Program Specialist, Gender & Social Norms, P3-FTA, Baghdad, Iraq

The Position:

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

You will report to the UNFPA Deputy Representative of Iraq Country Office.

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:

Working within a large and complex Country Office (CO) environment, you will ensure the effective management of UNFPA activities in the areas of women empowerment, gender equality, social norms change, and human rights.

Employing your programme management experience, you will oversee the work of the Gender and Social Norms 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, and effectively influence diverse stakeholders to contribute to achieving UNFPA’s mandate.

You would be responsible for:

 In collaboration with Government counterparts, NGOs and other partners, overseeing the design and implementation of the Gender and Social Norms programme component and its projects, aligning with Iraq Government priorities and UNFPA programme policies and procedures. 

• Overseeing achievement of Gender and Social Norms programme component results by ensuring appropriate policies are applied and monitoring and oversight mechanisms are established and implemented.
• Reviewing the political, social and economic environment relevant to UNFPA programme activities, and pursuing opportunities for UNFPA assistance and intervention. 
• Assessing implications of new policy developments and strategies on Gender and Social Norms programme execution, and ensuring their integration.
• Overseeing project implementation; establishing partnerships with executing agencies, experts, government counterparts and other UN agencies to facilitate timely and efficient delivery of project inputs.
• Ensuring effective knowledge management strategies are implemented by the programme team, capturing lessons learned and best practices for future planning; addressing training needs of project personnel.
• Participating in advocacy and resource mobilisation efforts of the CO, by ensuring preparation of relevant documentation, i.e. project summaries, conference papers, speeches, donor profiles, and participating in related meetings and public events.
• Chair or co-chair relevant working groups in collaboration with government, United Nations partners and civil society. Specially, co-chair with government the transitioning gender-based violence working group in Baghdad.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education: 

 Advanced degree in gender, law, human rights, and/or other related social science discipline.

 Knowledge and Experience: 

Five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the field of development, gender and human rights programming and advocacy; 

Experience in programme/ project management including experience in large multi-sector projects, designing and appraising proposals and actively liaising with relevant and potential project partners; 

Proven experience in coordinating/managing a multi-disciplinary team of staff, experts and  consultants;

Experience in drafting and implementing legislation; 

Field experience is an asset; 

Prior experience in the UN system is an asset.

 Languages: 

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