Jordan: Head, Gender Section

May 4, 2026 (Deadline: 2026-05-25) | UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
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The Organization

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change.

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you.

The Head Gender Section reports to the Chief of Protection.

Responsibilities

Leads and coordinates Agency-wide policies, strategies and operational guidance to advance gender equality and the rights and protection of Palestine refugee women and girls, in line with international human rights standards and the UN's women peace and security agenda.

Promotes gender mainstreaming across UNRWA's core programmes, operations and decision-making, including ensuring the systematic integration of gender analysis to identify gender risks, vulnerabilities and gaps within UNRWA programmes and services, and by providing strategic and technical guidance to address these vulnerabilities and gaps in support of strengthened gender-responsive programming and service delivery.

Strengthens UNRWA's protection response by overseeing Agency-wide approaches to the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV), including working closely with gender/GBV officers or focal points in UNRWA field operations to ensure GBV risk mitigation, response and survivor centred approaches are integrated across programmes, as well as providing oversight and quality assurance of all gender and GBV-related processes.

Provides strategic leadership to ensure that gender considerations are fully integrated into emergency preparedness, protection assessments and response frameworks, guaranteeing that humanitarian interventions are inclusive, safe and responsive to the specific needs and risks faced by women and girls.

Develops operational guidance and tools that promote the meaningful participation and inclusion of Palestine refugee women and girls in the design, delivery and evaluation of programmes and services, and ensures that Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) mechanisms are gender-sensitive and accessible.

Supports the strengthening of gender data systems, including the collection, analysis and use of sex, age and diversity disaggregated data, to inform evidence-based decision-making, programme design and institutional reporting on gender-responsive services and gender equality outcomes.

Provides strategic advice to UNRWA's executive leadership and senior management on advancing gender equality within UNRWA's workforce, including policies and measures to promote women's leadership, representation and equitable participation at all levels, and strengthening a gender responsive organizational culture. This includes support to the Women's Advisory Forum as a key institutional mechanism representing female UNRWA staff, ensuring that its recommendations inform senior leadership decision-making.

Builds institutional capacity on gender equality and GBV through the development of guidance, tools and training, including strengthening gender-responsive emergency preparedness and response protocols across the Agency.

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default.

Functional
i. Formulating Strategies and Concepts
ii. Applying Technical Expertise
iii. Relating and Networking
iv. Deciding and Initiating Action
v. Planning and Organizing

Leadership (as applicable)
i. Delivers Results
ii. Manages Complexity and Change
iii. Creates and Maintains Impact and Partnership

Education

An advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in gender studies, development studies, social sciences, human rights, public policy or a related field.

Job Specific Qualifications

Work Experience

At least seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in gender equality and women's empowerment, including gender mainstreaming, women's protection, GBV prevention and response, and project management in humanitarian, development, or emergency settings. Experience should include leading organizational gender strategies, supporting institutional change, working in fragile or conflict-affected contexts, understanding protection risks facing women and girls, and integrating gender considerations across sectors such as education, health, and social services is required.

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in gender studies, development studies, social sciences, human rights, public policy or a related field is required.

Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number is required.

Familiarity with relevant organizations of the UN system (e.g., UN-Women; UNHCR; WFP; UNFPA) is desirable.

Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of international legal protection frameworks, norms and approaches is desirable.

Knowledge and understanding of the Palestine refugee situation and the political context of the Middle East is desirable.

Demonstrated expertise in advancing gender equality within complex institutional and humanitarian contexts, including strong knowledge of international human rights frameworks such as Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Women, Peace and Security agenda is desirable.

Ability to translate policy into operational guidance and systems, strengthen accountability through monitoring and disaggregated data, provide strategic advice to senior leadership, and coordinate effectively with field operations, inter-agency mechanisms, and diverse stakeholders is desirable.

Proven experience in gender mainstreaming, gender analysis, gender-responsive programming, and GBV prevention and response, including emergencies is desirable.

Indicate your current involvement in any outside activities, as it is required. Including but not limited to employment, independent contractor/freelance consultant, board member (corporate, academic, etc), expert group, lobby, public speaking/writing (article, book, blog, social media etc), teaching, conferences, training, press statement, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising/donation for non-UNRWA entity, running for public office, role in political party or orgs, owning business, work for gov./NGO/private company/charity, UNRWA partner/vendor, full/part-time, paid or not. A "yes" answer doesn't necessarily lead to exclusion from future work at UNRWA, yet misrepresentation in providing accurate/complete info can lead to disqualification/termination of appointment, if hired.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Required Languages

Language Reading Writing Listening Speaking
English UN Level III UN Level III UN Level III UN Level III

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This is a UN Regular Budget Post, Fixed Term for one year extendable subject to need, funds availability and performance.

The incumbent may be required to travel within, and occasionally outside, the Agency's area of operations in the Middle East.

Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system Inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All university degrees must also be stated, where applicable.

UNRWA personnel must ensure adding their contract type and grade level. Given the large pool of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment.

Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions will not be considered.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post, when the need arises.

Equivalency:
A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination.

The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations.

UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live.

How to Apply

Follow the link for more information: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/276536?language=en