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 Peace, Security and Resilience Section leads UN Women’s work to fulfill its mandate in the area of peace, security and disaster risk reduction, as well as UN system efforts towards improved implementation, and monitoring and reporting of global commitments on women and peace and security, including as set out in the Beijing Platform for Action and in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), 2242 (2015), 2467 (2019) and 2493 (2019), relevant Statements by the President of the Security Council, and related accountability frameworks established by the UN system.  

UN Women is a founding member of the UN Action network Against Sexual Violence in Conflict that works across the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus and leverages the expertise of its 27 member entities to coordinate the UN’s efforts to prevent conflict, recover from crises, and build peace in contexts where sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. The Protection Specialist will work to support UN Women and UN Action’s efforts to translate the CRSV agenda from policy to practice and work to build capacities and increase participation and inclusion of women in all aspects of peace processes at the local, national, and regional levels. 

Under the supervision of the Policy Specialist, Rule of Law and Transitional Justice (UN Women) and in close coordination with the Coordinator of UN Action, the incumbent will serve as a liaison between UN Women’s Protection portfolio and UN Action’s knowledge building pillar. The incumbent will dedicate 60% of their time to UN Action’s Secretariat work and 40% of their time to UN Women’s Peace, Security, and Resilience team. 

The Protection Specialist will lead the implementation of the knowledge building pillar under a UN Action programme focused on enhancing the knowledge and capacity of conflict-related sexual violence practitioners globally and in countries where conflict-related sexual violence is a concern as listed in the annual Secretary-General’s annual Report that are also priority countries for UN Women.

Scope of Work:

1.   Oversee knowledge development and dissemination on conflict-related sexual violence 

• Design and execute knowledge building activities under UN Action’s workplan on knowledge building 
• Update UN Action’s workplan and strategy on knowledge building
• Support coordination of UN Action Network under the Coordinator of UN Action 
• Facilitate collaborations between UN Action and UN Women to advance coordinated CRSV responses at the HQ and country levels
• Serve as primary knowledge management interlocutor for UN Action and UN Women on CRSV, including in engagements with civil society partners, the diplomatic community and Member States, and other UN entities

2.   Support Coordination and Activities on Protection and CRSV 

• Support coordination efforts between UN Action and UN Women’s Peace, Security and Resilience section
• As requested by UN Women regional and country offices, and under the supervision of the Policy Specialist, provide effective and timely advice, capacity building, and resources on Protection and CRSV
• As requested by Senior Women’s Protection Advisors, and other CRSV Focal Point, and under the supervision of the Deputy Coordinator of UN Action, provide effective and timely advice, capacity building, and resources on CRSV

3.   Lead Research and Analysis on CRSV-related issues 

• Lead UN Women’s membership of UN Action’s core working groups on a survivor-centered approach, preventing CRSV, and other thematic issues as prioritized by UN Women
• Map, develop, and update UN Action knowledge products 
• Support thematic research and analysis, and knowledge building, at UN Women to deepen knowledge and understanding on CRSV and Protection issues 

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

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:

• Strong knowledge of gender related issues including in the area of protection, human rights; 
• Ability to undertake policy research and prepare quantitative studies, utilizing statistical methodologies, knowledge of database applications for statistical analysis; 
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities; 
• Ability to handle a large volume of work under time constraints; 
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client's perspective; 
• Ability to draft policy papers, speeches, briefings, etc.; 
• Ability to develop and maintain roster of experts, and a databank of research institutes, academics, civil society experts, etc. of direct relevance to protection and GBV prevention. 

 Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in gender, protection and rule of law, policy research and gender analysis. 
• Experience working in women, peace and security  particularly as it relates to protection and rule of law, is required; 
• Experience in United Nations and intergovernmental organizations mechanisms on conflict-related sexual violence, protection and rule of law is required 
• Experience conceptualizing and executing research projects in the area of women, peace and security, particularly protection-related issues, is required. 

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

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.