UN Women: Chief, Political Analysis and Programme Development Unit (PAPDU), New York, P-5 FTA

UNDP•New York, NY

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Political Analysis and Programme Development Unit (PAPDU) is part of the Policy, Programme and Inter-Governmental Affairs Division (PPID). PAPDU provides gender-responsive political and contextual country and regional analysis to inform strategic decision-making and advance UN Women’s triple mandate. The Unit delivers high-quality analytical and strategic support to the Executive Leadership engagements and represents UN Women in UN interagency and system-wide coordination fora on programming approaches. It also facilitates strategic liaison with programme country Member States based in New York and strengthens programmatic partnerships and political alignment. PAPDU serves as an institutional bridge and facilitates the flow of strategic information and analysis to and from global, regional and country office teams. The Unit consists of Regional Specialists who cover Arab States, Asia-Pacific, East and Southern Africa, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and West and Central Africa regions, providing region-specific insights and support to strengthen UN Women’s policy, programme and intergovernmental work. Under the supervision of the Deputy Director of PPID, the Chief is responsible for overseeing the work of the section and is part of the PPID leadership team.

Requirements

Master's degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, political science, economics or public policy or other social science fields.
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
At least 10 years of extensive development programme experience, including in gender equality and women’s rights at the international level, preferably in developing countries within the UN system, Agencies, Funds or Programs.
Technical expertise in one or more thematic areas covered by the UN Women Strategic Plan is required.
Fluency in English is required.

Nice To Haves

A [project/programme management] certification would be an added advantage.
Experience in inter-agency processes is desirable.
Experience of political analysis and context analysis is desirable.
Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.
Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese or Russian).

Responsibilities

Lead the development of strategic, high-quality, and gender-responsive political analysis of countries and regions to inform UN Women’s strategic foresight, programming, and global policy engagement, in alignment with the UN Women Strategic Plan.
Provides political insights and periodic global and cross-regional analysis on key issues, trends and crisis situations to support executive leadership, decision-making processes, institutional messaging, and effective intergovernmental and bilateral engagement with Member States.
Serve as a resource hub for UN Women Country and Regional Offices throughout the entire programme cycle, from CCA/UNSDCF formulation to SN development, quality assurance and implementation, leveraging PAPDU regional focal points and facilitating technical inputs and support from across PPID, in close collaboration with regional offices and SPU. All activities are aligned with the UN Women Strategic Plan, informed by political analysis, operational feasibility, and the UN 2.0 reform perspective. Promote cross-regional knowledge sharing and best practices. Provide regional context, and political insights into the strategic analysis process, including CCA/UNSDCF, Strategic Notes and UN Women’s corporate Strategic Plan and support on political trends and discussions on country configuration, including in relation to UN reform and implications for UN Women’s programme delivery;
Coordinates the UN Women’s contributions and facilitates strategic executive engagement within the system-wide prevention platform, including participation at principal-level Executive Committee and Deputy Committee meetings. Consolidates technical and policy expertise across divisions to develop high-quality, evidence-based analytical briefs and background documents, anticipating emerging trends from a gender equality standpoint. Oversees systematic follow-up on EC/DC decisions assigned to UN Women, thereby strengthening organizational accountability, knowledge transfer, and strategic influence within the UN prevention architecture.
Establishes and sustains regular communication with Permanent Missions from programme countries and regional groups. Provides up-to-date information regarding UN Women’s initiatives and key gender equality concerns through both informal and regional briefings; disseminates UN Women knowledge products; facilitates access to technical and policy advisory services; and organizes periodic knowledge-sharing sessions and cross-regional learning dialogues.
In close coordination with thematic teams and IGS, contributes to and supports political outreach with Member States related to major intergovernmental processes, including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and other global forums. Collaborates with regional offices to support regional intergovernmental activities, ensuring that valuable feedback and insights are shared across headquarters, regional, and country teams to inform their engagement with governments.
Contributes to the development of UN Women’s strategy for work in LLDCs, SIDS, Middle-Income, and High-Income Countries, including domestic resource mobilization efforts. Supports the implementation of UN Women’s universal mandate.
Coordinates UN Women’s involvement in South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) on gender equality issues, acting as the primary liaison with New York-based programme country Permanent Missions and UN agencies, while closely engaging with UN Women’s country and regional offices. Promotes the integration of gender equality principles and financing within SSTC initiatives, leveraging UN Women’s normative, operational, and coordination roles to enhance collective impact and partnership.
Supports the engagement of UN Women’s senior leadership with Permanent Missions and government delegations from national capitals.
Collect and disseminate best practices on programming at regional and country levels, and contribute to UN Women’s knowledge management efforts;
Facilitates effective two-way communication and feedback between headquarters, regional, and country teams to promote coherence, guide policy and programmatic decisions, and monitor emerging regional political trends pertinent to UN Women’s mandate and global advocacy efforts.
Lead time management and oversight to ensure team coherence and well-being.
Ensure high-quality and timely annual performance reviews (PMDs). Ensure that the team is compliant with mandatory training courses.
Lead the work on preparation of annual work plans and budget allocations. Ensure that quarterly monitoring reports are completed in a timely manner.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.