Regional Specialist – Gender Equality, Social Inclusion & Protection (GESI/DEI/PSEAH)

Position description

The Role

Reporting to the the Regional Management and Oversight Advisor and working closely with the APR Management Team, Country project teams, Health and Safety Social and Environment (HSSE) as well as Human Resource coordinators, the Regional Gender Equality, Social Inclusion & Protection (GESI/DEI/PSEAH) Specialist will be responsible for leading and coordinating regional efforts in:

• Gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in programmes and operations;
• Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH) in offices, projects, and communities;
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in internal systems, culture and recruitment.

This includes providing technical advice, quality assurance, capacity building, knowledge sharing and strategic leadership to country offices and projects throughout the region.

Functional Responsibilities

Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) Mainstreaming in Projects:

• Lead implementation of UNOPS GESI strategies across the region and support target-setting and monitoring;
• Provide technical support to project teams to ensure GESI is integrated in design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes;
• Support country teams and focal points in developing strategies and workplans with an intersectional approach and conduct quality assurance of gender action plans;
• Ensure GESI is embedded in health, livelihoods, and climate-related projects;
• Strengthen monitoring systems and track GESI outcomes across the region. Lead on business cases for GESI financing and support the implementation of the UN Gender Equality Marker (GEM) in all our projects for tracking and reporting;
• Represent APRO in corporate GESI initiatives, global working groups, and interagency forums.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH):

• Provide strategic and technical guidance on integrating PSEAH into programme design and risk management frameworks;
• Support country offices in developing context-specific PSEAH action plans and community-based complaint mechanisms;
• Conduct capacity building for UNOPS personnel, contractors, implementing partners, and other stakeholders affected by our projects;
• Facilitate the regional PSEAH Community of Practice and support country-level focal points;
• Ensure alignment with UNOPS corporate policies on PSEAH in procurement and grants;
• Close collaboration with Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) focal points in country and the HSSE Specialist in the regional office;
• Participate in inter-agency networks and represent the region in the corporate PSEAH working group.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Organizational Change:

• Advise senior leadership on inclusive HR policies, internal accountability, and enabling environments;
• Support roll-out of DEI action plans and awareness campaigns across field offices;
• Lead internal capacity-building on inclusive leadership, psychological safety, and unconscious bias;
• Collaborate with HR and regional management to improve recruitment diversity and staff well-being;
• Advise on disability inclusion, LGBTQI+ inclusion, anti-racism, and other focus areas;
• Represent APRO in corporate DEI initiatives, global working groups, and interagency forums.

Team Management (if applicable):

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high-quality results and services of the team supervised through effective recruitment, work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development;
• Provide oversight, ensuring team members’ compliance with existing policies and best practices.

Knowledge sharing and knowledge building:

• Support the development and delivery of workshops on gender-related concepts, policies, or sectoral issues to develop knowledge and ownership on GEDSI and PSEAH issues;
• Facilitate and support knowledge management and exchange of best practices across the region and globally;
• Represent UNOPS in inter-agency gender and PSEAH networks and relevant coordination mechanisms, including the UN Gender Theme Group, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Working Group and Gender Based Violence Thematic Working Group, as well as other gender and PSEAH networks in the region and globally as applicable.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Minimum advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) or higher degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Law, Human Rights, Social or Behavioral Sciences, or related field;
• A combination of a Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years of experience in gender equality, social inclusion, human rights, PSEAH, safeguarding, or protection is required;
• Experience working with the Asia Pacific Region in multiple countries is preferred;
• Experience designing and implementing inclusive development activities in fragile or low-income contexts is preferred;
• Demonstrated experience in organizational culture transformation, either in an office, project, or programme, is preferred;
• Experience in training and capacity building across different cultures is desirable;
• Knowledge of survivor-centered response systems, SEAH reporting mechanisms, or complaint channels is an asset;
• Experience working with a UN organization or NGO is an asset;
• Experience in writing documents such as strategies, proposals, and Gender Action Plans is an asset;
• Familiarity with the minimum reporting requirements for grants in the United Nations Partner Portal (UNPP) is an asset.

Language requirement:

• Full working knowledge (Fluency) in English is required.

Application instructions

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