Gender and Climate Change/Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist (UN Women)

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 for women as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UNWomen will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In Viet Nam, UN Women contributes to the development objectives of Viet Nam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan and the National Strategy for Gender Equality. Its Country Strategy Note for 2022-2026 is aligned to the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 and is focused on supporting Viet Nam’s fulfilment of Gender Equality commitments under The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the promise of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to “leave no one behind”. The key priorities of UN Women in the 2022-2026 period are:

By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will benefit from and contribute to safer and cleaner environment resulting from Viet Nam’s effective and gender responsive mitigation and adaptation to climate change, disaster risk reduction and resilience building, promotion of circular economy, the provision of clean and renewable energy, and the sustainable management of natural resources.
By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will contribute to and benefit equitably from more sustainable, inclusive and gender-responsive economic transformation based on innovation, entrepreneurship, enhanced productivity, competitiveness, and decent work.
By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will have benefited from and have contributed to a more just, safe and inclusive society based on improved governance, more responsive institutions, strengthened rule of law and the protection of and respect for human rights, gender equality, and freedom from all forms of violence and discrimination in line with international standards.

Over the last decade, increasing natural hazards, climate-related emergencies, mounting insecurity and crises in Asia and the Pacific are eroding development gains, posing significant challenges in the transition to low-carbon, resilient societies. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was off-track to meet the transformational environmental, social and economic changes required to achieve gender equality, address climate change and realize human rights for all. The pandemic set back sustainable development progress while further increasing inequalities. Women and girls, especially those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, have faced disproportionate fallout.

Environmental degradation and climate and disaster impacts are unequally felt across the region. For women, people in poverty and other marginalized groups, pre-existing discriminatory social norms and pervasive gender inequalities increase exposure to risks while undercutting the ability to cope and recover from shocks. Women’s livelihoods are often the first to decline due to climate-related hazards and disasters. Further, inequalities in access to resources, finance and technologies leave women with greater challenges in coping and rebuilding after a crisis.

The low-carbon transition and social transformation required to solve the climate crisis pose significant opportunities to redress gender inequalities and promote human rights. By placing women and other marginalized groups at the centre, this transition can advance gender justice and occur more quickly with empowered women and marginalized groups acting as change agents. The second phase of the EmPower: Women for Climate Resilient Societies Project aims to scale up results and continue to promote gender-responsive and human rights-based climate action by supporting key regional and country stakeholders to achieve a broader impact across the Asia-Pacific region. The project is a joint project implemented with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

Reporting primarily to the Country Representative, UN Women Viet Nam (P5) with matrix supervision by the Regional Programme Coordinator on Gender and Climate Change , the Gender and Climate Change/Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist, is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the regional programme at the country level. S(he) will lead the partnership building and work in close coordination with various partners and stakeholders, which will guide and provide input for the performance of the programme at the country level. The Gender and Climate Change/Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist will also inform and update his/her supervisors at the country level about programme implementation and opportunities to build synergies with other relevant initiatives implemented by UN Women and key relevant stakeholders at the country level.

Job Details

Location: Hanoi, VIET NAM
Application Deadline: 30-Jun-23 (Midnight New York, USA)
Additional Category: Climate & Disaster Resilience
Type of Contract: Service Contract
Post Level: SB-5
Duration of Initial Contract: 1 year with possible extension

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Lead and coordinate the Gender and Climate Change, Disaster risk reduction and Humanitarian Portfolio of the UN Women Viet Nam, particularly the country-level implementation of the Regional Programme, “Strengthening human rights and gender equality through disaster risk reduction and climate change actions” (Empower Phase II)

Analyze country context and identify key opportunities and partners to advance the Gender and Climate Change, Disaster risk reduction and Humanitarian Portfolio and the programme planning and implementation at the country level;
Led the country level consultations during the inception phase to elaborate the detailed formulation of programme initiatives and the Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF) at the country level
Ensure the translation of the UN Women’s and SIDA regional programmers’ priorities into successful national/local interventions that resonate with country-level priority to promote human rights and gender equality in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and Climate change (CC);
Develop a detailed country-level work plan and implementation plan in line with the approved programme document in close consultation with the Regional Programme Manager and the Country Representative to ensure that it is aligned with the overall direction of the Regional Programme as well as UN Women’s strategic priorities on DRR/CC and humantarian response at the country level;
Manage the implementation of the country-level programme based on the Results-based Management (RBM) principles and in accordance to the UN Women’s standard rules and regulations;
Connect the country level activities with regional level initiatives and cross-country learning
Finalize country strategy documents, proposals, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related toCC and DRR;
Coordinate country-level needs assessment and development of training materials and workshops to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure coherence in the overall approach within UN Women and other partners at the country level
Identify country-level capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training, cross partner learning and sharing
Participate in disaster need assessment mission and lead the sector on protection and gender in humanitarian responses.

