The Position:

The Programme Specialist, Gender and Human Rights oversees the gender and human rights project formulation and evaluation, joint programming initiatives and national development frameworks. You will lead the gender and human rights programme team and collaborate with the Country Office’s operations and administrative support staff.

S/He will report to the Deputy Representative.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s Strategic Plan (2022- 2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

In Ghana, UNFPA has started implementing its new five-year 8th Country Programme 2023-2027.  The 8th CP aligns well with national, regional and global priorities including aligning with the UNFPA strategic plan, 2022 – 2025, that seeks to accelerate the reduction of preventable maternal death, unmet need for family planning, and gender-based violence and harmful practices. It fits within two of the three pillars of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), 2022 – 2025, namely: equitable access to social services and promoting a peaceful Ghana. In addition, the country programme aligns to the ICPD Programme of Action, the national voluntary commitment made by the Government at the Nairobi Summit on the 25th anniversary of ICPD (ICPD+25), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Overall, the country programme contributes to national priorities, including creating a wealthy, inclusive, sustainable, equitable, resilient, healthy and disciplined society, encapsulated in the President’s vision of “Ghana Beyond Aid”.

Working within a large and complex Ghana Country Office environment, you will ensure the effective management of UNFPA activities in the areas of gender and human rights in line with the Ghana Country Programme Document (CPD) 2023 – 2027 focusing on strengthening national capacity in the area of gender and human rights, especially for the most vulnerable populations, including women, young people and internally displaced people.

Employing your programme management experience, you will oversee the work of the gender and human rights programme team as well as consultants, advisors, and experts. You will establish and maintain collaborative relationships with counterparts in government, multi-lateral and bilateral donor agencies and civil society to address emerging issues related to gender and human rights, and effectively influence diverse stakeholders to contribute to achieving UNFPA’s mandate. You will contribute to policy making and strategies related to gender and human rights issues and their inclusion in the national development agenda as outlined in the regional and global priorities, including aligning with the UNFPA strategic plan, 2022 – 2025, that seeks to accelerate the reduction of preventable maternal death, unmet need for family planning, and gender-based violence and harmful practices, and it  fits within two of the three pillars of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), 2022 – 2025.

You will establish and maintain collaborative relationships with counterparts in government, multi-lateral and bilateral donor agencies and civil society to address emerging issues, and effectively influence diverse stakeholders to contribute to achieving UNFPA’s mandate.

You would be responsible for:

1. Policy Dialogue and Technical Leadership

• Oversees the positioning of UNFPA on gender equality, women’s rights and inclusivity within broader national development agendas.
• Engages in policy dialogue with the Government, UN system and other development partners to incorporate the needs and rights of women and girls into national policies, strategies and plans, and within UN system wide initiatives and frameworks.
• Promotes awareness of the critical role of the ICPD PoA in the achievement of Agenda 2030 in high-level meetings, conferences and other fora.
• Keeps abreast of policy and legal developments that affect gender equality and women’s rights and prepares analysis on the implications for the work of UNFPA.
• Identifies policy gaps in the fulfilment of women’s rights including reproductive rights and translates knowledge gained from programming into policy recommendations.
• Facilitates the conduct of in-depth gender and human rights analyses of trends, threats and risks that may negatively impact the achievement of the ICPD agenda and advances strategic approaches to respond to these trends.
• Represents UNFPA in technical fora of government, civil society and academic institutions as well as of other technical agencies and partners.
• Provides technical leadership on gender equality and women’s rights, with a special focus on addressing GBV and harmful practices in development and humanitarian contexts in the country.
• Actively promotes, nurtures and participates in relevant networks and coalitions related to gender equality and social inclusion, gender-based violence and harmful practices.
• Provides vision, direction and technical guidance to the positioning of gender equality and women’s rights at the national, regional and local level, including in policies, strategies, plans and programmes in development contexts.
• Ensures state-of-the-art thinking and research is integrated within UNFPA’s gender and reproductive rights portfolios, incorporating an intersectionality lens and an integrated approach across all other thematic areas of work.
• Provides technical guidance on rights-based, gender-centric and inclusive programming that takes into consideration intersecting identities such as caste, race, gender, sexuality and other individual characteristics to reach women and girls that are furthest behind.
• Leads UNFPA’s contributions to the CEDAW, CRC and UPR reporting processes in the country to ensure issues relating to the ICPD PoA are addressed and the interlinkages between gender equality, human’s rights, GBV and reproductive rights are established and reflected in the reports.

