PROJECT ASSOCIATE - GENDER

A. Organizational Context

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat has been a partner with the number of ministries at national and provincial levels, development partners, civil society organizations and academia.

UN-Habitat Pakistan Country Programme is aligned with the Pakistan United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF 2023–2027) and the One UN Programme (OP-III). The Country Programme also supports UN-Habitat’s country programme for 2026–2029, which sets out a global agenda to place adequate housing, land and basic services at the centre of sustainable urbanization and to strengthen resilience to converging crises. UN‑Habitat’s plan links housing, land and basic services to urban climate resilience and crisis response, promoting low‑carbon, resilient housing and urban planning to mitigate climate impacts. It emphasizes integrated support for migrants and displaced people through adequate services, alongside risk reduction, recovery and reconstruction measures that strengthen urban systems in the face of climate‑driven and humanitarian crises.

UN-Habitat implements a project funded by the Government of Netherlands and focused on five cities (Haripur, Kohat, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta) with a context of hosting Afghan refugees. The programme is to empower and support communities in selected settlements by promoting inclusive and sustainable urban development that prioritizes issues relating to housing and overcrowding, tenure insecurity, infrastructure, basic services and living conditions, economic opportunities, social cohesion and integration and improved living conditions, including preventing gender-based violence. A structured, sequenced and strongly participatory process is used to assess capacities, vulnerabilities, and problems, using systematic problem analysis to co-design collective solutions. Communities develop Strategic Settlement Plans that are jointly implemented with UN-Habitat, its Implementing Partners and relevant government agencies.

Objectives of the assignment.

Mainstream gender equality and social inclusion across the design, delivery, and monitoring of all project components; strengthen team members’ and implementing partners’ capacity; and assure quality so gender requirements are embedded throughout the project via Strategic Settlement Plans, gender-responsive public space and infrastructure designs, livelihood support, community processes and identification of cross-cutting issues affecting urban slums and cities.

B. Duties and Responsibilities

Mainstream gender equality and social inclusion across the design, delivery, and monitoring of all project components

• Identify vulnerable groups (women, adolescent girls, older persons, persons with disabilities, minorities) and integrate their needs into design, scheduling, communications, and risk-mitigation measures.
• Review national gender policies, UNCT gender strategy, and urban/slum implications; advise on programme alignment with these policies and city strategies.
• Prepare a GBV Risk-Mitigation Plan, including site safety and safety programming measures for outreach and events organized by UN-Habitat and Implementing partners.
• Develop and roll out directly and through Implementing Partners a culturally sensitive Women’s Participation Strategy for conservative contexts, mapping barriers/enablers and defining acceptable engagement modalities.
• Lead a Gender & Social Inclusion analysis and synthesize gender/GBV data into clear notes, dashboards, and briefs and share with UN-Habitat and its implementing partners.
• Prepare substantive briefs and cooperation options; contribute to project development and proposals with strong gender and social inclusion mainstreaming.
• Provide inputs to the M&E plan and support monitoring of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) developed following ESS assessments.
• Support MEL coordinators and IPs MEL plans to incorporate sex-, age, and disability disaggregated (SADD) indicators and to conduct perceived-safety surveys, site safety audits, and related tools and monitoring.

Strengthen team members’ and implementing partners’ capacity

• Design and deliver orientations/trainings for staff, implementing partners, and communities on gender equality, PSEA, GBV risk awareness, child safeguarding, and safe-referral, embedding survivor-centred, do-no-harm practices.
• Serve as focal point, in coordination with implementing partners and provincial teams, tracking grievances and ensuring follow-up on appropriate actions.

Assure quality so gender requirements are embedded throughout the project via Strategic Settlement Plans, gender-responsive public space and infrastructure designs, livelihood support, community processes and identification of cross-cutting issues affecting urban slums and cities.

• Ensure Strategic Settlement Plans and related designs incorporate gender equality, inclusion, safety, and comply with national laws and UN-Habitat safeguards.
• Based on local realities and feasibility, design/advice tailored entrepreneurship, business, and livelihood options for women and girls that can be supported within the project.
• Understand Get acquainted with UN-Habitat’s ‘Her City’ tool’ and use the tools in the project to include women in plaining and implementation if public places.
• Facilitate women-only and mixed dialogues; adapt Community Action Planning and Her City methods so women’s and girls’ priorities guide budgeting and sequencing.

Other

• Travel to the field as required in consultation with the CTA/Deputy Project Manager and the team.
• Coordinate and collaborate with gender focal points of other Netherlands funded partners (IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA) to support a coherent strategy, set of activities, and data collection and analysis.
• Coordinate SGBV prevention/response with UNFPA, UN-Women, UNICEF, and provincial protection clusters to ensure consistency with inter-agency standards.
• Represent UN-Habitat in relevant forums (INGAD, UN Coordination on Gender Equality, Gender Thematic Groups, Outcome Groups, and other inter-agency coordination mechanisms).
• Contribute to field stories, updates and other communication materials, written-up or with photos.
• Perform any other task assigned by the supervisor.

C. Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Promotes UN’s values and ethical standards (tolerance, integrity, respect, results orientation, impartiality)
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (written and oral)
• Ability to work under pressure and difficult conditions and to work with minimal supervision
• Sensitivity to and responsiveness to all partners,
• Respectful and helpful relations with all UN staff

• A minimum six (6) years relevant work experience in gender, human rights, and culturally sensitive programming is essential.

• Experience in advising and supporting initiatives to promote gender equality and eliminate GBV

• Fluency in English as well as the national language of the country (both oral and written) is required.

• Commitment to beneficiary accountability and humanitarian ethics.

• Knowledge of UN rules and regulations is an advantage.

• Proficient in basic applications such as Word, Excel, Email, Internet, Microsoft Teams, etc.

E. Remuneration

Payments will be made monthly and based on deliverables over the contract period. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the contractor. The fee will be paid as per agreement.

TOTAL POSITIONS

1

POSTED ON

February 27, 2026

EXPIRY DATE

March 15, 2026

BUSINESS

UN-HABITAT

CATEGORY

Field Operations

JOB TYPE

Full Time/Permanent

MINIMUM EDUCATION

Bachelors

CAREER LEVEL

LICA-7 (equivalent to GS-7)

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE

6 Years