Project Gender & Safeguards Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants]

Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or whose contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the lead UN agency on international development, working in about 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and build resilience, focusing on six core areas: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy, and gender equality.

UNDP in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is prioritizing environmental protection and climate change adaptation under Outcome 4 of its 2024-2028 Country Programme. The initiative aims to strengthen climate resilience, protect biodiversity, and promote sustainable natural resource management. It also supports PNG in meeting its commitments under international climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Additionally, UNDP works on advancing natural capital accounting to better recognize the economic value of ecosystems, ensuring their long-term protection and sustainable use.

The UNDP environment and climate change portfolio in PNG plays a crucial role in advancing sustainable resource management and climate resilience. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), several key projects contribute to this mission. The Sustainable Financing of Papua New Guinea’s Protected Area Network (GEF 6) focuses on ensuring long-term financial support for protected areas, enhancing conservation efforts, and promoting biodiversity protection. The Integrated Land Management, Restoration of Degraded Landscapes, and Natural Capital Assessment in the Mountains of Papua New Guinea (GEF 7) aims to restore degraded ecosystems and implement sustainable land-use practices, particularly in mountainous regions, to protect vital ecosystems and mitigate climate change impacts.
Building on these initiatives, the Accelerating PNG’s Sustainable Blue Economy through Strengthened Governance and Investment in Marine Areas (GEF 8) addresses sustainable marine resource management. This project strengthens governance frameworks and promotes investment in marine conservation, supporting PNG’s efforts to develop a resilient blue economy. Together, these projects form a comprehensive strategy for the sustainable use of PNG’s natural resources, integrating land and marine conservation, climate adaptation, and economic development. Through these efforts, UNDP and its partners aim to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability, ensuring long-term benefits for both people and nature.

PNG is home to one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, featuring vast coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. These ecosystems provide critical services, including food security, climate resilience, and livelihoods for coastal communities. However, unsustainable resource use, habitat degradation, climate change, and weak governance threaten the long-term viability of these ecosystems.

The project, Accelerating PNG’s Sustainable Blue Economy through Strengthened Governance and Investment in Marine Areas, is a six-year initiative implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA). With financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF-8) and co-financing partners, the project aims to strengthen marine conservation, enhance governance, and promote sustainable economic activities in key coastal and marine areas of PNG.

The project will focus on three key geographic areas: New Ireland Province, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), and Port Moresby’s Bootless Bay. These regions are biodiversity hotspots facing significant environmental pressures, including illegal fishing, pollution, and deforestation of coastal habitats.

To address these challenges, the project will implement four major components: (1) integrating natural capital accounting into fiscal policies and economic planning, (2) strengthening marine spatial planning and governance, (3) promoting nature-based solutions (NbS) through public-private-community partnerships, and (4) facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building. The project is expected to improve 3.9 million hectares of marine areas, restore 20,000 hectares of mangroves, and enhance sustainable fisheries while creating lasting environmental and socio-economic benefits for PNG’s coastal communities and contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals.

In line with the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards (SES) and the Gender Equality Strategy, and requirements from GEF, the project is required to mainstream gender equality and environmental & social safeguards throughout the project implementation. In this regard, UNDP is looking for a Project Gender and Safeguards Specialist who will provide strategic and technical support to ensure gender integration and safeguards compliance in project planning, implementation, and monitoring across the portfolio, especially within natural resource management, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation.
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Project Manager/Coordinator and Chief Technical Specialist of UNDP and in close collaboration with the National Project Director of CEPA, the Project Gender & Safeguards Specialist will carry out the above-listed tasks.

The Project Gender & Safeguards Specialist will provide strategic leadership, technical oversight, and quality assurance for the integration of gender equality and environmental and social safeguards in all stages of project planning, implementation, and monitoring.

Strategic Leadership on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

• Lead the design and implementation of gender equality strategy and Gender Action Plan (GAPs) across project thematic areas.
• Provide high-level technical guidance to ensure full compliance with GEF and UNDP gender policies, including the use of gender scorecards, indicators, and disaggregated data.
• Lead or coordinate gender analyses and support the development of gender-responsive project frameworks, theories of change, and impact pathways.
• Serve as the principal technical adviser on gender to national counterparts and project teams, building strategic partnerships with women’s organizations and gender-focused stakeholders.

Environmental and Social Safeguards Compliance and Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight for the application of UNDP’s SES and the Environmental and Social Screening Procedure (ESSP) across the project.
• Ensure alignment with international safeguard frameworks (e.g., GEF Minimum Standards
•  Oversee the development and implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), ensuring the integration of risk mitigation, stakeholder engagement, and grievance redress mechanisms.
•  Provide technical advice to project teams and government partners to strengthen national capacities in environmental and social risk management.
• Oversee the implementation of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and related safeguard instruments to ensure compliance, integration across project activities, and continuous monitoring and evaluation of environmental and social performance

Capacity Development and Knowledge Management

• Design and facilitate high-level training sessions and capacity-building programmes for project teams, implementing partners, and national institutions on gender and safeguards.
• Develop guidance notes, tools, and knowledge products to institutionalize best practices and lessons learned.
• Foster a community of practice on gender and safeguards within the programme, ensuring continuous learning and innovation.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Provide expert input into project reporting (PIRs, GEF progress reports, donor reports), ensuring robust reflection of gender results and safeguards performance.
• Lead monitoring and evaluation of gender and safeguards indicators and contribute to mid-term reviews, evaluations, and audits.
• Track compliance using UNDP corporate systems (Quantum, PIMS+, SES Tracker) and flag risks and gaps proactively.

Policy Engagement and Cross-Sectoral Collaboration

• Contribute to national policy dialogues on gender equality and environmental safeguards, aligning project-level action with national frameworks (e.g., PNG Gender Equality Policy, REDD+ Safeguards, etc.).
• Contribute towards integration of safeguards and gender dimensions into planning and investment decisions by government and private sector stakeholders.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy    

• System Thinking. Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact other parts of the system

Business Management    

• Communication. Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
• Result Based Management. Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools. 
• Working with evidence and data. Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform, and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making

Business Development    

• Knowledge Facilitation. Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, 
  contribution, and exchange

2030 Agenda: People    

• Gender. Communication and Advocacy for Gender Equality
• Gender. Monitoring and Evaluation on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
   

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Gender Studies, Environmental Policy, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related or equivalent field is required, or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant progressively responsible experience in integrating gender and/or safeguards into development or environmental projects and experience in applying SES, ESMPs, gender action plans, is required.

Required skills:

• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced
  knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
• Experience in coordinating and supervising multiple parties in their implementation of technical activities in partnership with a variety of stakeholder groups, including government, civil society, private sector, academic and research institutes, the broader donor community, and local beneficiaries.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Experience in stakeholder engagement in a relevant context or similar donor-funded projects with national/international organization or UN agencies.
• Experience in leading trainings, facilitating stakeholder consultations, and managing complex technical inputs, Knowledge sharing and capacity building.
• Experience with the PNG gender equality context, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and social inclusion frameworks.
• Prior relevant experience with GEF/GCF or similar project.

Required Language(s):   

• Fluency in the English and Tok Pisin languages is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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