Knowledge Management Consultant-Spotlight Initiative

Background

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. The Spotlight Initiative is a global, multi-year partnership between European Union and United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. Launched in 2017 with a seed funding commitment of €500 million from the European Union, the Initiative represents an unprecedented global effort to invest in gender equality and women’s empowerment as a precondition and driver for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Initiative follows a human rights-based approach and takes into consideration the specific needs of women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, upholding the principle of “leaving no one behind”. 

The Spotlight Initiative aims to advance transformative change  and is responding to all forms of violence against women and girls, with entry points in domestic and family violence, sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices, femicide, trafficking in human beings and sexual and economic (labour) exploitation. The Spotlight Initiative is addressing legislative and policy gaps, strengthening institutions, promoting gender-equitable social norms, providing essential services for survivors, strengthening quality, disaggregated data, and supporting women’s movements and civil society. 

The Spotlight Initiative has deployed targeted, large-scale investments to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in 25+ programmes across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. Under the stewardship of the UN Deputy Secretary-General, the Spotlight Initiative’s core UN agencies are UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF. Other UN agencies, funds and programmes play key roles in implementing its programmes. 

The Initiative is supported by a Secretariat to ensure coherence, alignment, quality, and strong technical support for a programme of this size. The Spotlight Initiative Secretariat’s Technical Unit responds to requests for support and assistance to: provide key technical support and guidance in development and implementation of country programmes, collaborate with and provide support to technical officers of UN Agencies at country and regional levels to guarantee the technical quality and coherence of the Initiative, regularly brief and consult all relevant UN Agencies, serve as a liaison to civil society at the global level to build partnerships and ensure inclusion, ensure timely deployment of technical capacity to country programmes as needed, provide ongoing monitoring support, coordinate the evaluation of programmes, ensure public information, communication and visibility for the Initiative, and critically, conduct robust analysis, management and dissemination of the wealth of knowledge, promising practices and lessons learned from Spotlight Initiative programmes at country, regional and global levels.

Four years into implementation, the Spotlight Initiative is in a unique position to accumulate what works and what does not work in EVAWG efforts and has generated knowledge across the globe to inform effective programming and policies on EVAWG. Thus, a critical function of Spotlight Initiative is to serve as knowledge platform on EVAWG. To this effect, the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat has rolled out a Global Platform that is amplifying the wealth of lessons and promising practices from across the Spotlight Initiative’s programmes to inform global policy, advocacy, and serve as a model for comprehensive EVAWG programming. The Global Platform is also connecting and strengthening a coalition of key actors at multiple levels, moving beyond the Initiative’s current stakeholders to engage the wider global community in efforts to end violence against women and girls. 

Key elements of the Global Platform entail a virtual platform, driving knowledge production, engaging a wide range of stakeholders in knowledge exchange and convenings to facilitate learning and impact on EVAWG, and to demonstrate a comprehensive approach to eliminate violence against women and girls using the Spotlight Initiative’s theory of change and other lessons gained to support others in the design and implementation of a comprehensive EVAWG programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions

Under the guidance and direction of the Capacity Development and Knowledge Management Specialist, the Knowledge Management Consultant will support the Knowledge Management and Capacity Development portfolios. 

Specifically, the consultant will: 

1. Provide Capacity Development and Knowledge Management and Technical programming support 

• Provide technical guidance and coordination in the implementation of Knowledge Management and Capacity Development strategies and workplans 
• Develop and execute global capacity development and knowledge exchange initiatives 
• Lead coordination of knowledge management focal points, HQ KM focal Points working group and provide technical quality assurance, including through implementation of regional/country-level knowledge management workplans, capacity development, knowledge products and sharing of experiences, lessons learned and innovative/promising/good practices 
• Coordinate and provide technical support to Spotlight Initiative Agency Focal Points and other stakeholders 
• Undertake analysis of EVAWG programming and knowledge management across the Initiative’s 25+ programmes, and support with global annual reporting requirements

2. Support the roll out of the global platform – (a virtual exchange and convening platform offering the combined power of a knowledge hub, a community of practice and an advocacy platform)

• Oversee, develop and disseminate Spotlight Initiative’s knowledge products, including guidance notes and briefs on strategic thematic areas for VAWG 
• Coordinate knowledge product repository for the Spotlight Initiative including the production of Global Compendium on Good/Innovative practices and lessons, and amplify these and build the EVAWG evidence-base 
• Support with the production of Spotlight Initiative Technical Package, and provide technical guidance in its roll out
• Organize and develop knowledge exchange webinars, convenings and engagement in online communities of practice
• Identify areas for promoting new knowledge and innovation that can support with implementation of Spotlight Initiative programmes and for increasing global commitments to EVAWG
• Connect key Spotlight Initiative stakeholders within the UN and externally, such as EU, academia, governments, women’s rights/civil society organizations, the private sector, policy makers and the donor community 
• Perform other related duties and assignments as and when requested by supervisor

Key Perfomance Indicators

• High-quality and timely technical, knowledge management and capacity development support for the Spotlight Initiative
• Timely and high-quality input and collaboration with relevant stakeholders of the Spotlight Initiative
• Timely and high-quality technical support and guidance to the Spotlight Initiative’s programme teams in line with the workplan
• Global, Regional and Country networking of key decision-makers, practitioners and local, grassroots actors on EVAWG strengthened
• EVAWG lessons, best practices and solutions made accessible and amplified; and uptake of knowledge and comprehensive EVAWG programming supported  

Competencies

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: 

• Impeccable attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to conduct in-depth analysis and research.
• Strong sense of initiative, accountability, and commitment.
• Hard working, dedicated, with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to connect day-to-day work with strategic overarching goals and principles.
• Strong capacity to communicate proactively and clearly and work collaboratively. 
• Adaptable and flexible, ability to prioritize workload, meet deadlines, communicate workload with supervision and understand when to escalate potential issues.
• Knowledge of gender equality and international development issues is an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree in political science, international relations/development, gender studies, human rights or a related field 

Experience

• At least two-three years of professional work experience in knowledge management and capacity development and/or programme/policy development on gender and/or EVAWG
• Experience developing, maintaining, and facilitating engagement of a global knowledge-sharing platform and community of practice
• Experience developing and facilitating the execution of global exchanges 
• Experience with supporting the development and dissemination of lessons learned, innovative/promising/good practices and knowledge on EVAWG is an asset
• Experience in policy analysis and research on EVAWG, gender equality and women’s empowerment, social justice/human rights, and in-country experience is an asset

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset