Livelihood Specialist, Amman, Jordan

LIVELIHOOD SPECIALIST

Location :Amman, JORDAN

Application Deadline :03-Mar-14

Type of Contract :Individual Contract

Post Level :National Consultant

Languages Required :Arabic English

Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)01-Apr-2014

Duration of Initial Contract :Six months

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.

Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. UN Women is also increasing its engagement in humanitarian response through interagency collaboration designed both to meet the needs of Syrian Women, and also to contribute to their overall empowerment.

As the three-year conflict in Syria continues and becomes protracted, it is estimated that 4.1 million people will be forced to leave their homes and become refugees in the region by the end of 2014. As of February 2, 2014, UNHCR registered nearly 2.4 million refugees living in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The willingness of neighbouring countries to host Syrian refugees has had considerable economic and social consequences. Government resources have been depleted and the coping capacities of local authorities and populations have been severely tested [1].

The needs of the Syrian refugees are great; many have lost family members, homes, and livelihoods and are faced with severe psychological distress and trauma as a result of their experiences. Women and girls face specific protection issues based on their heightened risk of sexual and gender -based violence in Syria, during their flight and in the course of settlement. [2] Due to the increase of refugees in host communities, Jordanians have also been impacted by the Syrian Crisis. They face additional competition from Syrians in local job and housing markets. Pressures on already-stressed education, health care, municipal infrastructure and services have placed a significant burden on the Jordanian Government and on the host communities, many of whom were already numbered among Jordan's 'Poverty Pockets'. [3]

UN Women aims to work at multiple levels to respond to the specific needs of Syrian Women Refugees in the camp and communities for livelihood support, building on their own initiatives and skills, as well as addressing vulnerabilities the women themselves have identified. UN Women currently works in two districts within Zaatari Camp to provide direct programming to Syrian Refugees and supports programming in Host Communities designed to prevent and respond to SGBV. The Agency is seeking to expand its work to include economic empowerment and social cohesion in the most affected communities.

UN Women is seeking a consultant to support the Humanitarian Unit in liaising with key stake holders, including partners and donors, support processes which lead to successful program implementation, and to play a role in our overall efforts to contribute to a gender-sensitive humanitarian response in Jordan.

[1] 2014 Syria Regional Response Plan (RRP 6), Strategic Overview

[2]Findings from the Inter-Agency Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence

Assessment in the Za'atari Refugee Camp, 2013; Gender-Based Violence and Child Protection Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan with a Focus on Early Marriage, Inter Agency Assessment, 2013

[3] Jordan National Resilience Plan, Proposed Priority Responses to Mitigate the Impact of the Syria Crisis on Jordan and Jordanian Host Communities, 2014-2016.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Humanitarian Unit, the Livelihood Specialist will undertake the following responsibilities:

Support UN Women's field and Amman-based team to:

• Ensure high quality and timely donor reporting and follow up;
• Respond to requests for gender/ humanitarian-related technical input in a range of humanitarian coordination fora;
• Coordinate the development and implementation of new/ special projects within approved programs being undertaken in Syrian Refugee Camps and in host communities;
• Negotiate relevant partnerships as needed to achieve project objectives;
• Develop and implement strategies to raise awareness and advocacy on UN Women's humanitarian work to potential partners and donors;
• Draft/ provide inputs to concept notes, funding proposals and project documents.
• Support collection of lessons learned, best practices, knowledge management.

Scope of Work and deliverables

• Monthly progress reports;
• Participation in humanitarian/ development fora related to the Syrian response in Jordan;
• Concept notes and proposals drafted;
• Partnership Agreements secured.

Duration and duty station for the assignment

The duration of the assignment will be six (6) months and the duty station will be Amman, Jordan with regular travel to field operations. Given the nature of this assignment which requires closely interaction with the UN Women staff, the Livelihood Specialist is expected to carry out his/her functions from the UN Women premises. Office space and equipment will be provided by UN Women.

Salary:

The position will be remunerated based on an 'all inclusive' daily fee (week-ends and public holidays are not included). The successful candidate will receive his/her payment at the end of every month based on a time sheet duly approved by the UN Women Country Representative.

Application:

Interested applicants for this position must submit the following or the application will not be considered:

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;

The selected applicant will be requested to provide a Statement of Good Health from a recognized physician prior to commencement to work also certifying that the individual is fit to travel.

The applicant should indicate in the application his/her proposed daily fees.

Competencies

• Good Team player;
• Knowledge of the gender dimensions of humanitarian response;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Substantive knowledge of issues on gender equality and women's economic empowerment;
• Promotes collaboration and partnership both with other agencies in the field and with Syrian refugees who will benefit from interventions;
• Outstanding networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills;
• Capacity to work with diverse partners including governments, donors, UN country teams and civil society;
• Strong knowledge of the development and humanitarian frameworks that guide the Syrian response in Jordan.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Masters Degree related to humanitarian response, conflict studies, international development, or a related discipline.

Experience:

• A minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience working on humanitarian/ development issues;
• Experience working in protracted crises/ post conflict environments is a strong asset;
• Demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner; ability to organize work efficiently and deal with multiple tasks;
• Proven experience drafting reports, engaging with stakeholders, and working with diverse partners.

Language:

• Fluency in spoken and written English is a requirement;
• Spoken Arabic is a strong asset.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.