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 Strategic Partnerships Division (SPD) works to strengthen UN Women’s position as a partner of choice for gender equality and women’s empowerment among governments and private sector actors around the world. The Division does this by positioning GEWE in the intergovernmental and multilateral fora, and engaging with governments and private sector corporations, foundations and individuals as policy, programme and resource partners. A key premise for SPD is that engagement with partners should be holistic based on multiple aspects of partnerships, including policy advocacy and resource mobilization.
UN Women—in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU)—implements the EU-funded programme WE EMPOWER G7 (“Women’s economic empowerment at work through responsible business conduct in G7 countries”), which is operational in Canada, Japan and the USA. The overall objective of this programme is to contribute to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
With European Union funding, UN Women and the International Labour Organization are setting up an innovative programme on “Promoting women’s economic empowerment at work through responsible business conduct – G7 countries” (WE EMPOWER) that will be implemented over a period of three years.
The substantive work on women’s economic empowerment will be guided by the G7 Roadmap and stakeholder priority themes. The project’s operational platform is the Women’s Empowerment Principles, established by the UN Global Compact and UN Women in 2010.
UN Women seeks a Coordinator Consultant that will support the implementation of the WE EMPOWER programme in the United States. The Coordinator Consultant will support the delivery of the programme’s two main objectives: (1) Facilitate dialogues and exchanges among G7 countries' public and private sector; and (2) Further engage with the private sector in the elimination of gender inequality faced by women in the world of work.
Under the direct supervision of the WE EMPOWER Programme Manager, the Coordinator Consultant will be the programme’s day-to-day liaison person for activities in the United States. The incumbent will work closely with the members of the UN Women and ILO programme teams in New York and liaise with the European Union Delegation in the United States.
Duties And Responsibilities
The Coordinator Consultant will carry out the following key areas of activities: (1) Gather country-level information on women’s economic empowerment and provide substantive inputs to programme deliverables; (2) Develop a strong Advisory Group and a dynamic network of stakeholders; (3) Conceptualize and organize multi-stakeholder online and offline dialogues; (4) Engage stakeholders in campaigns and social media platforms; (5) Lead advocacy activities for Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) sign-on, implementation, transparency and reporting in the partner country; and (6) Support programme monitoring, reporting and evaluation.
Gather country-level information on women’s economic empowerment and provide substantive inputs to programme deliverables:
Collect, analyze and synthesize country-specific research, policy papers, articles, case studies and other knowledge based-products that can inform and shape the programme;
Contribute to the conceptualization and design of knowledge products, tools and incentives based on intelligence of the specific context in the United States;
Contribute to the design of outreach materials for use at events, webinars, campaigns and social media, including country fact sheets and infographics on women’s economic empowerment issues.
Develop a strong Advisory Group and a dynamic network of stakeholders:
Develop a roster of experts, advocates and decision-makers in strategic organizations and institutions in Japan, and continue to build it out to include speakers, meeting participants and other relevant stakeholders engaged in the Programme;
Help constitute and manage the Advisory Group of thought leaders in business, government, parliament, academia and civil society in various sectors and industries, and finalize their terms of reference;
Organize regular meetings with the Advisory Group to ensure members’ ongoing and active participation.
Conceptualize and organize on/offline multistakeholder dialogues:
Develop background materials for multistakeholder training session and dialogues that could help influence and advance concrete action, including concept notes, invitation letters, briefing notes, talking points, agendas, logistics notes and list of participants, in close collaboration with the programme team at UN Women headquarters in New York;
Organize action-driven training sessions and dialogues at strategic venues, conferences and summits, and ensure EU and programme visibility;
Build partnerships with strategic organizations/companies for programme implementation, visibility and overall success.
Engage stakeholders in campaigns and social media platforms:
Manage the Programme’s country-specific webpage on EmpowerWomen.org for dissemination of key knowledge products, information about events and opportunities for engagement, including for the Advisory Groups;
Support the dissemination of information about the programme’s activities, engagement opportunities, progress and results, including through social media and the monthly newsletter;
Suggest social media messages and liaise with the Team’s communications specialist for scheduling.
Lead advocacy activities for Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) sign-on, implementation, transparency and reporting in the United States:
Mobilize companies in the United States to sign the WEPs, set up a community of practice of WEPs signatories, and gather data, information and case studies about the companies’ WEPs implementation, transparency and reporting activities;
Support the development of incentives for companies to publicly report on progress on WEPs implementation, including through badging and certification;
Support the development of a sustainability strategy for activities beyond the three-year programme period.
Support programme monitoring, reporting and evaluation:
Provide substantive inputs to the design of surveys, interviews and focus group discussions for monitoring and evaluation of programme results;
Collect and prepare frequent stories illustrating programme results;
Contribute inputs to donor and evaluation reports.
Competencies
Core Values
Respect for Diversity;
Integrity;
Professionalism.
Core Competencies
Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
Accountability;
Creative Problem Solving;
Effective Communication;
Inclusive Collaboration;
Stakeholder Engagement;
Leading by Example.
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637 .
Functional Competencies
Substantive expertise women’s economic empowerment, workplace and marketplace policies and practices. Knowledge about the Women’s Empowerment Principles is an asset;
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment to different stakeholder groups, particularly the private sector;
Excellent analytical and writing skills;
Excellent planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills;
Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment;
Ability to undertake a diversity of tasks within a rapidly changing and demanding environment on short deadlines;
Knowledge of the UN system and its agencies, and the European Union institutions is an asset.
Education
Required Skills and Experience
Advanced university degree in economics, business or related field.
Experience
At least 7 years of relevant experience on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment issues in the partner country;
Proven experience in mobilizing stakeholders for action and in building networks;
Demonstrated effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with representatives of government, corporations, academia, international organizations, donors, and civil society;
Demonstrated established networks and familiarity with experts in women’s economic empowerment in the US context;
Demonstrated experience with multi-stakeholder engagement, particularly the private sector;
Proven experience with policy advocacy to advance women’s economic empowerment in the United States;
Work experience on US domestic (federal and/or local) policy issues is an asset;
Experience on multilateral groups such as the G7 is an asset.
Language Requirements
Proficiency (strong oral and written skills) in English is required.
