Coordination Specialist - Pretoria at United Nations Development Programme

Duties and Responsibilities

Manage Inter-Agency coordination on GEWE and LNOB to achieve a coherent and aligned presence for the UN portfolio in South Africa

• Provide substantive technical support to the South Africa RCO and UNCT on Inter-Agency coordination on GEWE+LNOB related activities;
• Support and provide technical support on the coordination of GEWE in countries also covered by SAMCO, i.e. Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia, working closely with GEWE Coordination Analysts and RCOs;
• Convene Inter-Agency dialogue and strategic positioning on critical GEWE issues.
• Participate in and provide support to joint Inter-Agency UN planning processes and similar exercises;
• Oversee the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Scorecard and Gender Marker;
• Provide coordination and technical support to the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the disability scorecard;
• Ensure efficient management of the PSEA coordination mechanisms, in close collaboration with the RCO, UNICEF/UNFPA and other UN agencies;
• Provide substantive support to policy papers, briefing notes and talking points as required;
• Coordinate with the RCOs, other UN agencies, government departments, donors, and NGOs on GEWE+LNOB to ensure harmonization and alignment with other in-country efforts;

Provide technical support on gender mainstreaming and LNOB principles to the UNCT in strategic planning and reporting.

• Provide technical support  localization of global norms and standards on GEWE within UN strategic planning processes.
• Participate in and coordinate agency gender and LNOB focal point engagements at country level CCA/ UNSDCF processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;
• Prepare substantive inputs towards the establishment of a gender transformative CCA/ UNSDCF and other documents as necessary;
• Provide substantive inputs to country programming processes and products to ensure the incorporation of gender equality perspectives, including Joint Work Plans, ensuring the incorporation of the UNCT Gender Equality Marker, programme/ project documents and other UN system joint programming;
• Coordinate substantive agency inputs to joint UN reporting on GEWE results.
• Provide coordination support  the engagement of GEWE CSO’s, women’s rights advocates, and other stakeholders in UN strategic planning processes and coordination.

 Provide technical support and guidance to the development of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization efforts

• Develop and foster UN partnerships on GEWE and LNOB principles with relevant line ministries, development partners, and civil society organizations, including organisations representing the most marginalized groups of women;
• Coordinate UN support to national GEWE coordination mechanisms, including the Development Partners Group - Gender and the Gender Mainstreaming Working Group - Macro Policy;
• Ensure  capacity development on GEWE and gender mainstreaming of UN Agencies in country, Civil Society Organizations, Private sector and other stakeholders as necessary

Facilitate Inter-Agency Knowledge Building and Sharing on GEWE

• Monitor GEWE trends globally and in South Africa and update the RC and UNCT as appropriate.
• Facilitate engagement of the UN system in South Africa on strategic GEWE issues, including CEDAW, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Country Gender Equality Profile;
• Participate in and contribute to policy dialogues and initiatives around GEWE;
• Manage the development and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned on GEWE and gender mainstreaming across the UN system in South Africa; support incorporation into programme and policy planning;
• Provide knowledge management and awareness raising support across the UN system on critical GEWE issues;
• Oversee Inter-Agency capacity building exercises on GEWE, including gender mainstreaming.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality contributions to the UN Gender Group, LNOB, PSEA and other coordination meetings;
• Quality inputs and technical support on coordination and GEWE provided to UN agencies;
• Quality inputs to planning processes and reports;
• Greater awareness among UN stakeholders of global GEWE norms and standards;
• Quality briefing notes and advocacy materials;
• Timely engagement with government, CSO and Development  partners on critical GEWE events and initiatives.
• Increased awareness of UN work on GEWE.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in international development, public administration, public policy, or other relevant social science 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.

Professional Experience

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience working with Inter-Agency coordination to advance GEWE, including gender mainstreaming in strategic planning processes; 
• Previous international and country level experience with the United Nations, preferably on UN interagency coordination and reform – delivering as one or joint programming.
• Experience in engagement with gender equality and intersectionality issues including report writing, evaluative assessments and data compilation and analysis of relevance to broad accountability frameworks.
• Experience in coordinating and working with multiple stakeholders, Development partners, governments, and civil society, on gender and intersectionality issues including mainstreaming GEWE and LNOB.
• Previous experience of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard a strong advantage.