Gender & Development Specialist, P-4, Bamako, Mali #94653

UNICEF Mali is working in regions that lack basic social services and have been affected by political instability. We are also supporting the government in improving child survival, development, and protection. Our work focuses on strengthening community resilience, building capacity, and advocating equitable policy. We are working with partners to improve health, nutrition, WASH access, and education. We are part of an innovative multi-sectoral program to tackle stunting, and are investing in sustainable schooling. Join our team and help us make sure every child has a champion.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

For every child, a champion

UNICEF Mali is working in regions that lack basic social services and have been affected by political instability. We are also supporting the government in improving child survival, development, and protection. Our work focuses on strengthening community resilience, building capacity, and advocating equitable policy. We are working with partners to improve health, nutrition, WASH access, and education. We are part of an innovative multi-sectoral program to tackle stunting, and are investing in sustainable schooling.

Join our team and help us make sure every child has a champion.

How can you make a difference?

In alignment with the GAP, the role of the Gender Programme Specialist is primarily technical and programmatic, with the normative advocacy and coordination roles serving as a secondary function. The Specialist provides authoritative technical guidance/operational support throughout all stages of programming to facilitate the management and delivery of results contributing to gender equality in alignment with the Gender Action Plan. S/he supports the development, implementation, and monitoring of high quality gender programming across sectors in alignment with the Gender Action Plan. S/he 1) supports senior programme colleagues and management of the Country Office to advance one or more of the four Targeted Gender Priorities in the Gender Action Plan with support from the Regional Gender Adviser. S/he also plays a role in working with one or more of the 7 UNICEF sectors to mainstream gender by prioritizing key gender results within the sector(s) with a strong gender relevance; 2) leads cross-sectional collaboration and coordination on key programmatic results on gender, ensuring coherence, maximization of synergies and efficiency in utilization of resources and delivery of results; 3) works with programme colleagues and management so that gender results are effectively defined, measured, and reported, and high quality assessment, research, evidence generation and evaluation on gender programming is undertaken and utilized, including through the application of the MoRES framework and effective theories of change; 4) Supports/leads effective review, assessment, planning, capacity building, and knowledge management on gender; 5) Supports the assessment and identification of gender needs for emergency preparedness and response, and provides gender relevant guidance and technical input on emergency programming.

Management and/or advisory support to Deputy Representative, Senior Gender Programme Specialist or Representative

• Actively participate in Country Management Team (CMT); Programme Coordination Team; partnerships, research, financial and contract review committees; and other key country-specific leadership teams to ensure strategic inclusion of gender in all country-specific programming 
• Coordinate with the Regional Gender Advisors and the Headquarters Gender Section to plan, utilize, monitor and report on the Gender Thematic Fund, or other programmatic funds with large gender components that are allocated to the country-specific interventions for the Country Programme, under the Country Office senior management.
• In collaboration with sectoral colleagues and under the guidance of Deputy Representative, participate in the planning and monitoring of the utilization of the budget allocated to sectoral and cross-sectoral gender interventions with sectoral colleagues
• Lead the gender component of the reporting of the routine country-level programme expenditures, including the annual reporting and the RAM.
• Provide technical input and review on the gender components in key funding proposal appeals and submissions and in the design of funded projects/programs so that gender technical components are clearly defined and technical capacities are included.

Program development and planning (including emergency contexts)

• Lead and/or support the evidence-based programme planning on gender, incorporating robust measurement and evaluation of results - especially in the event of the Country Programme development and Mid-Term Review.
• Provide technical leadership on integration of gender into country programming phases, including strategic planning, SitAns, strategic moments of reflection, CPDs, CPMPs, mid-term reviews, extended annual reviews, programme component strategy notes and in the programmatic assessment and institutional strengthening components of gender reviews
• In collaboration with sectoral colleagues, identify the areas of focus for gender programming with the greatest potential for impact and scale, in alignment with the GAP and the country/regional priorities.
• Work with sectoral counterparts to incorporate sound gender indicators and measures in programme and policy initiatives, proposals, and advocacy efforts and assist in developing gender-sensitive theories of change models for sector and cross-sectoral programming in alignment with the MoRES framework.

