UN WOMEN: EXTERNAL RELATIONS SPECIALIST (INTERGOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT)

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women will work 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. By keeping abreast of the latest developments in the intergovernmental arena, especially in relation to the operational work of the United Nations system, and through liaison with and support to Member State representatives, the External Relations Specialist identifies, reports on, and supports activities needed to ensure effective collaboration and coordination of the operational work of UN Women. The Specialist liaises with other parts of UN Women, and contributes as relevant, in the preparation of high quality inputs for submission to the UN Women Executive Board and other intergovernmental bodies, including but not limited to the GA, ECOSOC, and the Security Council. These range from UN Women inputs to Secretary-General’s reports on various topics, to reports to the UN Women Executive Board. The External Relations Specialist reports to the Director of Intergovernmental Support, through the Secretary of the Executive Board of UN Women, while working closely with the Executive Secretary of the Commission on the Status of Women to ensure close linkages between the operational and normative aspects of the work of UN Women.

Duties and Responsibilities

External Relations and Intergovernmental Coordination: Liaises with Member States of the United Nations, as well as with civil society and other stakeholders as relevant, and prepares information notes and analytical summaries for the guidance of the work of the Division and senior management to ensure that UN Women’s work with respect to the delivery of operational outputs required by the Executive Board and other intergovernmental processes is timely and relevant; Liaises with other Divisions of UN Women to ensure that inputs from other parts of UN Women which are to be included in outputs prepared by the Intergovernmental Support Division are responsive to mandates and are provided in a timely manner; Identifies opportunities for and impediments to resource mobilization that are identified in intergovernmental processes and liaises with the Resource Mobilisation Division in order to effectively address Member States need for information in order to advance the resource mobilisation strategies and priorities of UN Women. Substantive support to the UN Women Executive Board: Assists with coordinating the preparation and follow-up of formal and informal meetings of the UN Women Executive Board and Bureau. This includes supporting the Secretary of the Executive Board in liaising with Member States’ representatives, as needed, to address issues that require follow-up; to ensure close and effective sharing of information between Member States representatives and UN Women, especially in relation to feedback/questions with regard to the work plan, calendar and other schedules of the Executive Board; Maintains contact with delegations, identifies and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Board and the Director of the Intergovernmental Support Division on follow-up actions; Contributes to the preparation of documentation and advisory notes for senior management on the work of the Executive Board and other intergovernmental bodies; Contributes to the coordination of UN Women’s input and participation in the joint meetings of the Executive Boards and Bureaux; CSW; and ECOSOC; Supports the Secretary of the Executive Board by acting as alternate in meetings of the Secretariat of the UN Women Board, with the Secretariats of the Boards of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS and UNICEF, as well as meetings with other entities on relevant issues. Impact of Results: The efficient and prompt delivery of services impact on a whole range services and operations in the unit and result in meeting client (internal / external) needs and satisfaction.

Competencies

Core Values/Guiding Principles: Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct; Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity. Core Competencies: Ethics and Values: Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity; Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment; Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring: Self-development, initiative-taking; Working in Teams: Acting as a team player and facilitating team work; Communicating Information and Ideas : Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively; Self-management and Emotional intelligence : Creating synergies through self-control; Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements; Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning : Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Functional Competencies: Strong background in and understanding of women’s rights and gender equality issues worldwide; Demonstrated ability to interact effective with officials of Member States and counterparts in civil society; Proven networking skills and ability to mobilise support on behalf of UN Women; Knowledge and understanding of the UN System; Identifies opportunities and builds strong relationships with clients and external actors.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Advanced university degree in social sciences, public administration, business administration, international relations, communications, women’s studies or a related field. Experience: A minimum of 5 years relevant experience at the national or international level, including experience within the UN System. Language Requirements: Excellent written and spoken English; knowledge of another official UN language an asset. 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. All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment 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.

Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders).

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity 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.