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JPO - Executive Board Analyst

New York City

  • Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Junior level - P-2, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
    • UN REFORM EXECUTIVE BOARD
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

On 2 July 2010, the General Assembly created the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) through its adoption of resolution 64/289. 

The resolution established the governance of UN-Women as follows:

  • the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on the Status of Women shall constitute the multi-tiered intergovernmental governance structure for the normative support functions and shall provide normative policy guidance to the Entity
  • the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Executive Board of UN-Women constitute the multi-tiered intergovernmental governance structure for the operational activities of UN-Women and shall provide operational policy guidance to the Entity

The Executive Board carries out functions as outlined in annex I to General Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20 December 1993, which specifies the functions of governing bodies of United Nations development funds and programmes, considering the provisions of resolution 64/289. The Executive Board meets at an annual session, as well as regular sessions between annual sessions as required to accomplish the work set out in its workplan. Regular sessions are typically held in January and September; the annual session is typically held in June. The Under-Secretary-General/Executive Director of UN-Women or his or her representative shall participate without the right to vote in the deliberations of the Executive Board.

In light of recent developments in intergovernmental dialogue on the repositioning of the UN Development system as spelled out in General Assembly resolution GA/RES/72/279, which includes the proposed harmonization of the working methods of UN-Women, UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, and WFP Executive Boards, the responsibilities of UN-Women’s Executive Board Secretariat have very much expanded. These responsibilities will now also very much focus on strengthening inter-agency cooperation at the level of agency governance structures. The quest for a more coherent UN governance system will require a strong scale up in inter-agencies consultation and common planning.

Responsibilities of the UN-Women Secretariat with respect to UN Reforms will include:

  • to identify a set of common agenda items, together with UDP/UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, with a view to harmonizing the consideration of those agenda items with these agencies, beginning from the first regular session 2019 onwards; 
  • to develop a shared calendar of activities and other coordination tools, with the Funds and Programmes Executive Board secretariats to ensure strengthened system coherence.
  • to continue to enhance documentation to make it more strategic and analytical, and to include best practices, actions being taken to address lessons learned, challenges and risks, building on the interactions with the Board, as appropriate; 
  • to engage with the Executive Board, and with UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, and WFP, on the efficient and effective implementation of the guidelines for Executive Board field visits and reporting requirements;

Content and methodology of supervision:

The JPO will work under the overall guidance of the Director of the Intergovernmental Support Division and under the direct supervision of the Secretary of the Executive Board.

The JPO will have regular meetings with the supervisor and other members of the team on topics of direct relevance. At the beginning of the assignment, a negotiated work plan will be developed, with detailed expected outputs and success indicators over the reporting period. Informal feedback will be provided regularly, formal written feedback after three months and then twice yearly.

Upon completion of the assignment, the JPO will well understand the inter-governmental processes at the United Nations system, in addition to have gained a comprehensive understanding of UN reform processes. S/He will have developed strong diplomatic and negotiation skills and a good understanding of the UN development response at both Headquarters and country levels. S/he will have a strong understanding of international relations at a multi-governmental level.

Training components:

  • Participation in a UN Women Induction Course in New York within the first 6 months of the assignment;
  • JPO will be required to complete all UN Women mandatory online training courses including introductory courses on gender equality concept and programming approaches for UN staff, courses on sexual harassment, ethics, HIV in the workplace and security.
  • JPO will have access to online training and learning resources of the Learning Management System to develop management skills as well as knowledge in specific technical areas in line with the individual learning plan. Training opportunities will be explored in the fields of communication, negotiations skills, website management and internal management systems.
  • Use of yearly JPO duty-related travel and training allocation (DTTA), as per the online DTTA guide;
  • A significant amount of the JPO’s development will occur through guided experiences which take place during the assignment.

Learning elements:

Year 1: The JPO will have a strengthened ability to communicate on complex issues; a sharpened political acumen; a thorough understanding of UN reform processes; a robust understanding of inter-governmental governance structures and decision-making, including the implications of the Executive Board working methods; S/he will be able to conceptualize user friendly tools, especially web-based, to make the work of the Executive Board more effective.

