Gender Responsive Climate Officer, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SB4, Service COntract

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.

UN Women has a three-pronged mandate focusing on normative, coordination and programmatic engagement. Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is supporting national partners (governmental and non-governmental) in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life. UN Women also invests significantly in coordination within the UN, with national institutions, civil society organizations and with international development partners. In 2021 UN Women has commenced implementation of its Strategic Note for the period 2021 – 2025, which is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2021 – 2025) and is looking to further develop normative engagement with the key partners in the country. Programmatically, UN Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina works in four key strategic areas – Gender Responsive Governance, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Ending Violence against Women, and Women, Peace and Security. Given the cross-cutting nature of climate change and environmental protection, the Climate Officer will be expected to work across the four main strategic areas.

BiH’s economy is marked by high carbon and energy intensity and the country routinely tops the list of those with the highest air pollution levels in the world. The floods which have occurred in the past 10 years in BiH have also demonstrated the significant risks of natural hazards faced by Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whilst women are disproportionately affected by the economic, environmental, and social effects of climate change, they remain excluded from decision-making processes related to environmental management and adaptation.

The UN Women Country Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina has developed its work on the gender and climate nexus focusing on ensuring knowledge products and most recent in-country data on climate impact on women are in place for further informed decisions; enhancing women’s participation in decision making as BiH transitions to climate-sensitive resource management and economic systems; and supporting partners in conceptualizing and implementing innovative local initiatives to address climate change, while taking into consideration gender aspects. The office’s approach focuses on mapping data availability and the gender-sensitivity of legislative and policy documents; capacity-building of women on climate change, and of policymakers on gender-sensitive climate and environmental issues; and highlighting women-led CSOs and women activists in the field of environment and climate change. 

Functions / Key Results Expected

Support to coordination of gender-responsive green transitioning programme planning, implementation and monitoring:

• Ensure timely and efficient implementation of the programme activities and ensure that the project results are aligned with project documents and workplans.
• Develop task descriptions, coordinate contracting, monitor and technically resource implementation of consultancy contracts and agreements with the implementing partners.
• Prepare project plans, budgets, job descriptions for national and international consultants, experts/ institutions, and CSOs and supervise and evaluate their performance in delivering required outputs.
• Undertake close supervision of studies and analyses.
• Develop and update quarterly work plans and expenditure plans based on the agreed annual work-plan.
• Identify and obtain any support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the project.
• Ensure proper identification of and follow up with all relevant counterparts.
• Ensure project documentations/communication is properly done, tracking system is in place for effective project closure and any anticipated human resources changes on the project. 
• Contribute to UN Women planning and reporting corporate and donor requirements, as requested by the supervisors.

Gender-responsive green transitioning technical support:

• Provide technical/expert support to UN Women partners as well as consultants and collaborators, towards the achievement of intended results.
• Organize stakeholder coordination to ensure harmonization and sustainability of results.
• Foster strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the field of gender responsive governance.
• Identify and link to related ongoing activities within other institutions and encourage collaboration and synergies.
• Promote and advocate for the project in the media as agreed with supervisors.
• Undertake regular monitoring missions to ensure timely delivery and quality of results.
• Flag in a timely way issues of strategic concern and seek advice by the supervisors in finding appropriate solutions.
• Coordinate timely collection of all baselines and setting the targets. 
• Prepare deliverables and provide technical support and inputs as needed. 
• All other technical tasks as agreed with the supervisors. 

Reporting to UN Women:

• Develop quarterly monitoring reports on the state of the project implementation.
• Ensure project documentation/communication is properly done and tracking system is in place for effective project closure.
• Ensure adherence to the UN Women operating rules and procedures.
• Perform appropriate operations in the UN Women corporate ERP system Quantum. 
• Perform any other duty as requested by the supervisor or Representative.

Impact of Results

The post will contribute to the support provided to national and local governments to apply a gender-responsive perspective in planning, programming and policy developments related to climate change and the green transition.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to extract, interpret, analyze data and resolve operational problems
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work
• Ability to support a team and team building skills
• Strong IT skills and ability to apply it consistently in work tasks
• Good knowledge of administrative rules and regulations, organizational policies and procedures related to the position and ability to apply it consistently in work tasks
• Focus on results and positive response to feedback
• Attention to detail
• Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches
• Reports to internal and external partners in a timely and appropriate fashion
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet partners and donors needs and deadlines
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external partners 
• Responds to partners needs promptly

Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in climate and environmental sciences, social sciences, or closely related field. Bachelor’s degree in  climate and environmental sciences, or social sciences with additional two years will be given due consideration.

Experience:

• A minimum of 3 years (with MA) or 5 years (with BA) of relevant experience in similar positions is required.
• Demonstrated programme / project experience will be highly valued as well as the previous work and research on topics related to gender equality, human rights and impacts of climate change on women.
• Experience working on analytical or practical projects and having a good understanding of economic empowerment of and climate-related impacts on women in BIH.
• Experience with the international standards related to the Project Cycle Management and Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects is required. 

Previous experience working with UN or other international organizations will be considered an asset.

Language Requirements:

Excellent English and B/S/C language skills, both written and oral

Statements :

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.)