Background

 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

 
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women is central to the mandate of UNDP and intrinsic to its development approach. In line with the vision of the UNDP Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the mission is to contribute to the eradication of poverty and a significant reduction of gender inequalities by empowering women and promoting and protecting their rights. Gender equality is a fundamental human right and it is also an essential foundation of a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

The UNDP-Kyrgyzstan Country Programme (CP) 2023-2027 recognizes gender equality and women empowerment as a key cross-cutting themes driving development results. The new CP (2023 2027) will contribute to Gender as main UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 (UNSDCF) Outcome and Strategic Plan. The CO aims to integrate the same principles in its office setting and culture to role model and best serve the people of Kyrgyzstan.

In this regard, UNDP Kyrgyzstan is recruiting a Gender Specialist to help adequate impact of gender mainstreaming throughout the country programme and consolidate an enabling environment for institutional effectiveness to deliver gender responsive and sustainable results, as well as to assist the Country Office meet the expected benchmarks within the recommendations from the UNDP Gender Seal Certification. The Gender Specialist will work closely with all relevant stakeholders within the UNDP system including the programme and project teams, in the identification, design, and implementation of critical gender interventions for UNDP in Kyrgyzstan, while maintaining a strong contribution to resource mobilization. Additionally, the position will also require extensive engagement, networking, and partnership building with international and national partners, including other UN agencies, government counterparts, civil society and non-governmental organizations, women's organizations and networks, bilateral and multilateral donors, and private sector actors.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Gender Specialist will work closely with the Senior Management, Programme Team and associated projects, Operations Team and CO Gender Task Force, as well as engage with all staff to identify specific issues/barriers, and potential champions to articulate a well-thought plan and support its implementation. The Gender Specialist will support the integration of gender aspects in programming and operations to enhance the institutional effectiveness of gender mainstreaming and women empowerment.

Gender Equality, Gender Parity Commitments and Strategic Leadership:

  • Advise and support the CO Gender Task Force in updating/implementation of Action Plans to address the recommendations from the Gender Equality Seal, increasing Gender Equality and Gender Parity; Work closely with CO Gender Focal point and cluster Team leaders for better collaboration, cross-learning and knowledge transfer.
  • Advise and support the CO Senior Management and Programme Team leads to build strong organizational commitment and leadership to implement Strategies (for Gender Equality, Gender Parity, Communication, and Partnerships & Resource Mobilization), and ensure that gender focus within the country office is well articulated, clearly communicated, and supported by all spheres of operations and programme across the organizational hierarchy.
  • Facilitate in Programme and Projects composite Gender Analysis (using Project Quality Assessments and Project Gender Marker) and development of Gender Action Plan for the Country Programme and projects with annual outputs to facilitate implementation of activities that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
  • Provide actionable recommendations with appropriate actions to ensure that organizational culture, policies, practices and procedures lead to tangible yet gradual improvements in gender equality and gender parity focusing on managerial, programmatic and operational aspects of the Country Office.
  • Lead, monitor and report on the implementation of the CO Gender Equality Strategy and action plan.

Gender Analysis and Programming:

  • Carry out a participatory Country Programme and Projects gender analysis to fully consider the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks and access to/control over resources of women, girls, and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as sex, age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.) – this analysis should result in projects with Gender as Principal Objective/UNDP Gen3 Marker.
  • Generate a set of appropriate measures/recommendations to address and promote gender equality in programming; collectgender-responsive baseline data relevant to programme/projects planning,implementation and monitoring.
  • Provide technical inputs ensuring all aspects of the current and new project documents are gender-responsive (particularly focusing on women): work with the programme/project development teams, programme and project gender focal persons to ensure that results inframeworks and theories of change are gender-responsive and inclusive: facilitate in the development of gender-focussed outputsand indicators and associated baselines and targets ensuring that all applicable indicators and baselines/targets are disaggregated by sex and other relevant, intersecting forms of identity;
  • Identify and advise on new emerging areas for gender focussed programming and new solutions in light of the changing development landscape as a result of technology, climate change and new challenges emerging due to the pandemicby working closelywith the UNDP Accelerator Lab and in close coordination with all Country Office programme units and projects.
  • Maintain Gender marker, to ensure the projects are improving their gender indicators and targets.

Knowledge management, Gender mainstreamed project design, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation:

  • Lead efforts and provide technical support in the design and implementation of a dedicated CO Gender Portfolio/programme along with a detailed Resource Mobilization and Partnership plan guiding the CO in taking concrete steps towards ensuring the sustainability of Gender portfolio/programme.
  • Provide technical supporting the implementation and monitoring of the CO/Projects contributions on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women particularly reporting of concrete Gender results on (a) UNSDCF Outcome on Gender Equality (b) UNDP Result Oriented Analysis Report and (c) Donor reports. Provide technical support to UNDP in facilitating UNSDCF Outcome on Gender Equality.
  • Provide gender-related inputs to the Project Appraisal Committee especially on Results Framework, Gender Analysis and associated Action Plan, and UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (including assessing potential negative impacts of the project on gender equality and specific activities to mitigate and/or minimize them).

