Background:

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 (PPID) provides global support to UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver results in support of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Division provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and programme advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management, and cutting-edge technical expertise to support UN Women programmes and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

The Intergovernmental Support Section in PPID is responsible for leading UN Women’s strategic engagement with, and support for intergovernmental bodies and processes towards ensuring that a comprehensive and dynamic set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality, the human rights and the empowerment of all women and girls is strengthened and implemented. It manages and coordinates the Entity’s substantive engagement with intergovernmental bodies on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and drives the process of integration of normative frameworks into UN Women’s operational and UN system coordination functions.

The policy  advisor on macro-economic policy and sustainable development  supports the organization efforts to include gender equality and the empowerment of women at the core of two main processes: the advancement of the global development agenda and engagement with normative intergovernmental processes with a particular focus on sustainable development, macroeconomic policy questions, financing for development, eradication of poverty, food security and nutrition and other related development issues and processes.

Under the supervision of the Chief of Section, the Policy Advisor is responsible for developing and implementing the organization’s policies in the 2030 Agenda development framework and SDGs processes to achieve gender equality and advancement of women. He/she provides technical and policy advice at country and regional levels, through strategy development, thematic reviews, tools for capacity building and channels for knowledge sharing and prepares documentation for UN normative intergovernmental processes; prepares studies, reports and content for policy advocacy.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

1.   Substantive input to policy development in the thematic area 

• Lead corporate policy development in the thematic area
• Lead development of policy strategies in the thematic area
• Develop tools, guidelines and manuals on the thematic area, for use by UN Women country offices, the UN system, and other partners
• Provide technical and policy leadership when UN Women participates in, convenes, or leads interagency group on policy related areas
• Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning;
• Oversee, develop proposals and manage projects/studies with respect to global/ thematic gender equality policies and programmes or other relevant interventions
• Contribute to the preparation of UN Women’s flagship reports
• Conduct and lead the analysis of data and provide evidence to build the case for policies and interventions on gender equality and distill relevant lessons 
• Research, develop and present policy papers, practice notes/concepts and other knowledge based-tools for discussion in global and regional for a to help influence/advance policy dialogue. 

2.    Advisory services and programme support

• Provide Policy Advisory services in the thematic areas to Regional Offices, Multi-country Offices and Country Offices
• Provide policy guidance on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional policies and procedures.
• Work closely with UN Women’s regional and national programme offices to support the development and implementation of programmes related to the 2030 Agenda, including VNRs.
•  Provide technical inputs into programme documents, country strategies, and knowledge products;
•  Organize technical consultations, South-South and South-North exchanges and other opportunities to share experiences and promising practices on effective means of enhancing gender equality and women’s  influence; 
• Develop catalytic global programmes with normative and universal content with can add value to UN Women’s leadership in innovation, knowledge, and technical areas;
• Plan, organize and substantively service ad hoc expert group meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops and similar gatherings, including identification and determination of major issues for discussion and selection of participants, development of background documentation, preparation of reports and policy recommendations, and dissemination of results of such meetings
• Manage, supervise and carry out the work programme of the Unit under his/her responsibility to ensure substantive and technical quality according to standards and goals for each thematic area.

3.     Substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development

• Provide substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, HLPF, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes.   
• Prepare substantive input into and help coordinate the development of analytical reports to contribute to the Secretary-General’s mandated reporting to intergovernmental forums
• Support the implementation of resolutions, decision and other directives in relevant areas of focus, including through support to expert bodies created by intergovernmental forums;
• Provide inputs in international fora to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies.

4.    Representation and advocacy

• Represents the UN Women at policy making inter-agency, inter-governmental and international technical and advocacy fora;
•  Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Contributes substantively to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, advocacy and outreach.
• Establishes and nurtures 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 work.

5.     Knowledge generation and capacity building

• Contribute substantively to the knowledge management and development of capacity building of UN Women Programme staff in the thematic area
• Contribute substantively to the development/expansion of knowledge management strategies and methodologies in the sustainable development framework and SDGs intergovernmental processes.
• Establish and lead global communities of practice that promote collaboration, peer support, consultation and surface innovation, good practices, lessons and needs and opportunities;
• Engage in existing thematic and gender equality networks to better connect UN Women and partner work and promote learning and innovation;
• Develop and maintain rosters of gender experts, who can develop technical support to UN Women offices, national partners, UNCT’s or other UN system entities
• Contribute to the internal flow of information throughout the organization on policy and technical issues
• Produce knowledge products to meet UN Women needs and standards of quality.
• Maintain and ensure quality of content for “focus area” for UN Women guidelines, tools and other materials.
• Advise possible evaluations to the Evaluation Section and extract learnings from evaluations and reviews across the regions.

6.   The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent leads a team of 1 person, which includes a P2 that directly reports to her/him. 

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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: 

Functional Competencies:

• Substantive knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in intergovernmental processes.
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience.
•  Strong communications skills, with proven expertise in writing cogent and convincing policy and programme documents for development practitioners
• Proven analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to leverage information technology, executive information systems, management techniques and tools for optimal office performance.
• Good planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills.
• Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and NGO partners.
• Proven track record of excellent management and technical leadership skills and ability to delegate appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender issues, economics, public policy, law or other social science fields directly related to the thematic area of the post. 
• 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 programme or project certification in this area of work would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in development, demonstrating intellectual, strategic, and managerial leadership in areas including policy analysis, gender equality, social development, human rights, sociology, and institutional governance, with at least seven years of experience directly related to the thematic area of the post.
• Proven knowledge of and experience with United Nations intergovernmental processes, including support to governing bodies, legislative mandates, and intergovernmental negotiations.
• Prior professional experience within the United Nations system or other international or intergovernmental organizations is highly desirable.

Languages:

• Written and oral proficiency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN working language is desirable.

Statements :

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.