Senior Adviser, UN Women Leaders Network

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. 

From the local to the global level, women’s leadership is restricted. Women are under-represented in leading positions, whether in elected offices, the civil service, the private sector, or academia. This occurs despite their proven abilities as leaders and agents of change, and their right to participate equally in public life and beyond. Women face several obstacles to participating in decision-making and governance. Women are less likely than men to have the education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders. In line with SDG 5 target 5.5 of ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life, UN-Women prioritizes women’s leadership in its Strategic Plan 2026-2029. In addition, UN-Women has spearheaded several initiatives to promote women’s leadership in recent years. For example, in the context of the flagship programme on women leadership and Generation Equality, UN-Women has, since 2019, launched 1) Leaders for Generation Equality, now re-launching as the UN Women Leaders Network: a global intergenerational network of 75+ women leaders from different sectors who advocate for gender-equal participation in leadership and decision-making positions and aims to change the traditional picture of a leader; 2) a Call to Action to parliamentarians to increase the number of women in politics; and 3) a Generation Equality Action Coalition dedicated to Feminist Movements and Leadership. 

Under the overall guidance of the Executive Director and working on a day-to-day basis with the Office of the Executive Director, the Senior Adviser, UN Women Leaders Network will lead and oversee the UN Women Leaders Network, as well as support the positioning of UN-Women on women’s leadership. The Senior Adviser will focus on three main deliverables: a) building on the above-mentioned initiatives, oversee the first permanent UN Women Leaders Network chaired by the Executive Director to enhance UN-Women’s positioning in the area of women’s leadership; b) mobilize 100 intergenerational women leaders from different sectors to join the UN Women Leaders Network; and c) ensure regular convenings and advocacy initiatives of the Network are held and produced, with particular emphasis on facilitating partnerships with other networks and organizations to advance women’s leadership.

Responsibilities:

Lead the UN Women Leaders Network strategy and positioning 

• Lead and oversee the work of the UN Women Leaders Network, with a clear mandate, strategy, and structure within UN Women; 
• Ensure the UN Women Leaders Network’s mission and functions are aligned with UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and the broader mission and work of UN Women. 
• Lead internal alignment of the UN Women Leaders Network with UN Women HQ, regional and country offices to ensure the project adds value to UN Women’s work. 
• Oversee outreach for the UN Women Leaders Network, focusing on creating and maintaining partnerships with existing leading women leaders networks.  
• Advise on the role of the Executive Director as the Chair of the UN Women Leaders Network.  

High-level representation and thought leadership of UN-Women  

• Enhance UN-Women’s positioning on women’s leadership through high-level dialogue and representation to relevant global and regional events in connection with the UN Women Leaders Network and UN Women’s broader work on women’s leadership; 
• Represent UN-Women in international and regional conferences and high-level events on gender equality, women’s leadership and participation where relevant to the UN Women Leaders Network;  
• Ensure that the needs and special situations of least developed countries and fragile settings in regards to women’s leadership are reflected in global and regional discussions where relevant to the UN Women Leaders Network; 

Develop strategic partnerships 

• Develop and manage strategic partnerships in the area of women’s leadership and in relation to the UN Women Leaders Network; 

Oversee knowledge management, and capacity building 

• Oversee the development of policy briefs, background papers, presentations, reports and other knowledge documents on women’s leadership as required by the EDO and in connection to the UN Women Leaders Network.  

Provide any other support to the EDO on women’s leadership as required. 

Deliverables:

• Lead the first permanent UN Women Leaders Network chaired by the Executive Director to enhance UN-Women’s positioning in the area of women’s leadership. 
• The UN Women Leaders Network is composed of 100 active and mobilized women leaders. 
• The UN Women Leaders Network hosts regular convenings and engagement events for UN Women.  
• The UN Women Leaders Network engages in regular advocacy efforts to amplify and advance women’s leadership.
• Opportunities for UN Women to be represented at important global events on women’s leadership.  
• Strong relationships with various partners and stakeholders, with a focus on existing networks of women leaders; 
• Increased resources mobilized for UN-Women’s work on women’s leadership and the UN Women Leaders Network; 
• Timely and quality advice;  
• Timely and quality knowledge products; 
• Regular updates and reporting on the UN Women Leaders Network provided to the ED and ELT of UN Women.  

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of women’s leadership 
• Excellent networking skills 
• Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising  
• Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research 
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice  
• Excellent analytical skills 
• Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings 

Education: 

• Master’s degree or equivalent in political affairs, international relations, social sciences, or related 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. 

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• At least 15 years progressively responsible experience in advocating for women’s leadership with concrete demonstrable results in this area is required. 
• Leadership experience, including having held senior leadership positions in the public or private sectors is required.  
• Experience in establishing and managing networks, working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations at the national and international level is required. 
• Prior work experience in the UN system is desirable.  

Language: 

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Knowledge of another official United Nations 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.