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 South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and covers five countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. SAMCO collaborates with the government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the Private Sector to contribute to gender equality by formulating and implementing norms, laws, policies, programs, and services that ensure the human rights of women and girls, as well as increase their economic participation. SAMCOโs responsive programs include increasing womenโs political participation and leadership, securing womenโs economic rights, strengthening women's involvement in peacebuilding, ending violence against women, and promoting gender-transformative policies in government budgets.
The intensity and the scope of the work undertaken by UN Women South Africa Multi country team, requires a high-functioning and resilient team, clear on the mandate, effective and professional in communicating, focusing on achieving office vision, and delivering on the programme, projects targeted results and joint initiatives.
UN Women South Africa Multi-country office seeks to hire an experienced consultant to support the objectives of the planned staff retreat as outlined below through well-structured discussions and engaging activities.ย Reporting to the UN Women Country Representative with dotted line supervisory to the Deputy Representative and Operations Manager South Africa Multi Country office the retreat consultant will deliver on the following objectives.
Objectives of the retreat:
Building team spirit and foster the bond across teams toward a more coordinated, peaceful, and productive working culture; To define major priorities and activities for the period 2024 -2025; To use tools that promote understanding, motivation, and teamwork, ultimately enabling us to effectively meet our targets.; Examining the SAMCO strengths, challenges, best practices, and takeaways from its accomplishments in 2022-2023 and identifying areas for improvement and, explore innovative approaches and potential solutions to address the identified challenges; Support the team to have constructive dialogue on vision, priorities, systems and dynamics that shape UN WOMENโs work in the changing context of our work; Conduct monthly check in on personnel by building on actions that would be adopted in the retreat, thereby strengthen individual strengths and team collaborations; Identify and discuss challenges and opportunities for resource mobilization country; To ensure an inclusive process and full ownership of the retreat agenda and outcomes, the planning team sought inputs from all participants for collective leadership and ownership of a successful planning and conduct of the retreat; To explore new ideas, innovative approaches and make suggestions that can strengthen accountability and enhance the office's performance and efficiency.Scope of Work:
Under the direct supervision of the Senior Management in South Africa Multicounty Office, the retreat facilitator is expected to facilitate and moderate the sessions. The sessions should be very engaging, participatory, and creatively organized in a culturally sensitive manner with the aim of helping staff reflect on the previous joint discussions with all staff such as all staff retreat held earlier and forge strategies for the following/upcoming year.
Duties and Responsibilities:
In collaboration with the retreat planning teams, finalize the methodology, agenda incorporating feedback from previous staff retreats/meetings to ensure that issues raised previously are addressed.ย Facilitate and moderate key sessions of the retreats, ensuring maximum participation of the participants and the achievement of the retreats objectives and expected results.ย Facilitate team building activities during the retreats and conduct daily reflections highlighting day key discussions. In consultations with the retreat planning team, produce retreats reports that will highlight daily deliberations and key actions points. Clarify expectations regarding participant feedback, self-assessment, and any post-retreat evaluations. Fostering a positive and inclusive environment.Deliverables table: Deliverables No of days Amount percentage
Develop retreat agenda and team building plan facilitation methodology, incorporating feedback from previous staff retreats and meeting with existing staff.ย
10 days 50% Retreat strategic planning, moderation, facilitation methodology and approach; Actual facilitation and moderation of the retreat sessions and summaries of key deliberations and action points 10 days A final report succinctly outlining the key discussions, action points, and recommendations emerging from the retreat. Conduct check in on staff and support the monitoring of the implementation of action plan adopted in the retreat 10 days 50% ย ย ยConsultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a homebased consultancy.ย
As part of this assignment, there will be travel trips to City where the retreat is held and also hold monthly check in with personnel post retreat.
Competencies :
Core Values:
Core Competencies:
Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues; Accountability; Creative Problem Solving; Effective Communication; Inclusive Collaboration; Stakeholder Engagement; Leading by Example.Please visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
Team Building for staff including senior management level teams skills; Ability to produce clear reports and guidance with in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations in English in the relevant field; Good communication and interpersonal skills; Stakeholder Management skills; Ability to complete complex assignments in a timely manner and delivery quality results.Required Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
Masterโs in international development, Human Rights, Law or related field, with a strong expertise in Gender and Governance or related field;ย A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
At least 5 years of experience in facilitating retreats, team-building and leadership workshops;ย Demonstrable experience in facilitating group discussions, workshops, or meetings is essential. This could include leading team-building activities, moderating panel discussions, or facilitating strategic planning sessions. Experience working in relevant areas such as organizational development, strategy, leadership, or change managementย Experience in building and maintaining relationships with clients or stakeholders, understanding client needs, and effectively managing expectations throughout the retreat process. Strong understanding of policy and legal frameworks on gender equality, human rights and gender-responsive Peace & Security programming;ย Experience in reporting and analytical skills.Languages:
Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.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,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย 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 toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย 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.
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