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 UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) implements its Strategic Note 2022 -2025 in close consultation with strategic partners and other stakeholders in the region. A key strategic priority for ROAS is deepening and expanding its engagement in the Gulf Cooperation Council sub-region, including through exercise of UN Women’s coordination and normative mandates. ROAS has enjoyed a strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain since 2016. The Supreme Council for Women is the primary operational partner of UN Women in Bahrain and provides generous budgetary support to the strategic partnership with UN Women. The SCW is the national women’s machinery mandated to develop and coordinate the implementation of the National Plan for the Advancement of Women. 

In the course of this partnership ROAS has administered two rounds of the Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa Global Award for Women’s Empowerment, in close consultation with the Supreme Council for Women (2018 and 2022).  The Global Award provides prizes in the amount of USD 100,000 for winners across four categories (public sector, private sector, civil society and individual champions) who demonstrate impact for women’s empowerment on the application forms and according to the selection criteria. More information on the Global Award and previous winners can be found here: https://www.womenglobalaward.org/en

The application period for the third round of the Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa Global Award for Women’s Empowerment was launched during a side-event at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in UN Headquarters on 11 March. The application period will run for 12 months and will include communications and outreach to publicize the Award and its aims. Following filtration and review of the applications, and deliberations of the International Jury, the winners of the third round are expected to be announced during a high-level event in December 2026.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Regional Coordination Specialist, the Project Specialist (Bahrain Global Award) is responsible for the implementation of the Bahrain Global Award workplan, as agreed with the Supreme Council for Women. 

The Project Specialist (Bahrain Global Award) works in close collaboration with Regional Office for the Arab States Communications Team and Operations Team to ensure successful implementation of the Bahrain Global Award workplan 2025-2026, including strategic communications and outreach, and management of the workplan budget 2025-2026.

Scope of Work:

Effective Strategic Communications

• Design and implement the communications plan for the Global Award;
• Facilitate media coverage of the Global Award application process and results;
• Guide the maintenance and update of content for the Global Award website;
• Draft social media and website content to raise awareness of the Global Award application process and results, leveraging UN Women’s regional and global networks;
• Create videos, convene webinars and events etc. to raise awareness of the Global Award application process;
• Identify opportunities to leverage events led by UN Women to raise awareness of the Global Award application process and strategic aims;
• Prepare talking points, speeches etc. for UN Women’s participation in events showcasing the Global Award.

Data Collection and Knowledge Management

• Track application numbers and trends on a regular (monthly / weekly) basis;
• Propose and implement actions to increase the number of applications in specific categories and / or geographic regions;
• Prepare briefings, presentations, summaries etc. regarding progress in the application period and the review process;
• Compile lessons learned and good practices on a rolling basis to inform future actions;
• Conduct desk review and other research to strengthen institutional knowledge of the global landscape with regards to international prizes and awards of similar nature, and of opportunities to increase the number of high-quality applications for the Global Award, including in the future.

Effective and Transparent Selection Process and Jury Deliberation

• Conduct the filtration/review process to the shortlist stage in accordance with the agreed criteria and procedure;
• Facilitate the quality assurance process for the review of applications;
• Prepare summaries, briefings, packages etc. to brief to International Jury in their selection of the final winners;
• Liaise with the International Jury members and provide support to their deliberation process as requested.

Implementation of Workplan and Budget

• Draft results-based reports on the Global Award project progress towards achieving results (e.g. donor reports, UN Women internal reporting process, and other reporting mechanisms as necessary);
• Manage implementation of the budget in collaboration with UN Women’s Finance and Administration Teams, using UN Women’s online project management systems (e.g. Quantum, RMS);
• Provide regular updates on budget implementation.

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

Competencies:

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

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:

• Organisation and planning;
• Commitment to continuous improvement;
• Analytical and strategic thinking;
• Attention to detail;
• Effective and engaging presentation design.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

• Masters’ degree in business administration, communications, marketing, development, gender studies or a related field;
• A First-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of a advanced university degree.

Experience

• At least five years of progressively responsible work experience in communications and donor relations;
• Experience in budget management and project management is desirable;
• Experience in the Gulf Cooperation Council sub-region context is required;
• Experience in strategic partnerships is required;
• Experience in event planning and execution is desirable;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

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.