Competencies (if applicable):

•  Providing strategic focus
•  Engaging staff and partners
•  Leading, developing and empowering people/creating a culture ofperformance
•  Making decisions and exercise judgment

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

Disclaimer:

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm

In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment