Partnership Consultant

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 work of the Brussels Office is inter alia guided by the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) which was signed on 16 April 2012. It reaffirms the partnership between the EU and UN Women to support gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world and to ensure closer collaboration on policies and programmes; sharing information, expertise and analysis in order to effectively advance women’s rights. The MoU focuses on the following (non-exclusive) thematic areas: gender justice, women’s leadership and political participation; women’s access to economic empowerment and opportunities; Combatting sexual and gender-based violence; Humanitarian aid; Women, Peace and Security; Responsiveness of plans and budgets to gender equality; Gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of global issues.

The Brussels Office Team supports, in cooperation with UN Women’s field presence and headquarters on resource mobilization and partnership building with the EU institutions. It leads UN Women’s corporate analysis of developments and trends related to EU institutions, ensuring UN Women’s senior management receives timely advice and recommendations. It supports UN Women’s field-based presences concerning collaboration with the European Union Delegations and also engages with the UN Brussels team inter alia on influencing policy development in areas of competence, including by advocating adherence to UN and multilateral standards and norms, and promoting consistency of approach and concepts. 

Throughout the assignment

Core values and 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 safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for 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:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competences:

• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues;
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with government representatives of Member States (donor and programme);
• Proven networking skills, and ability to mobilize support on behalf of UN Women;
• Strong negotiating skills;
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes;
• Strong IT skills, including databases, extranet and office software packages;
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, business management, social sciences, public administration, international relations, communications, women's studies, or a related field is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in partnership building, communications/ advocacy, and/or organizational development;
• Experience in gender equality and women's empowerment;
• Experience working with the EU/on EU related matters;
• Experience working with civil society organizations, international institutions and donors;
• Experience working in the UN system is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and French is required;
• Knowledge of any other UN official working language is an asset.

Institutional arrangements

The consultant will be supervised and will report to the Director of the UN Women Liaison Office in Brussels.

The consultant will be based in the UN Women’s Liaison Office in Brussels where s/he will have an office space, computer and software, phone and internet access.

Please note that UN Women cannot guarantee residence permits or visas for consultants.

Applicants must therefore have a valid work permit or permanent residency in Belgium.

Application:

• All applications must include a cover letter as well as 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.
• The selection will be based on both the P-11 form and the cover letter.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further steps.