Gender Advisor

UNDP Somalia is currently composed of four Programme portfolios: Governance and Rule of Law (ROLS), Capacity Development, Poverty Reduction and Environment and Gender and Cross-cutting. UNDP Somalia programmes are implemented from Mogadishu, two (2) Area Offices in Hargeisa and Garowe expanding also to new member states and one (1) liaison office in Nairobi, Kenya. Since 2012, the CO’s efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment have been guided by a Gender Equality Strategy and a GEWE Project. This twin-track approach contributed to achieving relevant and sustainable gender equality results. Targeted initiatives contributed to reducing existing disparities, whilst strong mechanisms for mainstreaming (particularly in the areas of access to justice and rule of law) were relevant in assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, policy or programme at all levels.

The Country Office is about to launch a new Country Programme (2018-2020) which rests on three outcome areas: inclusive political processes; accountable and transparent service delivery in a secure environment; and progress from protracted socio-economic and environmental fragility. The new CP will prioritise mainstreaming in all three programme areas, with the aim to go beyond gender responsiveness and address root causes of inequality across sectors with a view to more transformational gender results. To maximize the impact of these efforts, each of the three outcomes has at least one specific output focused on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.

In order to help ensure adequate impact of gender mainstreaming throughout the country programme and consolidate on an enabling environment for institutional effectiveness to deliver gender-responsive and sustainable results, UNDP Somalia is currently recruiting a Gender Advisor, with senior advisory and programme management roles. 

Under the overall guidance of the Country Director and the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director for Programmes, the Gender Advisor will provide strategic direction and advice on gender across the work of the CO to ensure that gender equality is effectively mainstreamed within all programme and operational areas and that the gender focus of the new CPD achieves maximum impact.

The Gender Advisor will also work closely with UNSOM and other UN agencies in the identification, design and implementation of critical gender interventions following success and important impact made with interventions supporting 2016 political process to new strategic opportunities as they arise, while maintaining a strong focus on resource mobilization. The position will also require extensive engagement, networking and partnership building with international and national partners, including government counterparts, civil society and non-governmental organizations, women's organizations and networks, bilateral and multilateral donors and UN agencies.

The Gender Advisor will also supervise administrative and specialized staff in portfolio and work closely across all Country Office Projects and Units as well as teams in the area offices.

Summary of key functions:

• Strategic Policy Advice and Coordination
• Programme Development and Management
• Advocacy and Partnership building
• Resource Mobilization
• Facilitates knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Provides Strategic Policy Advice and Coordination, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Advice and support the CO Senior Management to build strong institutional commitment and leadership to implement UNDP’s Gender Equality Strategy for Somalia, and ensure that gender focus within the country office is well articulated, communicated and supported by all spheres of operations and programming;
• Provide Strategic Policy advise to Federal Government, Women Ministry and respective Federal member state ministries as well as Legislative and Judiciary on all aspect advancement of women and gender equality;
• Contribute technical policy advice to work of other Ministries; including the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development to ensure National Development Plan with well-articulated focus on gender progress as designed in support gender equality and women’s empowerment, with important also focus on the prevention of violence against women in all its forms;
• Provide guidance to UNDP programmes to ensure that a sound gender analysis informs programme design and management, identify strategic actions to be undertaken to improve the quality of programme implementation and ensure  achievement of related results;
• Lead the respective team to ensure coordinated approaches across programmes and review associated implementation challenges on a regular basis with a view to overcoming bottlenecks;
• Advocate and promote more gender balanced composition of CO; with special focus on attracting, retaining and promoting qualified Somali women in UNDP within the CO and beyond. 

Provides Programme Development and Management advice, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Identify opportunities and lead in the conceptualization of strategic programme interventions that respond to the needs and concerns of women and men, women’s NGOs and groups in Somalia and are in line with the UNDP’s Somalia Country Strategy;
• Support implementation of strategic programme interventions across Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 and;
• Provide advice on appropriate gender sensitive indicators in the CP results and resources framework and support colleagues in the monitoring and reporting of programme results/outputs and objectives against agreed indicators, in close collaboration with M/E specialist.
• Monitor political, economic and social developments trends and issues affecting women’s rights in Somalia producing analytic reports and informing a strategic response to opportunities and challenges within the context of UNDP’s programmes in Somalia.
• Support knowledge building and sharing at the country office on gender equality focusing on achievements, lessons learned and methodologies utilized in gender equality implementation and mainstreaming.
• Work closely with UNSOM, UNWomen, UNFPA and other UN agencies working in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment to ensure complementarity and avoid overlap.
• Support the UN Strategic Framework priority team leaders and National Development Plan pillar focal points to mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