Develop Partnerships to promote Gender Equality:

  • Assist the CO Programme teams, Accelerator Lab and project development/implementation teams in identifying and developing partnerships with gender equality/women’s governmental institutions, UN-WOMEN and other UN sister agencies, women-led local NGOs/CSOs, and relevant national/sub-national stakeholders including the corporate/private sector.
  • Provide technical assistance to programme and projects in strengthening partnerships with key women’s governing bodies such as the Ministry of Social protection responsible for gender equality and women empowerment.
  • Provide support in establishing a close partnership with UN agencies particularly through supporting UNDP contributions to UN Inter-Agency Gender Thematic Group to ensure synergies and joint approaches to common gender challenges.

Capacity Development of CO teams to enhance gender equality and gender parity:

  • Organize and conduct trainings, workshops, focus group discussions, dialogue and consultations with programme and project staff and personnel on gender advancement, gender equality, gender parity, women’s empowerment, women’s issues, and social development thematic areas related to UNDP’s Gender Strategic Plan in the Country Office.
  • Provide technical inputs for strengthening Country Office Learning Plan.
  • Maintain regular feedback sessions with management, Gender Focal Team to discuss issues, produce actionable recommendations and actions.
  • Collate 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.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Resident Representative and the direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative, the Gender Specialist will provide strategic direction and advice on gender across the work of the CO to ensure that gender equality is effectively mainstreamed within all projects and operational areas in line with UNDP’s global and Country Office Gender Equality Strategy. 

Competencies
Core Competencies:
  • Achieve Results:   LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
  • Think Innovatively:   LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
  • Learn Continuously:   LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
  • Adapt with Agility:   LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
  • Act with Determination:   LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
  • Engage and Partner:   LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion   inter-agency
    collaboration
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion:   LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits workforce and champion inclusivity

People Management Competencies:

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

  • 2030 People   Agenda - Gender:  
    • Gender Mainstreaming   
  • 2030 People Agenda - Gender:  
    • UNDP's Gender Equality Seal Initiative   
  • 2030 People   Agenda - Gender:
    • Gender and Institutional Development   
  • 2030 People   Agenda - Gender:   
    • Women's Economic Empowerment, including labour issues   
  • Business Management - Communication:   
    • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience
    • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other
      appropriate channels   
  • Business   Direction and Strategy - Strategic Thinking:   
    • Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and  opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions
    • Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP   
  • Business Development - Integration within the UN:   
    • Ability to identify, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations   
Required Skills and Experience
 
Education:
  • Master's degree in social sciences, development studies with the focus on gender, gender or women studies;
  • PhD in the similar disciplines will be a strong advantage. 
Experience:
  • Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the area of gender equality and women empowerment, knowledge of global gender mainstreaming standards for organizations and the gender equality and women’s empowerment goals with the SDG agenda. 

Languages:

  • Proficiency in English, Kyrgyz and Russian.

Required skills and competencies:

  • Experience designing, implementing and facilitating training programs and participatory methodologies, particularly on gender equality and women empowerment related topics is an asset;
  • Excellent analytical, writing, communication and advocacy skills in developing gender strategies or relevant gender related strategic documents, proven capacity to produce high-quality qualitative research and ability to absorb, analyze and synthesize large amounts of complex information within tight deadlines is an asset;
  • Demonstrated coordination skills and experience liaising and coordinating with stakeholders across Kyrgyzstan (Government, NGO/CSO, private sector, etc.). Knowledge on gender audits, evaluations, participatory techniques and capacity assessments for gender mainstreaming, and gender equality is an asset;
  • Experience in UN or other international organizations in the area of gender equality is an asset
  • Hands-on experience in organizational leadership, change management/ behavioral change, with public institutions, international organizations and civil society is an asset;]
  • Demonstrated capacity for strategic thinking, and expertise in global and/ornational gender equalityand mainstreaming strategies is an asset.

Desired additional skills and competencies:

  • Recognized and known research publications; comprehensive gender equality knowledge and experience, as well as the knowledge of gender situation at the country level; experience with UN/UNDP would be an asset.

Travel:

The job may involve travelling to various oblasts/rayons in Kyrgyzstan to fulfil and monitor gender related activities.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

a) P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also includepeers.

b) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

c) Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any gender related certificates.

Disclaimer
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.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 
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