Head Gender Section

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The Head Gender Section reports to the Chief of Protection.

Leads and coordinates Agency-wide policies, strategies and operational guidance to advance gender equality and the rights and protection of Palestine refugee women and girls, in line with international human rights standards and the UN’s women peace and security agenda. Promotes gender mainstreaming across UNRWA’s core programmes, operations and decision-making, including ensuring the systematic integration of gender analysis to identify gender risks, vulnerabilities and gaps within UNRWA programmes and services, and by providing strategic and technical guidance to address these vulnerabilities and gaps in support of strengthened gender-responsive programming and service delivery. Strengthens UNRWA’s protection response by overseeing Agency-wide approaches to the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV), including working closely with gender/GBV officers or focal points in UNRWA field operations to ensure GBV risk mitigation, response and survivor-centred approaches are integrated across programmes, as well as providing oversight and quality assurance of all gender and GBV-related processes. Provides strategic leadership to ensure that gender considerations are fully integrated into emergency preparedness, protection assessments and response frameworks, guaranteeing that humanitarian interventions are inclusive, safe and responsive to the specific needs and risks faced by women and girls. Develops operational guidance and tools that promote the meaningful participation and inclusion of Palestine refugee women and girls in the design, delivery and evaluation of programmes and services, and ensures that Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) mechanisms are gender-sensitive and accessible. Supports the strengthening of gender data systems, including the collection, analysis and use of sex, age and diversity disaggregated data, to inform evidence-based decision-making, programme design and institutional reporting on gender-responsive services and gender equality outcomes. Provides strategic advice to UNRWA’s executive leadership and senior management on advancing gender equality within UNRWA’s workforce, including policies and measures to promote women’s leadership, representation and equitable participation at all levels, and strengthening a gender-responsive organizational culture. This includes support to the Women’s Advisory Forum as a key institutional mechanism representing female UNRWA staff, ensuring that its recommendations inform senior leadership decision-making. Builds institutional capacity on gender equality and GBV through the development of guidance, tools and training, including strengthening gender-responsive emergency preparedness and response protocols across the Agency.

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Functional i. Formulating Strategies and Concepts ii. Applying Technical Expertise iii. Relating and Networking iv. Deciding and Initiating Action v. Planning and Organizing Leadership (as applicable) i. Delivers Results ii. Manages Complexity and Change iii. Creates and Maintains Impact and Partnership

An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in gender studies, development studies, social sciences, human rights, public policy or a related field.

Not available.

At least seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment, including gender mainstreaming, women’s protection, GBV prevention and response, and project management in humanitarian, development, or emergency settings. Experience should include leading organizational gender strategies, supporting institutional change, working in fragile or conflict-affected contexts, understanding protection risks facing women and girls, and integrating gender considerations across sectors such as education, health, and social services is required. Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in gender studies, development studies, social sciences, human rights, public policy or a related field is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number is required. Familiarity with relevant organizations of the UN system (e.g., UN-Women; UNHCR; WFP; UNFPA) is desirable. Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of international legal protection frameworks, norms and approaches is desirable. Knowledge and understanding of the Palestine refugee situation and the political context of the Middle East is desirable. Demonstrated expertise in advancing gender equality within complex institutional and humanitarian contexts, including strong knowledge of international human rights frameworks such as Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Women, Peace and Security agenda is desirable. Ability to translate policy into operational guidance and systems, strengthen accountability through monitoring and disaggregated data, provide strategic advice to senior leadership, and coordinate effectively with field operations, inter-agency mechanisms, and diverse stakeholders is desirable. Proven experience in gender mainstreaming, gender analysis, gender-responsive programming, and GBV prevention and response, including emergencies is desirable. Indicate your current involvement in any outside activities, as it is required. Including but not limited to employment, independent contractor/freelance consultant, board member (corporate, academic, etc), expert group, lobby, public speaking/writing (article, book, blog, social media etc), teaching, conferences, training, press statement, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising/donation for non-UNRWA entity, running for public office, role in political party or orgs, owning business, work for gov./NGO/private company/charity, UNRWA partner/vendor, full/part-time, paid or not. A "yes" answer doesn't necessarily lead to exclusion from future work at UNRWA, yet misrepresentation in providing accurate/complete info can lead to disqualification/termination of appointment, if hired.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

This is a UN Regular Budget Post, Fixed Term for one year extendable subject to need, funds availability and performance. The incumbent may be required to travel within, and occasionally outside, the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system Inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All university degrees must also be stated, where applicable. UNRWA personnel must ensure adding their contract type and grade level. Given the large pool of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment. Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions will not be considered. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post, when the need arises. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.