Gender and Humanitarian Specialist

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 Lebanon hosts one of the largest humanitarian operations globally.
The country is grappling with an economic meltdown, facing world’s highest inflation rate, as it continues to deal with the disastrous impact of the Beirut Port explosions and protracted Syria refugee crisis. Not to mention, Lebanon remains embroiled in the global the COVID-19 pandemic, and a devasting shadow pandemic, where sexual and gender-based violence has continued to harm women, girls and marginalized groups in high numbers.

The most marginalized households across Lebanese, refugee and migrant communities, have crossed emergency thresholds and require emergency assistance, especially women and girls. In March 2021, at least 78 per cent of the Lebanese population (3 million people) were estimated to live below the poverty line, while ‘extreme’ poverty reached as high as 36 per cent.[1] For Syrian refugees, extreme poverty hovers around 90 per cent, and half of Syrian families are food insecure.[2] The humanitarian needs for migrant women[3], and other marginalized groups, such as women and girls with disabilities, elderly women and LGBTIQ+ communities[4] are increasing. Gender equality and issues concerning women and girls’ specific needs remain central to Lebanon’s escalating humanitarian crisis.

Since 2016, UN Women has worked with national and international stakeholders to address gender inequalities and strengthen women’s empowerment in across Lebanon’s humanitarian response. UN Women’s Humanitarian Strategy has three key objectives:
I) Increase Gender Accountability in the Coordination and the Implementation of the Humanitarian Response
II) Strengthen Comprehensive Protection and Livelihood support to Crisis Affected Women and Girls
III) Advance Women´s Voices and Leadership in Humanitarian and Crisis Response and Recovery

Reporting to the Head of Office, the Gender and Humanitarian Specialist will oversee the development of Humanitarian programmes, provide capacity building to the Lebanon Country Office (CO),establish and strengthen partnerships, and develop relevant knowledge products on gender and humanitarian action.

[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099102
[2] VASyR
[3]https://middleeastandnorthafrica.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl686/files/publication/IOM_N%26V%20assessment%20of%20migrants%20in%20Lebanon%20%28May%2021%29.pdf
[4] https://oi-files-d8-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2021-07/Research%20Report%20-%20Queer%20Community%20in%20Crisis.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Manage the development of programmes on Humanitarian to the Lebanon Country Office and Programme teams

Manage the development of regional programme documents on humanitarian action;
Provide technical inputs to programme proposals from Lebanon Country Office;
Provide advice on contextualizing/ localizing programme documents, country strategies, and knowledge products;
Coordinate proper monitoring and reporting for humanitarian action in collaboration with programme teams.

2. Provide capacity building support to the Lebanon Country Office and Programme teamsand partners

Provide technical and policy support to the Lebanon Country Office teams in developing and strengthening projects/ programmes;
Implement and monitor capacity building initiatives;
Provide technical support to partners on implementation of humanitarian action.

3. Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/ international actors and development partners

Build and maintain alliances and strategic partnerships for the advancement of humanitarian action;
Build and maintain close liaisons with relevant donors and other actors supporting efforts towards humanitarian action, as delegated;
Contribute inputs to updates and briefs on regional/country development situation to be used by stakeholders,CO and HQ;
Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Women HQ.

4. Manage the resource mobilization strategy for humanitarian action in the region

Participate in the implementation, monitoring and periodic updating of the resource mobilization strategy on humanitarian action in the region;
Provide technical support to field based presences in the region in mobilizing resources for the implementation of humanitarian action;
Research and analyze information on donors.

5. Manage the design of humanitarian action in the region and the development of relevant knowledge products

Provide inputs to policy recommendations and guidance to strategic planning and positioning on humanitarian action;
Research and develop analytical reports, research papers, briefing notes, background papers, summaries, correspondence, and knowledge products on humanitarian action;
Identify promising practices, technical expertise in humanitarian action.

6. Manage the advocacy of humanitarian action through inter-agency coordination

Work closely with and provide advice to regional/ national bodies and interagency groups that influence national policies related to humanitarian action;
Participate and contribute inputs to the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan and Emergency Response Plan;
Coordinate specific efforts in mainstreaming gender and protection in disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts of other clusters and relevant working groups;
Advocate for the engagement and participation of local organizations and civil society networks in humanitarian coordination mechanisms.

7. Manage advocacy and communication efforts of humanitarian action

During emergency response, develop and implement communication and advocacy messages and contribute inputs to strategies on key gender and protection concerns;
Develop information, education and communication (IEC) materials, press releases, situation reports, alerts and contribute gender and protection-related inputs to documents prepared by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

8. Manage knowledge building and sharing for humanitarian action

Identify and disseminate lessons learnt and good practices in collaboration with country offices;
Ensure technical skills and knowledge are shared within and among the Lebanon Country Office.

Key Performance Indicators

Timely and quality technical advice and support
Quality reports and other strategic documents drafted and submitted in a timely manner
Strong relationships with various partners and stakeholders
Contributions to resource mobilization
Timely and quality knowledge products

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

Functional Competencies

Strong knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in the fields of gender equality, protection and humanitarian action, including humanitarian coordination;
Strong knowledge of the region
Strong networking skills
Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising
Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
Strong analytical skills;
Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings;
Strong knowledge of programme development, implementation, results based management and reporting

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, gender, international relations, international development, international law or other social science fields 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.
A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible working on issues of gender and humanitarian action.
Technical experience in inter-agency coordination, preferably protection cluster coordination, and/or ProCap/GenCap in a natural disaster setting;
Experience in policy analysis and strategic planning;
Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field;
Experience working with the UN is an asset; and
Experience working in the region is an asset
Computer skills, statistics, internet communication and command of MS Office

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required;
Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;