TERMS OF REFERENCE

Terms of Reference

Post Title: Deputy Coordinator for the Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility
Contract Type: Temporary Appointment
Level: P4 level
Duration: 364 days
Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland - office based
Travel: Mostly office based, however, some travel may be required
Closing Date: Thursday 7 February 2013

  1. Background

In late September 2005, as part of the Humanitarian Reform process, UNFPA and UNICEF were tasked with coordinating gender-based violence (GBV) issues in humanitarian settings as an Area of Responsibility (AoR) of the UNHCR-led global Protection Cluster. Proper coordination of this complicated issue, that must engage a wide range of local and international NGO, government and UN actors, is vital to ensuring that survivors receive adequate care, and that prevention efforts are varied, wide-reaching and culturally appropriate.

A GBV AoR Working Group was established in early 2008 to facilitate a more predictable, accountable and effective protection response to GBV in complex emergencies, natural disasters and other such situations. The GBV AoR provides strategic leadership to ensure that issues of importance to the GBV AoR community are placed at the forefront of the humanitarian reform processes, including in the context of the Transformative Agenda. The GBV AoR provides a forum bringing together over 55 agencies representing multilateral, NGO, and government bodies as well as academics and independent GBV experts, who are committed to working collaboratively to advance the quality and coverage of GBV coordination and programming in humanitarian contexts. This broad constituency provides a strong platform for advocacy as well as technical expertise to guide the work of the AoR.

Members of the GBV AoR Working Group and the humanitarian community at large have recognized that Clusters and AoR working groups require dedicated coordination staff in order to remain effective and relevant. Working as part of a team with the GBV AoR Coordinator (based in UNFPA), this position will ensure coordination support to the GBV AoR. The position is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

  1. Purpose

On behalf of both UNICEF and UNFPA ,the GBV AoRDeputy Coordinator works directly with the GBV AoR Coordinator to support the work of the GBV AoR, to facilitate development and implementation of the GBV AoRworkplan, and to ensure that Working Group members are engaged, including by taking leadership on key AoRworkplan outputs.

The Deputy GBV AoR Coordinatorwill galvanize the global level GBV AoR Working Group’s inter-agency expertise to advocate for the mainstreaming of GBV issues throughout the cluster system and will actively represent the GBV AoR Working Group in key cluster forums. She/he will enhance the use of knowledge and empirical evidence on GBV AoR coordination for policy design and evaluation. S/he will provide field support either remotely or through surge to the field. In all activities, s/he will foster collaboration internally within the Office of Emergency Programs in Geneva and New York, Program Division in New York, and, with Regional and Country Offices, and externally with relevant actors in UNFPA, within the GBV AoR and the broader humanitarian community, ensuring the timeliness, adequacy, relevance and quality of substantive outputs.

  1. Expected Results

Reporting to the UNICEF Inter Cluster Coordinatorand in close collaboration withthe UNFPA-based GBV AoR Coordinator, and technical counterparts within UNICEF and UNFPA, the GBV AoR Deputy Coordinatorwill support the work of the GBV AoR. More specifically this will include:

Strategic Support

  • Work with cluster lead agencies and cluster members to ensure that GBV is fully mainstreamed within cluster activities at the global and country levels and encourage full and effective inter-cluster coordination at the global and country levels, in particular with the Nutrition, WASH, Education and CP Clusters/AoR that are led by UNICEF.
  • Support the deployment of the GBV AoR Rapid Response Team (RRT) to provide short-term surge support to fill capacity gaps in sudden onset, acute and/or neglected emergencies including through development of a quality assurance framework to monitor the RRT.
  • Provide substantive information management support and support to national and global advocacy efforts on behalf of country-level clusters.
  • Engage in strategic GBV, Protection and inter-cluster field missions to advance work in the area of GBV prevention and response and support field-level GBV AoRs.
  • Provide cutting edge technical advice in the area of GBV prevention and response, and to guide effective inter-agency GBV coordination.

Capacity Development

  • Oversee a multi-partner process to craft a long-term strategy for developing the pool of GBV practitioners working in humanitarian contexts.
  • Identify gaps and catalyze capacity strengthening of individuals and AoR members to perform core country-level sub-cluster coordination functions and to generate sub-cluster-related knowledge.
  • Provide technical guidance to field-level GBV Working Groups on strategic planning and standard operating procedures; field-level training and capacity development; negotiation and identification of AoR lead agencies; data collection and information management; monitoring and evaluation, etc.
  • Coach and manage junior professional staff and associates housed by UNICEF, direct expert consultants contracted by UNICEF and facilitate working groups the development of a long-term capacity building plan and capacity for rapid response as well as for the GBV AoR website.

Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination

  • Ensure that evidence, technical knowledge and analysis of lessons learned are collected, managed, disseminated and available for application by AoR members and relevant stakeholders.
  • Ensure incorporation of evaluation results, lessons learned and new knowledge in the updating of strategies, policies, tools and approaches aimed to address GBV in humanitarian contexts.
  • Maintain AoR website; support the GBV AoR Knowledge Management Task Team to examine all documents for posting to GBV AoR website and to review the site for regular updates and necessary revisions including reviewing all documents for posting and reviewing site for revision.
  • Oversee and regularly reinvigorate the GBV AoR Community of Practice; monitor COP for relevance, usage and field-level applicability.
  • Maintain stocks of the GBV Coordination Handbook, CDs for Caring for Survivors and other relevant documents; and distribute to field-level GBV working groups as requested.
  • Assemble briefing and background materials on the GBV AoR for UNICEF senior management.
  • Maintain the Field GBV Coordination Matrix for all 1st and 2nd tier cluster countries.
  • Manage interagency processes to promote learning within the GBV AoR, such as the circulation of lessons learned by email and through papers and publications; and face to face briefings (exit interviews, etc.) which are accessible for field actors.
  • Engage with and support the process of revising the GBV guidelines and finalization of the GBV Coordination Handbook.

Technical representation

  • Relay key messages and ensure timely reporting to UNICEF senior management and provide reports to global AoR members, inter-cluster forums, other global clusters, donors and other relevant stakeholders, as requested and/or in collaboration with the two global cluster co-lead agencies.
  • Support fundraising efforts to ensure that the GBV AoR Working Group has the resources that it needs to promote the efforts of the GBV AoR at the global and field levels.
  • Provide technical support to co-lead agencies on the roll-out, merger and exit strategies of GBV sub-clusters at the country-level.
  • Substantively represent the GBV AoR in relevant inter-cluster forums including the IASC Sub-working Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action as well as the GenCap Steering Committee.
  • Carry out any other duties as may be required.
  1. Organizational Structure:

The Deputy GBV Coordinator (UNICEF) post is located in the Office of Emergency Programs in Geneva, and reports directly to the Inter Cluster Coordinator . The GBV AoR works in an integrated, coordinated, and systems strengthening approach which is fundamental to the Office of Emergency Programs and UNICEF’s overall strategy. The GBV AoRDeputyCoordinator works as part of an inter-agency team directly with the GBV Cluster Coordinatorhosted by UNFPA, and the AoR community.

  1. Competencies

Core values: Commitment, Diversity & Inclusion, Integrity

Core competencies: Communication, Working with people, Drive for results

Functional Competencies: Persuading and Influencing, Relating and Networking, Applying Technical Expertise, Planning and Organizing

  1. Excellent analytical skills and ability to identify problems and propose solutions.
  2. Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
  3. Strong inter-personal skills.
  4. Ability to build trust and develop and maintain effective work relationships with sensitivity and respect for diversity and inclusive participation.
  5. Excellent communication skills.
  6. Strong and mature judgment.
  7. Commitment to UNICEF’s Values and Guiding Principles
  8. Very strong commitment to working closely with and under the strategic leadership of the UNFPA-based Coordinator to make the role seamless, harmonized and to ensure that both Coordinators represent the GBV AoR membership effectively, and there is no division along agency lines
  9. Developing People/Fostering Innovation and Empowerment/Performance Management
  10. Team Work/Communication/Self-Management
  11. Strategic Thinking/Results Orientation and Commitment to Excellence/Decision Making
  12. Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Learning
  1. Qualifications
  1. Advanced University Degree or equivalent in gender studies, social anthropology, law and women’s rights, sociology, cultural studies, public health, demography, socio-economics, or other field directly related to the substantive area identified in the title of the post.
  2. At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, ideally with the United Nations system or NGOs. Experience in humanitarian response/recovery preferred.
  3. Demonstrated work experience in GBV in humanitarian settings;
  4. Knowledge of IASC Transformative Agenda and the cluster approach.
  5. Knowledge of the UN and UNICEF’s system's policies and procedures, including humanitarian response mechanisms.
  6. Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Deadline for Submissions

Interested candidates are requested to submit (1) a letter of interest, outlining your relevant background and experience, (2) an updated P11 form to Gwyn Lewis at e-mail: by Thursday 7February 2013.

The external link to access a blank P11 form is

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