UN WOMEN - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (VAW) DATA SPECIALIST, New York

UN WOMEN: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (VAW) DATA SPECIALIST - RE-ADVERTISEMENT

Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Application Deadline : 09-Dec-13

Type of Contract : FTA International

Post Level : P-4

Languages Required : English

Duration of Initial Contract : 1 year

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Policy Division develops and implements the UN Women programme of work on analysis, research and knowledge management that provides the evidence base for the advice and guidance UN Women provides to the intergovernmental processes, the UN system, and to UN Women staff working at country and regional level on issues of gender equality and women's empowerment. It identifies emerging issues and trends, and develops and proposes new strategies for achieving the agreed goals through innovative approaches and lessons learned about what works in practice. It also designs and oversees the training and capacity development programs of UN Women, working closely with the UN Women training facility in Santa Domingo.

The Policy Division staff is organized in Thematic sections, bringing together technical experts who: undertake issues-based research; analyze data on country, regional and global trends; build a knowledge base on policy commitments and their implementation; propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards and for UN Women global programme strategies; and contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes.

Under the general supervision of the Chief of Section, the Data Specialist is responsible for substantially contributing to the area of VAW research and data, in order to achieve gender equality and advancement of women. He/she provides technical and policy advice on VAW data and statistics at country and regional levels, through strategy development, thematic reviews, tools for capacity building and channels for knowledge sharing and prepare documentation for UN normative intergovernmental processes; prepare studies, reports and content for policy advocacy. The Supervisor provides overall general direction and oversight on policy issues and effective delivery of jointly agreed annual workplan and helps the incumbent push through particularly difficult and sensitive issues with key stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

• Policy advice and technical support;
• Research, analysis and knowledge management;
• Support to intergovernmental processes and policy development;
• Representation and advocacy.

Policy advice and Technical Support:

• In collaboration with the Section team contribute to the development and adaptation of tools, guidelines and manuals on VAW research and data, for use by UN Women country offices, the UN system, and other partners;
• Identify and catalyze work in new/ cutting edge areas related to measuring VAW, statistics and indicators and through the initiation of global programmes when relevant, including working with the resource mobilization unit to identify potential funding sources in such areas;
• Support, including through technical inputs, the development of new global normative and intergovernmental standards;
• Provide technical inputs into programme documents, country strategies, and knowledge products;
• Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning;
• Provide policy advice and technical support to COs/ROs.

Research, analysis and knowledge management:

• Conduct research and data analysis, in collaboration with the Research and Data Section and other thematic sections in the Policy Division, on VAW;
• Review and support on-going research on VAW and undertake analysis of global, regional and national trends and changes in VAW prevalence data, causes and consequences of VAW, to identify gaps and challenges;
• Keep abreast of emerging development issues related to VAW research and data to galvanize UN Women's analytical capacity to respond;
• Develop flagship publications on key emerging issues related to measuring VAW and VAW research and data and develop internal guidance notes and briefings on the latest data on VAW;
• In collaboration with the Section team, contribute to the establishment of global communities of practice that promote collaboration, peer support, consultation and surface innovation, good practices, lessons and needs and opportunities;
• Engage in existing thematic and gender equality networks to better connect UN Women and partner work and promote learning and innovation.

Substantive support to intergovernmental processes and policy development:

• Provide substantive inputs in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes;
• Prepare substantive inputs and coordinate the development of analytical reports related to VAW research and data to contribute to the Secretary-General's mandated reporting to intergovernmental forums;
• Support the implementation of resolutions, decisions and other directives in relevant areas of focus, including through support to expert bodies created by intergovernmental forums;
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with UN and other global/regional partners and academia, to identify strategic opportunities and strengthen the availability and quality of data on violence;
• Collaborate with the UN Statistics Division in the global rolling-out of the global VAW indicators;
• Participate in inter-agency working groups and international fora on VAW data and research to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and position UN Women in this subject area.

Representation and advocacy:

• Represent UN Women at policy making inter-agency, intergovernmental and international technical and advocacy fora as requested by the Supervisor;
• Participate in international, regional or national meetings and provide programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions;
• Participation in regional or national meetings to be agreed in consultation with relevant Regional or Country Office;
• Contribute to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, advocacy and outreach;
• Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts in Human Rights to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women's work;
• Substantively service high-level corporate advocacy and communications, including through the preparation of quality speeches, talking points, briefs and media/outreach messages for UN senior officials (e.g. UN Women, SG, DSG, USGs, etc).

Impact of Results:

• The key results expected will have positive impact on the knowledge base related to violence against women and impact on the overall effectiveness of UN Women's work and mandate to end violence against women.

Competencies

Core Values/Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff.
• Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

• Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

• Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in teams:

• Build and promote effective teams;
• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communication and Information Sharing:

• Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual innovation in the provision of policy advice and technical leadership;
• Excellent and proven knowledge of gender issues and violence against women and girls
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work under time constraints;
• Establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client's perspective; anticipate client needs and address them promptly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in research-oriented social sciences, with a particular focus on gender equality and VAW. Specialized training in research related to data analysis, monitoring and evaluation.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of increasingly responsible professional experience at international level in designing, undertaking and analysing quantitative studies on VAW.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.