Position opening: Policy Specialist, UN Women (NY), March 20, 2023

UN Women
FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Policy Specialist (Sustainable Development)
New York, NY

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.

The Sustainable Development thematic area of work focuses on the need to balance resource allocation and use with the needs of current and future populations. Gender equality and women’s economic empowerment cuts across all three elements of sustainable development- economic, social and environmental. Focusing on this holistic approach from a gender equality perspective will contribute to advancing women’s economic empowerment and rights, and generating policy recommendations on addressing inequalities and poverty elimination, social reproduction and unpaid work conceptualized as a sustainability issue, livelihoods security, adaptation to or mitigation of climate change and social protection. Gender analysis of and policy recommendations on sectoral issues and poverty elimination including asset ownership, water and energy, education, descent work, rural development and food security, health, land tenure and land rights and environmental sustainability, will also be included in this work stream.

Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor on Sustainable Development, the Policy Specialist contributes to the development and implementation of the organization’s policies in the area of Sustainable Development to achieve gender equality and advancement of women. He/she provides technical, policy and programme support to the Policy Advisor for policy development, policy advocacy, and for the development and implementation of global programme strategies.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical and programme support

*   Support the Policy Advisor in providing technical support to regional and thematic programmes, country strategies and knowledge management;
*   Support the Policy Advisor in developing and implementing a workplan for the section (identify key deliverables, develop implementation time line, etc.);
*   Provide programmatic and operational support for the development and implementation of global programmes and related thematic initiatives.

Research and analysis support

*   Support the Policy Advisor in conducting research and analysis of global, regional and national trends;
*   Source and carry out research on articles, books, case studies etc. to produce useful data and material for advisor on request as assistance in producing papers, speeches, or related products;
*   Contribute to the development of flagship publications related to Sustainable Development;
*   Prepare select written contributions and knowledge products for various purposes, i.e. case studies, short topical papers, briefings to leadership, speeches, and related products for wider dissemination;
*   Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women’s work.

Support to intergovernmental processes and policy development

*   Under general guidance of the supervisor, contribute to the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes;
*   Support the Policy Advisor in coordinating the development of analytical reports to contribute to the Secretary-General’s mandated reporting to intergovernmental forums;
*   Liaise with UN Women colleagues and others, as relevant, to ensure coordination with intergovernmental initiatives;
*   Participate in and/or represent the Section in internal and external committees, inter-governmental, inter-agency task forces, and international technical and advocacy as required.

Knowledge Management

*   Facilitate the effective planning and exchange of materials and knowledge products related to Sustainable Development;
*   Contribute to the development and maintenance of a roster of gender experts who can develop/ provide technical support to UN Women offices, national partners, UNCTs or other UN system entities in the area of Sustainable Development;
*   Contribute to the production of knowledge products that meet UN Women needs and standards of quality;
*   Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts in Human Rights to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women work.

Key Performance Indicators

*   Timely and quality technical advice and support
*   Leadership in area of expertise
*   Quality reports and other strategic documents drafted and submitted in a timely manner
*   Strong relationships with various partners and stakeholders
*   UN Women is well represented in important meetings on topics related to expertise
*   Contributions to resource mobilization
*   Timely and quality knowledge products

QUALIFICATIONS:

*   Master’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, international development, gender/women’s studies, environmental studies or related field
*   A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
*   A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in policy research and analysis and programme development and management in the areas of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and sustainable development
*   Demonstrated experience in contributing to normative and intergovernmental processes related to gender equality and sustainable development, such as CSW and UNGA
*   Experience in developing partnerships with governments, donors, civil society, international organizations, and mobilizing resources
*   Experience in organizing stakeholder consultations, expert group meetings, workshops and side events
*   Experience working within the UN system highly desirable
*   Fluency in English is required
*   Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset

Deadline is March 20, 2023.

For further details, visit the link here.