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.
As part of its commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusive governance, the UN Partnership for Gender Mainstreaming (GiM), comprised of UNDP and UN Women, is supporting the Government of Sierra Leone to strengthen gender-sensitive planning and service delivery within local councils.
The Local Government Decentralization Secretariat, established in 2024, now hosts a gender unit overseeing 22 gender focal persons across local councils. However, these focal persons face several limitations, including skills gaps, high staff turnover, inadequate funding, and a lack of tools to perform their roles effectively. These challenges hinder the full implementation of the GEWE Act, Early Child Marriage Act, and other gender-related legislation critical to the well-being of over 22,000 people, especially women and marginalized groups.
To address these gaps, the UN Partnership recognizes the need to strengthen institutional capacity, develop localized action plans, support inclusive services (especially for women and girls with disabilities), and enhance stakeholder coordination. The initiative also seeks to support the rollout of the GEWE Act through simplified tools, strategic communication, and targeted training.
Description
To build the capacity of local councils, gender focal persons, and district authorities to effectively mainstream gender into planning, budgeting, and service delivery, while aligning with the GEWE Act and promoting inclusive governance frameworks.
The facilitator will pay for all cost associated to the development of the Simplified version of the GEWE and training for which a budget should be submitted with the application.
The Training Facilitator will be responsible for the following A proposed work plan (including a timetable).
Key duties include:
Design and deliver participatory workshops for 22 local council gender focal persons on: Gender-responsive planning and budgeting Preliminary gender assessments Policy and annual workplan reviews Facilitate workshops for district planners, finance officers, and gender units on: Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) Implementation of the GEWE Act and Early Child Marriage Act Inclusive service delivery, especially for women and girls with disabilities Integrating redress mechanisms and promoting accountability Support the creation of simplified training materials, including a simplified version of the GEWE Act and a communications toolkit for local councils and stakeholders. Collaborate with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs and the Decentralization Secretariat to: Enhance existing gender platforms Align local council policies with national gender frameworks Ensure sustainability through institutional capacity buildingContribute to the GEWE Mapping Exercise pilot in five coastal districts, by integrating findings, tools, and practices into the training sessions where applicable.
Incorporate feedback and finalize the report and associated deliverables.
Support the dissemination of findings to relevant stakeholders and partners.ย The successful individuals will be required to report periodically and upon request to the program officer in charge of this project at the UN Women. The implementation of this project will be subject to the UN Women Timeframes: 20 days). The successful candidate will avail themselves to make presentations at various stages of the contract, to stakeholders, subject to them being provided with notice of the time and venue of the meeting.Deliverables
Develop an Inception report, including a work plan with an outline of the methodology to be used and a detailed timeframe,ย Training agendas, manuals, and materials (including simplified GEWE content) At least four regional training workshops conducted Individualized gender action plans developed for 22 councils Workshop report including pre/post-assessment, feedback, and recommendations Summary of tools and resources required by gender unitsStrategic suggestions for scaling gender mainstreaming and ensuring sustainability
Development of localized action plans
Competencies :
Core Values:
Integrity; Professionalism; Respect for Diversity.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:
ย Required Qualifications
Education and Certification:
โข Advanced degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.
โข A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
โข A project/programme management] certification would be an added advantage
OR
โข ย Bachelorโs degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted.
Experience:
Minimum 5 yearsโ experience delivering gender mainstreaming and inclusive governance training. In-depth knowledge of gender-responsive budgeting, GEWE legislation, and decentralized governance systems. Experience working with local government stakeholders, including planning and budgeting departments. Strong facilitation skills, particularly in community-based or participatory training approaches. Ability to translate legal frameworks into simplified, practical tools for local use. Excellent written and verbal communication skillsLanguages:
Fluency in English isย required
How to Apply
Personal CV or P11 (P11 canย be downloaded from:ย https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.docย ) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials
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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