Notes:
• This temporary position is available through 31 March 2017, subject to extension based on the availability of the post.
• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.
• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
• The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.
• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English
• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.
This post is located within the ESCWA Centre for Women (ECW) of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. The Chief of Section-Senior Gender Affairs Officer reports directly to the Director of ECW.
The Chief of Section - Senior Gender Affairs Officer will be responsible for carrying out the following:
1-Provides policy guidance to the Director of the Division, on conceptual strategy development and recent development in the region related to women and gender issues;
2-Plans and oversees the human and financial management of activities undertaken by the Section; ensures that substantive work programmes and programmed activities of the Section are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Section, and, in liaison with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate;
3-Manages, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Section under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others;
4-Provides substantive input in the preparation of ESCWA and the Centre’s publications, position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women, the biennial sessions of the Commission and its subsidiary committee on women, regional and national expert group meetings and seminars, as appropriate;
5-Conduct research on women, and gender issues, gender mainstreaming and gender analysis in political, legal, economic, social and cultural development as outlined in the ESCWA strategic framework.
6-Contributes to the provision of substantive services to member states through conducting research or missions as requested by the Director and in coordination with the Regional Advisor;
7- Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those related to gender issues in the Arab region;
8- Ensures that the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Section under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates;
9- Prepares inputs for the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery;
10-Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates;
11-Recruits staff for Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values;
12-Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision;
13-Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Unit/Section and across organizational boundaries;
14-Represents ESCWA at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues;
15-Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on women and gender related issues, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
•Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
•Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
•Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Managerial Competencies
•Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
•Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in sociology, anthropology, public policy , law or related area. PhD is highly desirable. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in women-specific and gender issues and their relevance to development at the national and regional level, as well as experience in programme and project planning, analysis and management. Experience the Arab region is also required. Published research in Arabic or English is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. Arabic is also a working language of ESCWA. For this post, fluency in written and oral English is required and knowledge of Arabic is desirable
The shortlisted candidates may undergo a substantive assessment related to the functions of the post in addition to a competency-based interview. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.