Un Women: Youth Engagement Coordinator

UN Women: Youth Engagement Coordinator

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.

Generation Equality is the world’s leading effort to unlock political will and accelerate investment and implementation on gender equality. It recognizes that a bold, whole of society approach is needed to disrupt entrenched and rising global gender inequality, underscored by intensified ambition, investment and accountability. The initiative brings together organizations from every part of society to catalyse progress, advocate for change and take bold actions together.

Generation Equality was initiated to disrupt decades of under-investment and lack of progress on gender equality implementation. The initiative intends to support the achievement of the SDGs and the realization of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action on women’s rights. With the intersecting challenges to gender inequality of COVID-19, the climate crisis, growing conflicts and intensified economic and political instability, the initiative aims both to stop reversals in women’s and girls’ rights as well as accelerate concrete progress.
Generation Equality was launched in 2021 at events in Mexico and France, and in the presence of Heads of State, VIPs, CEOs and civil society and youth leaders and activists. Initially conceived as a five-year initiative, work will continue through and beyond 2026 to enrol new commitment makers, press for collective action on gender equality and ensure accountability.

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Civil Society Division and the direct supervision of the Deputy Director – Civil Society Division, and with matrixed reporting to the Regional Director, the Youth Engagement Coordinator is responsible for the overall coordination of the youth and adolescents' engagement strategy to implement the Generation Equality agenda. This role is responsible for the design and coordination of youth advocacy and leadership within the Action Coalitions, and will oversee the capacity strengthening programme for youth leaders within the Action Coalitions and provides analysis on youth effective engagement in the ACs. It also provides strategic policy, coordination, and management of Generation Equality’s work on advocacy and partnership building with Youth and adolescent constituencies. The coordinator will be responsible for providing partners with advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives, as well as the monitoring and reporting of the programme. Furthermore, the role will support the development of resource mobilization strategies and advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts. The coordinator will provide strategic support to UN Women’s global, regional and country offices ensure the implementation of the Generation Equality Forum outcomes areas as outlined in the Generation Equality project document. The position will pay particular emphasis on strengthening youth engagement strategies, both externally and internally within UN Women. The post will have a combination of HQ and Regional functions and will work closely with all UN Women Regional Offices and in full coordination with UN Women’s relevant HQ Divisions, including Programme, Policy & Intergovernmental Division (PPID), Strategic Partnerships Division (SPD), UN System Coordination Division and Executive Director Office (EDO), and in particular the Generation Equality Coordination Hub and the Action Coalition Focal Points in UN Women.

• Please note: The duty station of this position is under review. It may be based in Geneva or Nairobi, subject to a final managerial decision.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Youth Engagement Coordinator will provide strategic, conceptual, monitoring and coordination expertise to the Civil Society Division’s (CSD) work on the Generation Equality Forum implementation, ensuring an intergenerational and intersectional approach to the implementation agenda of the GE Forum, by:

Provide substantive and strategic support to ensure youth engagement and leadership is mainstreamed in CSDs workplans, including the Action Coalitions:

• Manage the technical implementation of the CSD youth and adolescent programmes; provide technical advice; ensure synergies with other teams, with a particular emphasis on national and regional offices; develop knowledge products.
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to the intersections of civil society, youth, adolescent engagement.
• Provide strategic guidance on the Civil Society Division’s work on engaging youth (including adolescent) populations on issues of gender equality and movement building, including to country and regional offices, as well as establishing and strengthening partnerships with youth civil society organisations and individual activists, to deliver to the outcomes of the Generation Equality Forum, Beijing Platform for Action, and Our Common Agenda.
• Support the socialisation and rollout of the Safeguarding policy across the organisation
• Design and coordinate youth advocacy and leadership within the Action Coalitions, and oversee the capacity strengthening programme for youth leaders within the Action Coalitions, in partnership with the AC focal points at UN Women.
• Support the streamlining of youth and adolescents in the CSD workplan and budget and monitor their implementation.
• Provide regular analysis on youth effective engagement in the ACs

Partnerships Building and Strengthening

• Develop strategies and plans for strengthening the capacity of UN Women staff to engage with youth and adolescent partners towards the achievement of the GE Forum outcomes
• Partner with the CSD Field Engagement Coordinator, Generation Equality Coordination Hub, Action Coalition focal points and other team members to strengthen the engagement of youth and adolescents in the multistakeholder allyship models
• Coordinate partnerships with other UN entities on a consolidated approach to youth and adolescent engagement in line with Our Common Agenda
• Manage the partnerships with National Youth Gender Champions, adolescents and the youth leaders of the Action Coalitions.
• Support the integrated participation of youth and adolescents in multistakeholder processes as well as intergovernmental processes.

Resource Mobilisation and Project Management

• Lead the development of knowledge management strategies and methodologies and products.
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.
• Support resource mobilisation efforts towards the work on youth and adolescent engagement, in partnership with the Generation Equality Coordination Hub;
• Finalize quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Input into project documents, and manage the process of monitoring the programme/project implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Manage the youth indicators across the CSD responsibilities as outlined in the Strategic Note
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;

Key Performance Indicators

• Resources mobilized;
• Quality of advocacy, communication and knowledge management initiatives;
• Timely and quality programme delivery in line with budget, workplans and the Strategic Note;
• Strong relationships with youth and adolescent partners, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Quality knowledge products and timely sharing of best practices to improve/ enhance donor relations;
• Timely and quality programme strategies and contributions to Strategic Note;
• Quality reports and timely submission;
• Partners and other stakeholder provide positive feedback on advisory and technical services;

Competencies

Core Values:

• Integrity
• Respect for Diversity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Inclusive Collaboration
• Leading by Example
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Accountability
• Effective Communication
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Creative Problem Solving

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:

• Ability to contribute to detailed operational plans, budgets, and monitor these;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral;
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems and Results Based Management;
• Strong planning, goal-setting, prioritization and organizational skills;
• Ability to work in a high pressured environment with frequent short deadlines;
• Strong analytical, information processing, and review strategic skills;
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender equality and women's empowerment;
• Defined sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability..
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports;
• Excellent drafting skills with the ability to edit and clear written work products;

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, international relations, communications, women's studies, or a related field is required.

Experience:

• Experience working in the UN system is an asset.
• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in civil society mobilization and advocacy, with specific work on youth and adolescent engagement is required.
• Experience in gender equality and youth empowerment in intergovernmental and multistakeholder processes is required;

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English 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.)