Head Gender Section

About the role

The Head Gender Section leads UNRWA’s agency‑wide strategy to promote gender equality and protect Palestine refugee women and girls. Reporting to the Chief of Protection, this senior position shapes policies, integrates gender analysis into programmes and ensures a gender‑responsive humanitarian response.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and coordinate UNRWA policies, strategies and operational guidance on gender equality and the rights of refugee women and girls.
• Promote gender mainstreaming across all core programmes, ensuring systematic gender analysis to identify risks, vulnerabilities and gaps.
• Oversee agency‑wide approaches to prevent and respond to gender‑based violence, working with field officers to embed GBV risk mitigation and survivor‑centred responses.
• Provide strategic leadership for gender‑inclusive emergency preparedness, protection assessments and response frameworks.
• Design tools and guidance that enable meaningful participation of women and girls in programme design, delivery and evaluation, and ensure gender‑sensitive AAP mechanisms.
• Strengthen gender data systems, including collection, analysis and use of sex‑, age‑ and diversity‑disaggregated data.
• Advise senior management on advancing gender equality within the UNRWA workforce, supporting women’s leadership and a gender‑responsive organisational culture.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in gender equality, protection and gender‑based violence within humanitarian or development settings.
• Proven ability to lead agency‑wide policy development and to integrate gender considerations into programme planning and implementation.
• Strong knowledge of international human rights standards and the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda.
• Excellent analytical, strategic and advisory skills, with a track record of influencing senior leadership.

Required skills