2. Lead monitoring and reporting of the country-level programme

Monitor progress of implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools in close collaboration with the M&E officer at the regional and country level;
Lead the drafting and consolidating of the reports on monitoring missions, programme results, outputs and outcomes at the country level;
Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports, including quarterly and annual results reporting in RMS, narrative and financial reports;
Record and maintain documents on relevant Programme activities, issues, risks and risk mitigation plans

3. Manage financial resources and supervise staff:

Supervise and manage a team of professional and administrative staff, review performance and mentor/coach staff.
Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the project including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting
Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners, along with the purchasing processes for goods and/or services.
Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

4. Build partnership building and lead resource mobilisation on gender and climate change/disaster risk reduction at the country level

Develop and manage partnerships with SIDA, other bilateral partners, relevant UN and multilateral agencies, government and civil society partners and experts at the country level to ensure timely and efficient delivery of activities and design of strategies;
Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies
Identify and advance resource mobilisation opportunities to advance country-level results on gender and climate change;
Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’priorities and develop the relevant partnerships
Engage in high-level dialogue at country level with the government and CSOs to create and/or strengthen their commitment to gender integration in DRR/CC policies and programmes;
Identify key partners to co-finance and co-organize workshops, trainings and/or activities based on methodologies and tools developed by the regional programme at country level;

5. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts at the country level

Lead the documentation of the programme implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines

Manage advocacy strategies and supports relevant, high-impact advocacy activities and campaigns with key partners and their implementation.
Collect knowledge on current and emerging trends by gathering relevant information on programme, projects, strategies, approaches and ongoing experience for lessons learned, best practices.
Coordinate exchanges of information and knowledge products internally and externally of the programme at country level;
Organize major advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products
Contribute to the elaboration and implementation of the knowledge management strategy

6. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on disaster risk reduction, climate change and humanitarian to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the region and countries

Represent UN Women and the EmPower: Women for Climate Resilient Societie programme in inter-agency coordination mechanisms within the UN and with other stakeholders by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
Act as secretariat for the Working groups on Protection and Gender in Humanitarian
Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects to be developed areharmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Competencies

Key Performance Indicators:

Timely and quality implementation of Programme at country level against set workplans, timelines and budgets, in line with the programme document
Thought leadership on gender, climate action and disaster risk reduction
Quality and timely reporting
Excellent relations with partners and stakeholders and generation of shared-value partnerships
Regular and timely monitoring of activities
Enhanced best practices and lessons learned documented and circulated
Increase in resources mobilized to co-finance programme activities
Increase awareness of UN Women and funding partners at country level

Core Values:

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, multi ethnic 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 Competencies

Ability to support design, implement, monitor and evaluate development programmes and projects on climate change and disaster risk reduction.
Knowledge of Results Based Management principles and approaches.
Ability to maintain networks and partnerships with UN agencies and other international partners to promote partnership and build alliances to advance organizational interests and competencies.
Demonstrated good oral and written communication skills.
Strong knowledge of UN and EU programme management systems
Strong knowledge in gender equality, women`s economic empowerment and private sector management, policies and environment

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification

Master’s degree or equivalent in Environmental management, public administration, law, economics, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas 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 would be an added advantage

Experience

At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects.
A minimum of five years of relevant work experience in the area of climate change, environment, disaster risk reduction, human rights, gender equality and women's empowerment, preferably at the international level
Experience in setting priorities, managing budgets, and work plans, participating in programme development and programme writing
Excellent written and communication skills
Experience in applying the Results-based Management (RBM) principles and approaches in programme planning, monitoring/reporting and implementation
Experience in managing government and donor relations in Vietnam
Previous experience working in the UN system is an advantage.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required;
Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;

Application

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: THIS LINK

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.