Program management, monitoring and delivery of results (including emergency contexts)

• Provide technical support in indicator identification, measurement and performance tracking as it relates to gender mainstreaming and the Targeted Gender Priorities, in collaboration with Planning, M&E and planning section and sectoral teams.
• Lead cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination on key programmatic results on gender, ensuring coherence, maximization of synergies and efficiency in utilization of resources and delivery of results
• Support the strengthening of data systems and collection, as well as accountability mechanisms to monitor and evaluate progress on gender results.
• Support high quality reporting on gender results, and a biannual performance review of GAP specified results.
• Work closely with evaluation colleagues to effectively integrate data collection, tracking, analysis and reporting on the indicators for the GAP into programme results and gender performance benchmarks into M&E systems.
• Support and strengthen the quality of research and evidence building on gender related programming, bringing in the latest learning and insights from the field of gender and development, and putting in place a coherent, well-prioritized research agenda in alignment with the GAP.
• Oversee the planning and implementation of the gender reviews and make sure that the recommendations that come out of the gender review are integrated into the Country Programme strategy and action plans and humanitarian strategies and action plans in emergency contexts.
• Actively represent UNICEF in relevant coordination bodies at the inter-agency level (gender theme group or other networks, GBV cluster if relevant), participate as a member of steering committees, and provide close oversight of inter-agency joint programmes.

Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Liaise and consult with sections, government and other external partners (civil society, NGOs, UN Agencies, private sector) to identify areas for convergence, and develop and reinforce partnerships in gender programming.
• Forge and support internal and external partnerships and networks in the development of harmonized, gender-transformative programme interventions.
• Build strategic alliances for gender equality with various partners, including institutional links with UN agencies and other relevant entities.
• Collaborate with other UN agencies and partners to enhance robust gender results in sectoral programmes at the country level. If necessary, represent UNICEF in external meetings on gender integration into sectoral and cross-sectoral results, including UN Country Team meetings and UNDAF/UNAF preparations.
• Lead mapping of potential new partnerships and leverage existing partnerships to accelerate GAP implementation at the country level in determined priority areas.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Initiate documentation and sharing of the country-level experience in gender programming and lessons learned, which will be shared with internal network and external partners and utilized for South-South cooperation.
• Represent the gender section at sectoral, country-level and regional-level network meetings, and ensure best practices on gender programming according to 5 GAP principles are highlighted in these forums
• Bring best practices in gender programming and measurement to the attention of senior management and sectoral colleagues, as well as Regional Gender Advisor and gender section staff at HQ
• Support and conduct innovative research on gender at the country-level
• Support Regional Gender Advisor in advancing the technical and research capacity of country-level staff, offices and programs on gender to continue to build evidence base for programming and to ensure continuous capacity in gender at Country Office level.
• Support management and HR in the development of systems, tools and processes that enable staff members and external partners to enhance their understanding and adoption of gender sensitive behaviors and to support implementation of the GAP.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Education: Advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in the social sciences (i.e. sociology, demography, psychology, political science, social policy or economics), public health, public policy, public administration, international development, or in an area relevant to UNICEF’s sectoral work (e.g. Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, Social Inclusion, HIV/AIDs, etc.). *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Work Experience: Minimum eight years of progressively responsible professional experience and demonstrated track record of having undertaken and led substantive programming and research on gender and development in key issue areas that are the focus of UNICEF’s Gender Action Plan.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English and French is required. 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies required for this post are:

Leading and Supervising [ II ], Formulating Strategies and Concepts [ III ], Analyzing [ III ], Relating and Networking [ III ], Deciding and Initiating Action [ II ], Persuading and Influencing [ III ], Applying technical skills [ III ], Entrepreneurial thinking [ II]

View our competency framework at: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Remarks:

* Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

* Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.