UN Trust Fund Partnerships and Advocacy Specialist

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.

The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) was established through the UN General Assembly Resolution 50/166 in 1996. The UN Trust Fund is a global multi-lateral grant making mechanism supporting national efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls, one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. It provides technical assistance and funding to advance the development of innovative models and strategic interventions in the area of ending violence against women and girls. Since 2010, UN Women has administered the UN Trust Fund on behalf of the UN system, providing a strong institutional foundation and field support through a global infrastructure of country and regional offices.

With nearly three decades of experience, the UN Trust Fund has become a key global mechanism for funding initiatives that aim to eliminate violence against women and girls. It plays a critical role in fostering collaboration across governments, UN agencies, and civil society to address the root causes and consequences of violence, aligning its work with broader international policies and frameworks. The UN Trust Fund focuses on providing long-term grants to organizations that work in diverse contexts, particularly those representing marginalized groups, such as indigenous women, women living with disabilities, and women from rural or conflict-affected areas. Its investments are survivor-centered and aim to have sustainable, long-term impacts. To date, the UN Trust Fund has funded over 700 initiatives in over 140 countries and territories, significantly contributing to global efforts to end violence against women and girls.

Under the supervision of the Global Lead - Strategic Partnerships, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization, the Partnerships and Advocacy Specialist provides technical support to the UN Trust Fund’s partnerships, advocacy, resource mobilization and reporting functions, contributing to donor stewardship, institutional positioning, visibility and resource mobilization efforts.

Scope of Work

1. Support Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Support the implementation of the UN Trust Fund’s advocacy and partnership through prospect research and mapping; content development; preparation of partnership propositions, investment cases and tailored pitches; stakeholder engagement approaches and packages; and visibility initiatives aligned with the Strategic Plan, under the direction of the Lead for Strategic Partnerships, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization.
• Monitor advocacy and partnerships related activities, outputs, engagement and visibility metrics and prepare analytical summaries to inform future positioning and advocacy efforts.
• Support donor stewardship and relationship management efforts through preparation of strategic briefs, engagement plans, presentations and follow-up materials.
• Contribute to the development of thematic funding initiatives, partnership opportunities and resource mobilization priorities aligned with the Strategic Plan.

2. Advance Advocacy, Positioning and External Engagement

• Support the development of advocacy, positioning and visibility materials for key global policy and financing moments, including CSW, HRC, UNGA, COP and other strategic platforms and convenings.
• Prepare briefing notes, talking points, presentations, speeches and background papers for senior leadership engagement with Member States, donors, UN entities and external partners.
• Coordinate logistical and substantive support advocacy initiatives, donor fora, visibility events, high-level consultations and UN Trust Fund external engagements.
• Collaborate closely with communications colleagues to support alignment of advocacy materials with institutional messaging and visibility guidance.

3. Support Reporting and Institutional Communications

• Support coordination of the preparation and production of the UN Trust Fund Annual Report and other institutional/donor reports, including planning, quality assurance, production, publication and dissemination.
• Coordinate reporting timelines and inputs from relevant teams and external stakeholders.
• Ensure translation portfolio evidence, evaluation findings, grantee experiences and institutional achievements into compelling narratives that demonstrate impact, accountability and value for money.
• Support preparation of donor-facing reporting products and contributions to reports submitted to governance, intergovernmental and policy bodies, including the Commission on the Status of Women and Human Rights Council.
• Support timely delivery of reporting outputs in accordance with institutional priorities and reporting requirements.

4. Strengthen Knowledge Translation and Strategic Content Development

• Support preparation of advocacy, partnership and communication materials using programme evidence and knowledge products. Utilize findings from Calls for Proposals, unmet demand analysis, funding gaps, portfolio trends and grantee insights to inform institutional positioning, thematic priorities and partnership development.
• Collaborate closely with the Knowledge Management team to strengthen linkages between relevant corporate reports, knowledge products and advocacy efforts, ensuring evidence and learning are systematically translated into external engagement products.
• Synthesize emerging trends, lessons learned and opportunities across the EVAW ecosystem to support decision-making, donor engagement and institutional positioning.
• Support development of thematic briefs, donor-facing materials and strategic communications resources.

5. Support Institutional Priorities and Strategic Initiatives

• Support coordination of the Fund's participation in major advocacy, partnerships and visibility platforms, including CSW, HRC, UNGA, COP, donor forums and relevant strategic convenings.
• Support cross-functional initiatives that strengthen institutional positioning, donor engagement, visibility and resource mobilization outcomes.
• Maintain organized information management systems and repositories for partnership records, advocacy materials and reporting products.
• Coordinate consolidation and quality assurance of donor-facing, advocacy and reporting products, ensuring accuracy, consistency and timely delivery.
• Prepare progress updates and progress reports on partnerships, advocacy, visibility and resource mobilization activities.
• Perform other duties related to partnerships, advocacy and external engagement as requested by the Supervisor.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to communicate sensitively and effectively across different constituencies.
• Demonstrated capacity to perform effectively within a multicultural work environment, tact, and ability to deal with confidential matters in a discreet and reliable manner.
• Strong Team player with an ability to participate effectively in a fast-paced, information- and knowledge-sharing environment that fully collaborates and cooperates with others.
• Strong interpersonal skills and excellent organizational and coordination skills.
• Capacity to gather, analyze, and synthesize information from various sources to support decision-making and preparation for meetings and missions.
• Aptitude to identify challenges, propose solutions, and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time. Ability to set priorities, work under pressure with colleagues at all levels.
• Ability to perform a variety of tasks in a fast-paced and pressured environment.
• Excellent IT skills, including databases, extranet, and office software packages.

Minimum Qualifications Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.

Experience

• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, advocacy, donor relations, external engagement, strategic communications, or related areas.
• Experience supporting fundraising, partnership development and donor stewardship initiatives, including preparation of donor engagement materials, strategic briefs and partnership proposals.
• Experience in inter-governmental processes is required.
• Prior experience in the area of ending violence against women is required.
• Experience developing strategic communications, advocacy, visibility or reporting products for external audiences is required.
• Experience translating complex programme results, evidence and policy developments into accessible and compelling narratives for donors, policymakers or other external stakeholders is highly desirable.
• Experience supporting or coordinating high-level events, donor consultations, advocacy initiatives or external stakeholder engagements is desirable.
• Experience monitoring political, policy and financing trends and synthesizing information for strategic decision-making is desirable.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages is desirable.
• Prior international experience with the UN is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Prior to starting their assignment, Home based International PPSA are responsible for holding a work permit valid for the homebased location during the entire I PPSA duration.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.