Back Gender and Special Needs Officer

Background

The Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program for Ethiopia was initiated as a crucial step towards implementing the peace agreement signed between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on 2nd November 2022 in South Africa. This agreement ended the long-standing conflict that had arisen between the TPLF and the central government in Ethiopia, resulting in widespread violence and displacement.

The objective of the DDR program is to facilitate the disarmament of former combatants from Tigray, Amhara and Afar, their demobilization and eventual reintegration into civilian life. The program is geared towards restoring peace, promoting reconciliation and creating a conducive environment for sustainable development. Eventual areas of coverage will go beyond Northern Ethiopia and cover other regions of Ethiopia. 

The Government of Ethiopia has mandated and created the “National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC)” which is responsible for design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of the DDR programme in the country. The overall DDR beneficiaries identified are 371,971. The Government has planned implementation of the programme. In Phase 1, a total of 75,000 combatants will be demobilized in 2024 and the balance will be demobilized in 2025.

UNDP is supporting the NRC in close coordination with various national and international partners, including the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and other actors. It is expected that the DDR program will provide an opportunity for the combatants in North Ethiopia to turn their focus towards peaceful and productive activities, thereby contributing to the overall stability and development of the North Ethiopia region.

The DDR program has close linkages with the National Dialogue, Transitional Justice, and Peace Support programme. The DDR programme is anchored in the Governance Unit.

Position Purpose 

Under the direct supervision of the Reintegration Coordination Specialist and overall supervision of the Director DDR, the Gender and Special Needs officer is responsible for ensuring the needs and priorities of marginalized groups such as women and people with disability are addressed and met, as well as their capacities in regard to accessing DDR support and mainstream implementation of gender equality (GEN 2) seal in all DDR program activities. 

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Gender, Disability, Referrals & Action Planning focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Conduct a comparative analysis of national gender, disability policies vs. UNDP gender and disability inclusion strategies and DDR frameworks, to identify gaps and compliance risks.
• Draft and finalize DDR-specific Gender, Disability and Action Plans to mainstream these considerations across all DDR project phases.
• Support consultations with stakeholders’ women’s groups, persons with disabilities’ associations, GBV/SEA survivors’ networks, adhering to ethical protocols.
• Map and report service providers, to establish and formalize referral pathways and risk‐management protocols for GBV/SEA survivors.

  Manage the mainstreaming of Tools & Capacity Building focusing on the achievement of the following results:

  • Carry out gender and disability analysis to inform project design, planning and risk mitigation.
  • Develop and maintain mainstreaming tools, guidance notes, concept notes, checklists, for programme staff and partners.
  • Deliver targeted trainings and provide ongoing technical advice on gender equality, disability inclusion.

    Lead and manage the Monitoring, Reporting & Evaluation focusing on the achievement of the following results:

    • Define, track and report on gender- and disability-sensitive indicators within the Programme Results Framework.
    • Prepare quarterly and ad hoc inputs (qualitative & quantitative) on gender, PWD inclusion and GBV mitigation for programme reports.
    • Support field monitoring visits to verify compliance with inclusion standards and recommend corrective actions.
    • Provide regular updates on day-to-day gender/PDW activity implementation to the DDR team

      Advocacy, Partnerships & Events support focusing on the achievement of the following results:

      • Cultivate and sustain partnerships with UN agencies, Government, NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, PWDs, women’s rights organizations and other civil-society actors.
      • Support DDR high-profile engagements, roundtables, press briefings, training workshops and launches.

        Knowledge Management & Communications focusing on achievement of the following results:

        • Document and disseminate quarterly, annual, and periodic gender and PWDs updates, success stories and lessons learned to the DDR unit.
        • Produce backgrounders, briefs and presentation materials on gender, disability and GBV-related activities.

          The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

          Institutional Arrangement

          📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

          ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

          Under the direct supervision of the Reintegration Coordination Specialist and overall supervision of the Director DDR, the Gender and Special Needs officer is expected to closely collaborate with the programme, operations, and project teams to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

          Competencies

          Core competencies 

          • Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
          • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
          • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
          • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
          • Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
          • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
          • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making 

            Cross-Functional & Technical competencies  Thematic Area Name Definition Business Direction & Strategy System Thinking

            • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system Business Development Knowledge Facilitation
              • Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally Business Management Project Management
                • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals Business Management Partnerships Management
                  • Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies Business Management Communication
                    • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience 
                    • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels Business Management Monitoring
                      • Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results 2030 Agenda: People Gender
                        • Gender responsive conflict analysis

                          Required Skills and Experience

                          Education:

                          •  Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in social/political science, Gender studies, International Development, Conflict-resolution, and Peace-building or related field OR
                          • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

                            Experience:

                            • A minimum of 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience on Gender, SGBV, PWDs, MHPSS, is required 
                            • Experience in DDR, Gender inclusion, People with disability, community mobilization and engagement and addressing issues of community development.
                            • Experience in gender and disability analysis to inform project design, planning and risk mitigation is highly desirable.
                            • Experience working with multiple stakeholders and in multiple donor environments in International organizations is highly desirable. 
                            • Experience in post post-conflict environment is a strong advantage. 
                            • Knowledge of socio-economic, culture, and community development issues in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa is an asset.
                            • Proven experience in result-based reporting on gender, PWD inclusion and SGBV
                            • Past experience working with UNDP / UN and International Development Agencies is an asset

                              Language:

                              • Fluency in English and the national language is required.

                                Equal opportunity

                                As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

                                UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

                                Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

                                UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

                                Right to select multiple candidates

                                UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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