Provides advocacy and Partnership building advice, focusing on the achievement of the following results;

• Ensure leading role of UNDP in fora and meetings related to gender equality (e.g. Gender Theme Group (GTG) and the SGBV Working group);
• Participate in and represent UNDP in activities to highlight key gender equality and women’s human rights issues and advocate for integration of gender equality issues into the development agenda;
• Maintain relationships with UNDP’s partners including donors, government agencies, and NGOs, on matters related to the promotion of national commitments to gender equality with a view of ensuring strategic partnerships and strengthening collaboration.;
• Ensure the development of a gender communications strategy for UNDP Somalia in order to build awareness of gender equality issues in Somalia and the contribution of UNDP to the country;
• Initiate and coordinate strategic advocacy activities to maximize support of the UN system, government and civil society partners on gender equality in line with international commitments to CEDAW, MDGs, UNSCR 1325, 1888, 1889 and others.

Support to Resource Mobilization, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Manage the effective application and reporting of the Gender Marker, and ensure that staff are equipped to sustainably mainstream gender equality objectives/goals in all CO strategies, projects and programmes;
• Identify and follow-up on strategic opportunities for resource mobilization for implementation of UNDP’s Somalia Gender Strategy and across all programmatic interventions to advance women role in Somali society;
• Build strong partnerships with donor agencies on Somalia focusing on gender issues to ensure coordination and with government’s action plan;
• Work with Partnerships and Planning Unit to ensure gender issues are effectively integrated into all communication with and timely reporting to programme donors.

Facilitates knowledge  building and knowledge sharing as required by the organization, focusing on the following results:

• Distil and document lessons learned and recommendations for policy dialogue, public advocacy and future programming and organize dissemination of learning within the CO and with partners;
• Monitor and report on the implementation of the CO Gender Equality Strategy and action plan;
• Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Organization and conduct of trainings on gender advancement, gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s issues, and social development thematic areas related to UNDP’s Gender Strategic Plan in the Country Office.

Impact of Results

Key impact of results will include more prominent political and economic role of Somali women in society and mainstreaming of gender dimensions across all programmes as well as the design and implementation of stand-alone projects in support of GEWE, cumulatively ensuring that UNDP maximizes its contribution to improve the plight of Somalia’s women over the next five years.

Functional Competencies:          

Corporate Responsibility and Teamwork:

• Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of UNDP.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Plans, prioritizes, and delivers tasks on time.

Advocacy/Advancing a Policy-Oriented Agenda

• Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences advocating on behalf of UNDP’s mandate.
• Creates effective advocacy strategies.
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses.

Results-Orientation and Development Effectiveness:

• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals.
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting.
• Ability to lead implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources.
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage transactions, conduct financial analysis and reporting.

Management and Leadership

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
• Sets clear performance goals and standards; executes responsibilities accordingly.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management

• Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work.
• Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration
• Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation.
• Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development.
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly.

Building Strategic Partnerships

• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda;
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency meetings.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

• Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals.
• Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations.
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking.
• Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor.

Resource Mobilization

• Analyses information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach;
• Identifies and compiles lessons learned;
• Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.
• Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence.
• Is motivated and demonstrates a capacity to pursue personal development and learn.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals

• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
• Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it for use at country level.

Client Orientation

• Anticipates client needs;
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective;
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Self-development, initiative-taking;
• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Creating synergies through self-control;
• Managing conflict;
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
• Informed and transparent decision making.

Education:          

• Masters Degree in Social Science, Gender or Women’s Studies.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in recovery and development, with special focus on addressing the promotion of gender equalityand women’s empowerment  in crisis and post-conflict countries;
• Relevant research and published material an asset;
• Experience in Muslim world and in dealing with traditional legal systems an advantage;
• Previous experience with UNDP or UN Women preferred and good knowledge of UNDP rules and procedures is desirable;
• Strong diplomatic skills in handling counterpart relations.

Language Requirements:

• Strong written and spoken English skills.

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. For more information please click here and here.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Scam warning