Year 2: The JPO will have a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the UN development system and a good understanding on how to make the UN system more effective and coherent. S/he will have contributed first hand to report, and creatively research and discuss innovative solutions, especially in relation to the harmonization of the governance of UN Funds and Programmes. in the implementation of a Strategic Plan and its impact at the national level. S/he will be able to understand the interface between the normative and standard setting work of intergovernmental bodies and how this translates into the cycle of implementing these norms at country and regional levels.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Serve as focal point for strengthened coordination, coherence and harmonization among the Executive Boards of UN-Women, UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, UNICEF and WFP.
  • Serve as Focal Point for the following up on the implementation of UN repositioning governance reforms, with specific attention to all Funds and Programmes Executive Board decisions on the UN repositioning and the working methods of the Executive Boards.
  • Assist in managing the UN-Women Executive Board formal and informal inter-governmental meetings by keeping track of important events and following up on the agendas of the Executive Boards of Funds and Programmes to ensure cohesion and coherence in the governance work of the Governing Bodies. 
  • Undertake research as required, for papers and analytical studies on issues pertaining to gender equality and women’s empowerment for the Executive Board and its translation into the UN-Women positioning with regards to UN reforms and the coherence of the governance structure of the UN Development System; carry out background research, draft agendas, minutes of meetings, etc.; undertake research, including statistical research, as required, for documents and reports for Executive Board sessions. 
  • Support the Secretary of the Executive Board in preparations for Executive Board members’ field visits to programmes countries, and, joint field visits of the Executive Boards of UN-Women, UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, UNICEF and WFP; as well as the mandated UN-Women specific filed visit of the Executive Board.
  • Develop in coordination with the Funds and Programmes and comprehensive tracking and follow-up system on the requests emanating from Executive Board official sessions.
  • Ensure timely follow-up to Executive Board Bureau decisions meetings and, follow up on the dissemination of pertinent information to UN-Women senior management and other relevant staff at UN-Women Headquarters and in other offices regarding the Executive Board as needed.
  • Draft and/or review correspondence, and edit briefing notes, talking points, meetings notes prepared by others, notes for the file and presentations.
  • Perform other duties and special assignments which may be requested by the Secretary of the Executive Board.

Competencies

Key competencies of the assignment:

  • Demonstrates commitment to UN-Women’s mission, vision and values
  • Demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural team, with outstanding team spirit
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
  • Produces qualitative, accurate outputs with considerable attention to detail and language, in a timely manner
  • Manages complexities, shifting priorities, and can work effectively without constant supervision
  • Maintains constructive, effective business relationships with clients and partners
  • Adheres to deadlines and follows up on time-bound issues
  • Maintains diplomacy, tact and strict confidentiality with internal and external partners and clients
  • Strong interpersonal and communication (verbal, listening, writing) skills
  • Organization skills (time management, efficient administration, multi-tasking and fast-paced)
  • Ability to work under pressure within strict deadlines
  • Ability to adapt quickly to work demands, and changing deadlines
  • Willingness to “inter-change” work functions with other staff within the Unit, when required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education requirements:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in the field of communications, political sciences, law, economics, public relations, journalism, public administration or other relevant/similar field.

Working experience requirements:

  • At least 2 years of specialized professional experience in public relations, communications, donor relations and advocacy at the national and international level.

  • Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and in handling web-based management systems

Language requirements:

  • Fluency in English, both oral and written is required;

  • working knowledge of another UN official language of the Executive Board (French, Spanish) is an asset. 

Nationality:

This post is open in the context of the JPO scheme sponsored by the Government of Norway and is addressed exclusively to nationals of Norway.

For all the information about the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme, please visit our website: http://www.jposc.undp.org/content/jposc/en/home.html

Disclaimer

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. 

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.

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This vacancy is now closed.
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