Technical Adviser on Womens Protection

UN WOMEN: TECHNICAL ADVISER ON WOMEN'S PROTECTION
Location:occupied Palestinian territory (Jerusalem, with travel to other locations in the oPt. Travel to Jordan may be required), PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Application Deadline : 30-Sep-11
Type of Contract:Individual Contract
Post Level:International Consultant
Languages Required :English 
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)    10-Oct-2011
Duration of Initial Contract:3 months
Expected Duration of Assignment:Possibility of one month extension

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. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women 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.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Head of Office in the oPt and the direct supervision of the Women Human Rights Project Manager, and within the framework of the projects related to VAW executed by UN Women, the Technical Adviser will undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

-Work closely with the other members of the WHRU team;
-Participate in regular coordination meetings with UN Women project staff and Office staff; 
-Provide technical backstopping to UN Women on protection issues and related services;
-Ensure transfer of knowledge from Mehwar to other related initiatives and produce written documentation, as requested;
-Provide technical advice, in coordination with the Project Manager, on project-related  technical issues, in compliance with the UN Women global and country strategies as well as  human rights-based approach protection strategies;
-In cooperation with M & E consultants, set frameworks and criteria for technical monitoring and evaluation of all projects components related to VAW through a participatory approach that combines professional inputs from the NGOs or Non NGO partners and various specialized departments/institutions;
-Monitor, within VAW projects and as requested, the application of international human rights standards and the provision of qualitative services for women’s protection and empowerment;
-Provide technical support during the periodical technical project evaluations, as requested, against agreed upon goals, priorities, development objectives and targets, in coordination with the Project Manager and technical staff of project partners;
-Provide technical advice, in coordination with the Project Manager, to project partners on protection issues, in compliance with UN Women’s human rights-based approach, its global and country strategies and relevant protection-related strategies;
-Ensure that technical advice is always provided through a participatory and empowering approach, based on a continuous assessment of needs and priorities;
-Act as the technical “liaison” with any other appointed technical consultant on short-term basis in order to ensure implementation of effective empowering processes and adherence of technical assistance plans of intervention to actual needs and agreed upon priorities and goals;
-Ensure effectiveness and suitability of the technical assistance component implemented in identifying actual needs, shaping strategic plans for technical assistance, developing an exit strategy, as well as ensuring constructive and nationally-owned application of international human rights standards;
-Identify emerging protection issues within the oPt and provide recommendations to UN Women regarding strategies and initiatives to enhance the policies aimed at combating gender based violence;
-Document the experiences of the projects in terms of the human rights standards within shelters and protective services for women, for discussion and dissemination through UN Women;
-Ensure regular and continuous flow of information;
-Collect  information and data on technical issues as identified in close coordination with the Project Manager;
-Draft technical essays, including recommendations, on specific emerging protection issues;
-Draft regular analyses of protection gaps and project technical achievements, in terms of transfer of know-how and implementation of it, making direct use of UN Women indicators;  
-Contribute, through data collection and analyses, to the updating of the existing documentation on domestic violence in the oPt, and to its literature review, addressing causes and consequences and taking into special consideration the social costs of violence;
-Work in coordination with Mehwar Centre staff for the identification of necessary maintenance works for the Centre, to be conducted in line with international standards for shelters, providing advice to UN Women in relation to the refurbishment works advising on the best possible modality;
-Perform other duties as required.
 
Key deliverables
-Final edited staff recruitment guidelines for Mehwar Centre; 
2-Mehwar Centre project Mid-term review report;
3-Draft  of the Mehwar Centre project narrative progress report, covering until end-August, 2011;
4-2 pilot intervention plans for sheltered women developed, documented and presented to partners;
5-Draft project proposal related to setting up and monitoring standards for shelters;
6-Establishment of working group with mental health professionals and report documenting it.

Competencies
CORE VALUES / GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

-Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct;
-Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity;

CORE COMPETENCIES:

-Ethics and Values: Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity;
-Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
-Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring: Initiative-taking; coaching and mentoring ability;
-Working in Teams: Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
-Communicating Information and Ideas: Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
-Self-management and Emotional intelligence: Creating synergies through self-control;
-Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements: Managing conflict;
-Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning: Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of other;
 
FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

-Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women's rights and related instruments; 
-A proven ability to liaise with a variety of stakeholders and partners, including government and international organizations; 
-Strong analytical, dialogue, consultation and communication skills;
-Maturity, ability to take decisions under pressure and ability to deal with matters that are politically or culturally sensitive;
-Ability to work as a member of a team;
-Demonstrated experience in timely delivering of products and in contributing to complex processes within the security sector;
-Demonstrated coordination and facilitation skills;
-Results oriented, flexible and problem solving skills;
-Maturity, ability to take decisions under pressure and ability to deal with matters that are politically or culturally sensitive;

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

-University degree in human studies;

Experience:
-Extensive and proven professional experience in the area of gender-based and sexual violence and victims’ protection;
-At least 6 years of proven professional experience in sheltering services, including in technical advisory role;
-Extensive knowledge and understanding of the Palestinian socio-cultural and political context;
-Extensive and proven understanding of international standards of protection services, including sheltering;
-Previous professional experience within the UN system will be an asset.

Language Requirements:
 Fluent communication skills (comprehension, written, and spoken) in English.

UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.