Regional Gender GDI/GESI Specialist at United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

Job Description

The United Nations Office for Project Services is an operational arm of the United Nations, dedicated to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners in the aid world.

Functional Responsibilities

Reporting to the Regional Director, and working closely with the AFR Management Team, Country project teams and HR coordinators, the GDSI Advisor will carry out the following tasks:

Gender, Diversity, Inclusion (GDI) and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Mainstreaming in Projects Oversee the implementation of the corporate GDI/GESI strategy at the AFR regional level, to ensure that annual regional business targets are met; develop a workplan on how to meet these targets, coordinate the actioning of tasks, liaising with all relevant stakeholders and report regularly to AFR management on progress Provide technical expertise in several GDI/GESI focus areas, including disability inclusion, LGBTQI+ inclusion, antiracism, and enabling environments Map current GDI/GESI mainstreaming initiatives in projects, identify strategic gaps, and make recommendations Advise AFR business units, including field offices, in the creation of the their GDI/GESI strategy and plans, emphasizing the adoption of an intersectional approach Assess the quality of GDI/GESI mainstreaming in projects and advise project managers on how to present business cases to donors who are reluctant to allocate funding for GDI/GESI activities in projects Establish a monitoring and oversight mechanism for GDI/GESI mainstreaming across AFR’s business units Coordinate the creation and distribution of tools to enhance communication, advocacy, and knowledge management around GDI/GESI Identify obstacles to implementation of GDI/GESI initiatives and goals and propose solutions Build internal capacity on GDI/GESI topics, including the organization of workshops and training sessions in collaboration with HQ as appropriate Lead the roll-out of internal awareness-raising campaigns around GDI/GESI In cooperation with colleagues from the Information Management department, support the improvement of data management, and the measurement of progress and results Identify and share best practices, within and outside the organization; contribute to existing and emerging corporate initiatives Contribute to organizational policies and strategies and/or working groups on behalf of AFR to increase the diversity of applicant pools across all dimensions, including gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and people with disabilities Create and nurture a network of global GDI/GESI focal points (e.g., working group, task force, or equivalent) to promote the exchange of ideas, coordinate the implementation of the action plan, and facilitate the escalation of relevant issues Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) Provide technical advice and support during the development and implementation of PSEAH strategy implementation, including operational support to regional and field office teams and implementing partners Oversee field offices’ efforts to develop and implement local PSEAH action plans Design, develop, and conduct training programmes and capacity building initiatives, for both internal and external partners. Adapt and roll out global and regional guidance to improve efforts to address PSEAH priority areas Strengthen understanding among UNOPS personnel on PSEAH policies and reporting procedures Link with corporate policy holders and focal points and work with AFR business units to promote compliance to organizational PSEAH procedures Identify best practices in PSEAH and facilitate the knowledge sharing at corporate, regional, and field office level

 Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

Advanced University Degree (master degree or equivalent) with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience OR First level University degree (bachelor degree or equivalent) with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience

Experience

Relevant experience is defined as experience in implementing initiatives on gender sensitive programming, gender equity and social inclusion, or gender mainstreaming, in a programmatic setting Experience in gender equality and social inclusion is required Experience in gender mainstreaming in a programmatic setting is desired Experience in gender mainstreaming in infrastructure projects is desired Experience in an operational setting is desired Experience with PSEAH initiatives is desired Experience working with UN system organizations and developing countries, particularly in Africa, is desired

Languages

Fluency in English is required (reading, writing, speaking) Fluency in French is required (reading, writing, speaking) Fluency in another official UN language is an added advantage