Coordination and Partnerships 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 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 and recommitted to in 2016 and 2022. The partnership between the EU and UN Women supports gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world and focuses on policy exchange, joint advocacy and joint programming to advance women’s rights in the context of the critical priorities of the European Union and UN Women’s strategic plan. These include increased leadership, governance and participation in public life for women, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women and girls, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction, as well as climate change and digitalization, innovation and technology.

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.

Under the supervision of the Director, Brussels Office, the Partnership Specialist, supports the Brussels Office in sustaining and expanding UN Women’s partnership with the European Union, supporting dialogue with the different EU institutions, supporting the implementation of the MoU, supporting identifying partnership opportunities for EU and UN Women at global, regional and country levels including through preparation of policy updates and analysis, including briefing packages. S/he works closely with other members of UN Women Brussels team, and in close cooperation with SPD, as well as Policy and Programme Staff both at HQ and in the field.

The work requires knowledge on EU institutions as well as UN Women strategic priorities and programmes, as well as experience in partnership building for international development policies and programmes, involving dialogue with strategic partners

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical and analytical support to policy developments at EU level:

Monitor from a UN Women perspective relevant policy developments at EU level, particularly in key UN Women priority areas and prepare regular analysis to share with relevant UN Women staff;
Provide policy analysis to influence policy making on financial allocations for gender equality, including in the context of EU humanitarian and crisis response and in the context of EU policies related to climate change, green deal and the digital agenda;
Coordinate and prepare, in partnership with relevant UN Women colleagues, technical input to policy dialogue and consultations with the EU as well as inputs into relevant UN Women strategic planning processes related to the EU partnership;
Provide substantive support and advice for missions to Brussels, meetings and other consultations with the EU, including preparation of briefs and other materials; real-time donor intelligence captured, analyzed and prepared, including priorities and emerging issues, including in the changing geopolitical and aid environment.

Provide partnership building support in the context of UN coordination:

Support UN Women Brussels Office in coordinating the UN Brussels Team Gender Equality Working Group, including preparing the relevant meeting materials, setting up the agenda and liaising with relevant partners in Brussels;
Under the guidance of the Director, represent UN Women at other Brussels-based UN inter-agency fora, including participation in working group and task forces, including on the digital agenda, the green deal and peace and security; Provide policy inputs in these contexts;
Provide technical and coordination support in the development and management of UN Women’s strategic partnerships and working-level relationships with Brussels-based stakeholders, including particularly at the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council, the City of Brussels and key civil society organizations;
Support UN Women Brussels Office in resource mobilization efforts, including attending relevant meetings with EU stakeholders, carrying out analysis as needed.

Provide knowledge management, communication, and advocacy support:

Prepare high-quality materials for UN Women leadership including for missions and participation in events;
Prepare materials for events organized by UN Women or its partners in Brussels;
Ensure the visibility of the Brussels Office and the visibility of the donor through regular communication (including preparing social media materials for UN Women Brussels Office, engaging in the partner recognition weeks and acting as focal point on communications in the office)
Coordinate advocacy activities of the Office together with partners (EU counterparts, civil society, UN agencies, including the UNBT Communication Group);
Provide technical inputs and support to Country Offices (COs) and Regional Offices (RO), when necessary, on the production of EU-related communications materials.

Key Performance Indicators:

Timely and high quality inputs to policy documents and other analysis requests;
Timely attention and response to UN Women’s partners and donors;
Quality inputs to policy briefs and timely support to HQ, Country Offices and the Regional Offices for briefs;
Quality engagement and inputs in UN coordination mechanisms;
Quality communication and advocacy products which result in increased in visibility and a strong investment case for UN Women as well as strengthened partnerships;
Timely and quality inputs to resource mobilization efforts.

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women- values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

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 is required.
Experience in gender equality and women's empowerment is required.
Experience working with civil society organizations, international institutions and donors is required.
Experience working in the UN system is an asset.
Experience working on EU partnerships an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in both English and French is required.
Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application Instructions:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.