UN Women: Policy Specialist, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Seoul, Republic of Korea, P3, Fixed-Term Appointment

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 UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Centre in Seoul operates as a specialized regional applied knowledge hub under the strategic oversight of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). In Phase 2 (2027-2032), the Centre bridges UN Women’s expertise with the Republic of Korea’s policy innovations, digital governance, and networks. It delivers adaptable knowledge products and tools, validated through Regional Technical Policy Labs and deployed via ROAP and Country Offices, focused on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW).

The WEE pillar addresses structural barriers to women's economic participation shaped by demographic shifts and digitalization across two flagships: (1) AI- and Digital-enabled Innovation for Transforming Care Systems, and (2) Gender-Responsive Future of Work and AI-enabled Labour Systems. Drawing on Korea's strategic positioning in data ecosystems, advanced care models, smart cities, and progressive employer practices, the workstream creates regional resources. The Centre collaborates closely with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) as its primary partner, while mobilizing public, private, academic, and civil society networks under frameworks like the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). 

The Policy Specialist, WEE, reports to the Centre Director for daily operations and performance management, and maintains a functional technical line to the ROAP WEE lead to ensure corporate alignment and coherence. Under the overall guidance of the Centre Director and in coordination with the ROAP WEE lead, the Policy Specialist provides technical expertise and coordinates the implementation of the Centre's WEE initiatives and related knowledge products.
 

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

1.   Design and implement the Centre WEE initiatives and develop specialized knowledge products

• Formulate, research, and author comparative regional papers, briefs, and toolkits addressing digital care systems and gender bias in AI-driven labor frameworks;
• Identify, evaluate, and package promising practices and employer standards, using Korea’s policy and technological experiences as a core reference point;
• Manage and clear technical review cycles with HQ and ROAP teams to anchor the Centre's digital and AI expertise within corporate normative frameworks.

2.   Manage the Centre’s regional validation initiatives, expert exchange, and technical peer learning

• Coordinate the substantive design and execution of the Centre’s Regional Technical Policy Labs, expert consultations, and Communities of Practice to validate framework models;
• Consolidate and synthesize technical feedback from line ministries, algorithmic regulators, civil society, and tech innovators into regional guidance assets;
• Coordinate with ROAP and HQ thematic leads to ensure technical integrity and regional coherence.

3.   Support the development and maintenance of strategic tech-ecosystem partnerships and contribute to workstream resource mobilization

• Establish and sustain strategic partnerships with MOGEF, key line ministries, and specialized national public agencies in the Republic of Korea;
• Identify and facilitate partnerships with premier Korean digital platforms, technology firms, research universities, and AI governance bodies;
• Support strategic outreach to Korea-based private sector entities and networks to promote the integration of WEPs into digital business models;
• Contribute to the development of tailored value propositions and resource mobilization proposals for national and regional donors and tech-sector partners to mobilize financial or in-kind resources.

4.   Provide technical advisory support to enable and facilitate tool uptake by field-based presences

• Provide specialized technical advice and tools to Country Office teams to support their integration of the Centre’s WEE digital flagships into national policy dialogues in collaboration with ROAP;
• Advise and guide field presences upon request on localizing comparative resources to match varying national regulatory and digital realities;
• Maintain a continuous technical feedback loop to ensure field implementation insights directly drive the iterative upgrading of Centre tools.

5.   Manage the implementation, budget pipelines, and personnel of the WEE workstream within the Centre

• Prepare the annual workplan and budget for the WEE workstream under the operational direction of the Centre Director;
• Coordinate technical implementation and monitor financial delivery rates under ROAP financial oversight;
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate the performance of workstream personnel, short-term consultants, and technical researchers assigned to the pillar.

6.   Lead advocacy, knowledge building, and communication efforts on digital gender equality

• Represent the Centre as delegated in regional meetings and high-level policy dialogues on digital care systems, AI-enabled labor systems, and the future of work;
• Identify and serialize best practices and lessons learned to guide the continuous improvement of knowledge management strategies;
• Coordinate collaboration with the Centre’s communications team and ROAP to package complex findings into polished policy advocacy assets.

7.   The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Centre 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:

• Excellent knowledge of Women’s Economic Empowerment, care economies, labour markets, and technological transitions;
• Strong knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region and its socio-economic contexts;
• Ability to analyze policies, conduct comparative assessments, and formulate strategic recommendations;
• Strong networking skills to interface with governments, institutional counterparts, regional or intergovernmental forums, and tech ecosystems;
• Ability to identify trends, opportunities, and strategic risks for resource mobilization;
• Advanced research skills to isolate promising practices and analyze macro-level trends;
• Ability to deliver evidence-based policy recommendations and technical advice to field partners;
• Proven skill in drafting comparative papers, technical toolkits, and briefing note;
• Knowledge of project implementation, results-based management, and financial reporting;
• High-level communication and liaison skills to operate effectively in multi-lingual environments.

Qualifications :

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender studies, Women’s Economic Empowerment, human rights, international relations or other social science fields 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:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in women's economic empowerment, including gender-responsive policy development, research, and programme management is required;
• Experience building partnerships with diverse stakeholders, such as government institutions, donors, civil society organizations, or private sector entities, at the national and international level is required;
• Experience authoring or co-authoring policy papers, technical toolkits, briefing notes, or research reports is required;
• Experience leading and coaching staff in national or international settings is required;
• Experience working in the Asia-Pacific region is required;
• Experience in digital care systems or AI-driven labour frameworks is highly desirable;
• Experience collaborating with the Government of the Republic of Korea, public institutions, or Korea-based partners is highly desirable;
• Experience building partnerships with technology firms, digital platforms, or innovation networks is desirable;
• Experience working with the UN, particularly supporting field offices with knowledge tools, is desirable;
• Experience supporting the implementation of Women’s Empowerment Principes (WEPs) is desirable;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is desirable;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable. 

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Fluency in written and spoken Korean is desirable;
• 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.