WHAT IS CIC / THE PATHFINDERS INITIATIVE?

For over two decades New York University's Center on International Cooperation (CIC) has built a reputation for its work on the links between politics, security, and sustainable development. CIC is a champion of the positive role that global institutions can play in fostering peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.

The Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies is a multi-stakeholder platform of UN member states, international organizations, global partnerships, civil society, and the private sector that work together to accelerate the delivery of the SDG targets for peace, justice and inclusion (SDG16+). Pathfinders was co-founded by and is hosted by CIC.

The Pathfinders initiative brings together 36 countries and close to 100 other partners. We launched the Roadmap for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in 2017 and played a central role as a mobilizer for the first SDG Summit in 2019.

We actively support national implementation of the SDG16+ targets and work with global and regional partners to strengthen strategies and operational support for peaceful, just and inclusive societies. A key part of our work involves supporting three Grand Challenges, including the ministerial Task Force on Justice, fostering a community of action on SDG16.1 (significantly reduce all forms of violence everywhere), and supporting a coalition of countries and other partners working to tackle Inequality and Exclusion. 

THE GRAND CHALLENGE ON INEQUALITY AND EXCLUSION

Rising inequality and exclusion represent a formidable challenge to fulfilling the goals of the 2030 Agenda and are fueling profound economic, social, and political grievances around the world.  However, while research has primarily focused on analyzing the problem, evidence of convincing policy alternatives and solutions to address it, and sufficient political will to drive implementation efforts is lacking. 

The Grand Challenge brings together a cross-regional alliance of countries, including Sweden, Tunisia, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Mexico, Uruguay, Sierra Leone, Canada and the Republic of Korea with civil society and multilateral partners such as the UN, the World Bank, the OECD, Oxfam, ITUC and CIVICUS that are seeking to identify practical and politically viable solutions to meet the targets on equitable and inclusive societies in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Research is ongoing in a number of areas including political inclusion; fiscal compromise; the future of work and building shared assets; spatial inclusion and housing; social protection and social services; which will culminate in a comprehensive report to be launched in 2021. 

An Advisory Council composed of participating countries and organisations provides guidance for the work of the Grand Challenge and is expected to transform into a more formalized multi-stakeholder platform that champions delivery on the equality and inclusion agenda aligned with the UN Secretary-General Decade of Action 2021-2030.

JOB DESCRIPTION

CIC is seeking a Senior Policy Analyst for its Inequality and Exclusion Grand Challenge, that will be responsible for ensuring that the objectives of anti-discrimination and inclusion for historically marginalized groups on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics are comprehensively addressed within the program, as we help identify practical and politically viable solutions to meet the targets on equitable and inclusive societies in the Sustainable Development Goals. The ideal candidate will bring a commitment especially to gender equality and experience with gender analysis.

Reporting to the Program Lead on Inequality and Exclusion, the principal job responsibilities are to:

• Provide research, thought leadership, and strategic direction to the initiative on how it can comprehensively address issues of inclusion and anti-discrimination.
• Support the development and harnessing of evidence related to inclusion and anti-discrimination on the basis of group identities, ensuring the incorporation of adequate guidance in terms of reference and identifying research partners and collaborators. 
• Synthesizing research developed across multiple workstreams – fiscal and macroeconomic policy, political inclusion and participation, spatial inclusion, empowering social protection systems, technology and the future of work - to inform a vision and strategies for reducing inequality and inclusion/anti-discrimination at a domestic and international level.   
• Support the development of a comprehensive portfolio of inclusive policies and approaches to implementation, which will be relevant in a variety of contexts and setting
• Support efforts to engage member states and other partners, including issue-based networks and partnerships, on the implementation of evidence-based approaches and solutions
• Represent the Grand Challenge and its research and policy recommendations in a variety of settings
• Cultivate and maintain a productive and collaborative relationship with a variety of key partner countries, organizations, institutions, and individuals
• Support the work of the Advisory Council of the Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion (the political steering group of the initiative)
• Identify and utilize high level political opportunities to further the agenda of the Grand Challenge and showcase its contribution to inclusion, diversity and equality including through United Nations and International Financial Institutions meetings, events and processes 
• Support efforts to mobilize a longer term multi-stakeholder platform and movement to address inequality and exclusion as part of the UN's Decade of Action for the SDGs.
• Identify and support fund-raising strategies and report to donors on the impact of the program in diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination terms and how this represents value for money to donors.
• Work with the Pathfinders director and wider Pathfinders team to ensure the success of the Pathfinders program.

The program adopts a redistribution and recognition lens, which looks at multiple dimensions of inequality and patterns of exclusion, which are distinct but related: including material opportunities (distribution), but also status, esteem, and perceptions of worth and respect (recognition).  Our work aims to help reduce the structural inequalities, discrimination and exclusions faced by historically marginalized groups, including communities of color. 

As senior program officer, you will have a particular responsibility to ensure that issues related to inclusivity and diversity are adequately and comprehensively addressed within the program, in regard to research, activities, communications and events.  You will be expected to work independently, develop high-quality and publishable knowledge products, and make important contributions to research, policy formation and the strategic direction of the program. 

The position requires a track record as a research and thought leader in inequality and exclusion, with experience that ideally covers multiple dimensions of inequality and exclusion. In particular, a track record of working on issues of inclusion, discrimination, and marginalization is required, and experience in policy development that covers both socio-economic issues and political inclusion highly welcome. The candidate should have demonstrated skill in leading research and policy partnerships, including in the Global South, and the ability to add value to a dynamic and fast-moving program. Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential, as well as experience with effective communications strategies. Fluency or working proficiency in more than one of the UN's official languages is highly desirable.  We aim to increase diversity at CIC and especially appeal to persons from minority or marginalized groups to apply