Gender Specialist, Luanda, Angola

General

Description of assignment title: Gender Specialist

Assignment country: Angola

Duty stations: Luanda

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 09/01/2026

Duration: 12 months(with possibility ofextension)Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 5. Gender equality

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: International

Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

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Urban & Regional Planning

Management

NGO Job Board

Mission and objectives:

• UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly toadvocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meettheir basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach theirfull potential.
• UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Childand strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethicalprinciples and international standards of behaviour towardschildren.
• UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development ofchildren are universal development imperatives that are integral tohuman progress.
• UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to helpcountries, particularly developing countries, ensure a "first callfor children" and to build their capacity to form appropriatepolicies and deliver services for children and their families.
• UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the mostdisadvantaged children - victims of war, disasters, extremepoverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and those withdisabilities.
• UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights ofchildren. In coordination with United Nations partners andhumanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities for rapidresponse available to its partners to relieve the suffering ofchildren and those who provide their care.
• UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free ofdiscrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantagedchildren and the countries in greatest need have priority.
• UNICEF aims, through its country programmes, to promote theequal rights of women and girls and to support their fullparticipation in the political, social and economic development oftheir communities.
• UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment ofthe sustainable human development goals adopted by the worldcommunity and the realization of the vision of peace and socialprogress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

Context:

• For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190countries and territories to promote children's survival,protection and development. The world's largest provider ofvaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health andnutrition, safe drinking water and sanitation, quality basiceducation for all boys and girls, and the protection of childrenfrom violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely bythe voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundationsand governments.
• UNICEF's commitment to gender quality and the empowerment ofwomen and girls is central to many of its policy and programmedocuments and the results are realized in its implementationreports as well as organizational practices. UNICEF's missionstatement also expresses that the organization aims, through itscountry programmes, to promote the rights of children, women, andgirls as well as to support their full participation in thepolitical, social, and economic development of theircommunities.
• In the same light, the promotion of gender equality and theempowerment of women and girls is fundamental to the mandate ofUNICEF emanating from various global instruments such as theConvention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on theElimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action among others. Torealize this, the UNICEF Gender Policy (2021-2030), and GenderAction Plan (GAP III 2022 - 2025) are key documents that elaboratethe organizational mandate and commitment to gender equality andfacilitate the strengthening of gender mainstreaming in all areasof UNICEF's work.
• UNICEF's Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2022-2025 considers genderequality as both an organizational priority and a cross-cuttingcore value that guides programmatic work across its five GoalAreas. The GAP 2022-2025 outlines the gender dimensions ofprogrammatic results that apply to development, humanitarian,peacebuilding, and high-income contexts. The GAP also establishesbenchmarks that promote and track gender equality within UNICEF'sinstitutional policies across the organization, to ensureaccountability.
• This UNV assignment is part of UNICEF Angola's genderprogramming agenda, which has been recently redefined through theGPR review process in 2022. The Gender UNV will support theimplementation of the Country Office-defined annual Gender ActionPlan, and provide critical advice, guidance and capacity togender-related activities within the work plan, including but notlimited to qualitative and quantitative analysis and reporting,youth network events, communicating with a gender lens, advocacyand support to gender monitoring.
• The Gender UNV will support the Gender Specialist Consultant inorganizing and coordinating the Gender Working Group (GWG),including minuting the quarterly meetings, providing ad-hoc supportto activities being led or monitored by the GWG, supporting gendermonitoring of GWG activities, coordinating and providing support toCommunications and Partnerships in regards to new partners,especially youth and women's networks, and contribute to providinga gender-lens to CO writing pieces (reports, press releases,human-interest stories, etc.).

Task description:

• Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of theChief of Child Protection or his/her designated mandatedrepresentative(s), the UNV Gender Officer will:
• (I) Support the generation of evidence and scale-up ofgender-responsive and gender-transformative programming acrossUNICEF's Country Programme.
• (ii) Strengthen the capacity of the Country Programme toeffectively engage on Gender Equality, including through technicalassistance, development of guidance documents, and training.
• (iii) Organize and support inter-agency coordination andpartnership with civil society organizations
• (I) Support the generation of evidence and scale-up ofgender-responsive and gender-transformative programming acrossUNICEF's Country Programme
• Carry out project planning, data analysis and publicationreviews with a gender lens.
• Contribute to research and analysis and ensure findings arewidely known/ adopted and integrated within countryprogramming.
• Support monitoring and evaluation of cross-sectoral programmingincreasing protection and agency of adolescent girls and youngwomen and addressing gender discriminatory social norms.
• Ensure funding proposals and regional advocacy includeintentional focus on gender equality.
• (ii) Strengthen the capacity of the Country Programme toeffectively engage on Gender Equality, including through technicalassistance, development of guidance documents, and training
• Support knowledge sharing, communication, and networking of theGender Focal Points.
• Participate in cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination onkey programmatic results on gender, ensuring coherence,maximization of synergies and efficiency in utilization ofresources and delivery of results on gender and girls' empowerment.Notably, support the implementation of the CO gender action planand the key activities to be implemented and monitored using theGender Working Group (GWG), with particular attention to themultisectoral flagship activity.
• Support gender mainstreaming within capacity-buildinginitiatives.
• Facilitate the effective implementation of the UNICEF GAP III,guidelines, and tools in on-going programmes, support thedevelopment of strategies, evidence-based arguments in the area ofgender and inclusion to strengthen UNICEF's work.
• (iii) Organize and support inter-agency coordination andpartnership with civil society organizations
• Collaborate with other UN agencies and partners to enhancerobust gender results in sectoral programmes at the country level;participate in external meetings on gender integration intosectoral and cross-sectoral results.
• Strengthen and expand inter-agency meetings/ events on genderprogramming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on genderprogrammes/ projects. Identify and synthesize global and regionalbest practices and lessons learned for knowledge development,innovative methods to advance gender results.
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by thesupervisor.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 3 years

Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a countryother than the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience:

• 3 years

Languages:

• Portuguese, Level: Fluent, Required
• English, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level:

• Master's degree in Master's degree is preferred; minimumbachelor's degree.
• Bachelor's and/or master's degree in one of the disciplinesrelevant to the following areas:
• Behavioral or Social sciences, Public Policy, InternationalDevelopment, Gender Studies, or another field relevant tointernational development.

Competencies and values:

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operationsrelevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant ortransferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, politicalsensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability toapply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a rangeof different actors, especially in senior positions; whereappropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative andability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness toaccept wide responsibilities and ability to work independentlyunder established procedures; ability to manage informationobjectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive andclient-oriented;
• Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of theUN and in daily activities and behaviors while acting withoutconsideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure indecision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization'sinterest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases ofunprofessional or unethical behavior; does not abuse power orauthority;
• Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operateeffectively across organizational boundaries; excellentinterpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effectivepartnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural,multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respectfor diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender,religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goalof gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and fullinvolvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations;ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training tocolleagues;
• Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingnessto learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area ofexpertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment;
• Planning and organizing effective organizational andproblem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of workin an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish prioritiesand to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to workunder pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multipleconcurrent projects/activities;
• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken andwritten communication skills, including ability to prepare clearand concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulateoptions and positions concisely; ability to make and defendrecommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff(including national staff), military personnel, volunteers,counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diversebackgrounds;
• capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide rangeof different target groups;
• Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work inpotentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physicalhardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austereenvironments for protracted periods; willingness to travel withinthe area of operations and to transfer to other duty stationswithin the area of operations as necessary;
• Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntaryengagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity andself-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEF's mission and vision,as well as to the UN Core Values.

Skills and experience:

• At least three years of progressively responsible professionalwork experience in the UN or other international developmentorganization, national government or the private sector; especiallyexperience with gender programming, monitoring and evaluation ininternational development.
• Strong substantive, technical, programmatic and research skillsin gender along with sectoral expertise in at least one of thefollowing sectors: Health, Education, WASH, HIV/AIDS, Protection,Social Policy, Social Behavior Change, ECD, or combined expertisein Adolescents.
• Knowledge and understanding of gender equality issues,specifically relating to children and women, and the currenttrends, methods and approaches of analysis.
• Proven ability to connect sectoral issues and programmaticapproaches on gender; experience developing case studies,documenting lessons learned,
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; culturallyand socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively andcollaboratively with a range of partners, including grassrootscommunity members, religious and youth organizations, andauthorities at different levels; familiarity with tools andapproaches of communications for development.
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in achallenging environment; ability to work effectively in amulticultural team of international and national personnel.
• Proficiency in standard MS Office applications; familiaritywith database management; familiarity with office technologyequipment.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision;ability to work with tight deadlines.
• Have affinity with or interest in UNICEF's mandate andvolunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UNSystem.

Area(s) of expertise:

• Gender, women's rights, Community development, Projectmanagement, programme development, strategy

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