2. Advocacy and Resource Mobilization 

• Promotes UNFPA’s comparative substantive role and contributions in advancing gender equality and women’s rights, with a special focus on GBV and harmful practices in the national development.
• Advocates for increases in national and sub-national budgetary allocations and expenditures for gender equality and women’s rights to leverage financing for the ICPD agenda and to ensure the sustainability of interventions.
• Collects, analyzes and synthesizes information/data and experiences on programme priorities to be used in advocacy efforts and for resource mobilization.
• Contributes technical inputs to communication materials for advocating for gender equality and women’s rights, with a focus on addressing all forms of violence against women and girls and the realization of reproductive rights as essential for sustainable development.
• Provides inputs to content for visibility of UNFPA’s work and achievements on gender-based violence, child marriage, gender-biased sex selection, and comprehensive sexuality education including for the development of briefs, reports, press releases and social media.
• Identifies potential funding opportunities, including from public and private sectors.
• Develops concept notes, proposals for funding that are innovative and demonstrate potential for high impact as well as UNFPA’s comparative substantive role.
• Maintains partnerships with donors, keeping them regularly updated on implementation, in coordination with the project team lead and senior management.

3.  Programme Management and Coordination

• Leads the formulation of the gender and human rights component of the UNFPA supported country programme and projects, ensuring selected interventions position UNFPA as a thought leader in gender equality and women’s right, promote gender mainstreaming, integration of social norms change strategies, and an inclusivity lens across all areas of programme in UNFPA.
• Provides programme leadership in the management of the gender, harmful practices, and comprehensive sexuality education programmes and other relevant programmes and projects supported by UNFPA including strategic guidance and support for work plans development, implementation and monitoring as needed.
• Oversee the formulation and design of country programme and its component projects on gender equality, empowerment and human rights, in collaboration with Government counterparts, NGOs and other partners and in line with Government priorities and according to UNFPA programme policies and procedures.
• Works with the UNFPA implementing partners, experts, government counterparts and other UN system agencies in the design and efficient delivery of policy and programme interventions, promoting approaches grounded in gender equality and social inclusion.
• Ensures results-based monitoring and reporting under the gender and human rights portfolio.
• Actively participates in relevant UN inter-agency and development partners working groups and consultative processes, as needed.
• Guides and mobilizes support for the provincial and local policy and programme operations and supports the UNFPA gender teams at sub-national level to ensure effective upstream engagement, programme delivery and coordination, as needed.
• Promotes the use of state-of-the-art technical knowledge, evidence, lessons learned, and success stories and ensures their use to improve the effectiveness of UNFPA support to programme interventions.
• Contributes to capacity development activities in gender equality and human rights for UNFPA staff and UNFPA implementing partners.
• Manages programme and support staff, supervises consultants and facilitates working groups and task teams, as needed.

4.  Knowledge Management

• Ensuring the creation and documentation of knowledge about current and emerging gender and human rights issues, by the programme team through the analysis of programme, projects, strategies, approaches and ongoing experience for lessons learned, best practices, and uses this knowledge for information sharing and planning future strategies.
• Contributes to the documentation of lessons learned and best practices related to UNFPA’s work in gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Identifies and participates in communities of practice related to gender equality and women’s rights and shares new approaches with UNFPA staff and partners.
• Supports other substantive and programme areas as well as sub-national capacities in UNFPA to mainstream gender and human rights into all programme approaches and interventions including in emergency preparedness and response plans.

Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education: 

Master degree in Gender Studies, Human Rights, Law, Public Policy, Development Studies or related disciplines.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least five years of increasingly responsible professional experience at the advisory/managerial level in managing gender and/or human rights programmes.
• At least five years of increasingly responsible professional experience at the advisory/managerial level in managing gender and/or human rights programmes.
• Demonstrable technical expertise in gender equality, including knowledge of gender-based violence and harmful practices.
• Strong understanding of women’s rights and gender equality dimensions and inclusion in policy and programme formulation, implementation and monitoring.
• Proven experience in coordinating/managing a team of staff, experts and consultants.
• Familiarity in communicating in a clear and articulated manner, technical and/or complex issues to different types of audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to network within the development sector, including with civil society.
• Demonstrated experience in coordination and liaison with government counterparts, NGOs, UN agencies, private sector, development partners and CBOs.
• Possess excellent interpersonal, negotiating, intercultural communication skills, and political acumen.
• Ability to work independently and in culturally diverse teams.
• Field experience is an asset.
• Prior experience in the UN system is an asset.
• Experience using Microsoft Office software packages and web-based management systems such as the ERP system, Quantum, QuantumPlus, Quantum PowerBI, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in working successfully as a member of a multidisciplinary team.

Languages: 

Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages is desirable.

Required Competencies: 

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
• Embracing cultural diversity,
• Embracing change.

Functional Competencies:

• Advocacy/ Advancing a policy-oriented agenda
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/ building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Delivering results-based programme,
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization.

Core Competencies: 

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
• Communicating for impact.