Senior Consultant, Ending Violence Against Women (Retainer Contract)

Background

Background/Context

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (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.

UN Women supports UN member states as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes, and services needed to implement these standards. It stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on five priority areas: (1) increasing women’s leadership and civic and political participation; (2) ending violence against women; (3) engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes; (4) enhancing women’s economic empowerment; and (5) making gender equality central to national development planning and budgeting. UN Women coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality.

Based on UN legislative mandates and UN Women’s Strategic Plan, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) is responsible for providing strategic program development, policy/ technical advisory services, and quality assurance support to Multi-Country Offices (MCOs) and Country Offices (COs) across the region. It undertakes or coordinates regional research and data analysis and advises on norms, policies, and strategies for achieving the internationally and regionally agreed goals related to gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. It acts as a knowledge hub at the regional level, collecting evidence on progress and emerging issues and sharing knowledge on innovative approaches and lessons learned in implementation.

In the context of its Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) programming, UN Women ROAP aims to establish a diverse pool of Specialists in EVAW for short-medium term consultancies to support various technical activities affiliated with EVAW programmes. This will be in a retainer pool, accessible to the ROAP, MCOs, and COs and will comprise senior-level experts in VAW, specifically related to one or more of the areas described below, who will be called as needs arise.

All qualified candidates with experience in one or more of the areas of expertise outlined in the Vacancy Announcement are encouraged to apply. In addition, for this specific call, there is a particular need for candidates with one or more of the following qualifications:

· Candidates with substantive knowledge, expertise, and experience in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating legislation, policies and programs on EVAW (for example, including but not limited to responding to VAW and building response systems and protocols; the intersection of VAW for development and emergency contexts, including migration; data and evidence on VAW; women's economic empowerment and intersections with VAW; harmful practices; femicide; technology-facilitated gender-based violence; gender-responsive budgeting, and intersections with violence against children)

· Candidates with contextual professional experience in EVAW programming in Asia and the Pacific, including with regional bodies such as ASEAN or PIFS.

Candidates are particularly requested to identify where their strengths lie the most amongst the areas of expertise and competencies listed below.

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the overall leadership of the Women Ending Violence against Women Programme Manager, Asia and the Pacific region, the incumbent will focus primarily on strategic and complex decision-making issues.

Tasks and deliverables

The detailed terms of reference for specific assignments will be developed by the hiring manager in consultation with selected consultants. UN Women will retain the copyright of the assignment. Each consultant will be expected to work on specific assignments as required by the relevant office within their respective expertise.

*Note: The service will be rendered “on call” basis. UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of contract amount will be purchased during the term of the agreement. While on retainer, there is no guarantee of work, and selected consultants retain the right to decline assignments based on their availability and expertise.

The consultant may be responsible for a selection of the following, based on experience and need:

Facilitating learning and knowledge exchange

· Experience with designing, implementing and facilitating learning programmes such as seminars, workshops or learning series through participatory methods designed for adult learning, focused on ending violence against women topics, online or in-person;

· Experience facilitating learning approaches designed for professionals working across the disciplines that address VAW, such as social welfare, police, justice, health, social protection, coordination, child protection, etc, from government and civil society, noting the Essential services Package is a key resource;

· Familiarity with preparing and using online tools for learning events, such as shared platforms for meetings, collaboration software, survey or polling software, AI tools designed to support the above, etc.;

· Ability to draft clear and concise technical documents, including the development of quality knowledge products, written for wide audiences.

Designing programmes

· Experience with designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of programmes focused on EVAW in the contexts across Asia and the Pacific;

· Experience supporting teams in designing programmes through technical support across the Programme development and design cycle, including through development and refinement of theories of change (ToCs) and monitoring for results.

Drafting/reviewing legal and policy reform on VAW

· Experience with issues and practices in the fields of judicial systems, legal reforms, gender equality, including all forms of violence against women;

· Experience in reviewing laws, policies, regulations, and action plans related to all forms of VAW and women’s and girls’ rights across a range of related domains;

· Experience in developing mechanisms for monitoring compliance and ensuring accountability to set standards in VAW;

· Experience in legislation development and enforcement or prosecution services.

Response services, Essential Services for VAW

· Experience working with institutions to strengthen coordinated, survivor-centered and rights based national response to VAW from different sectors (e.g., police, justice, social services, health sector). For example, through the development and/or implementation of policies, frameworks, standard operating procedures, etc. in line with international standards;

· Experience with implementation of the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence

· Experience in estimating costs, and/or policy analyses related to VAW services;

· Experience in VAW services provision, through developing services and systems such as protocols, engaging survivors safely, and relevant actors across different regions;

· Strong knowledge of survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches to service provision;

· Experience in developing and facilitating learning for service providers in line with Essential Services Package and The Handbook on Gender – Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to violence;

· Experience in implementing guidelines related for integrating Gender-Based Violence interventions in humanitarian Action/Emergencies, and in understanding the nexus or linkages between development and emergency contexts, including anticipating and preparing for sustained VAW or GBV services during emergencies.

Access to justice

· Substantive knowledge of and experience of jurisprudence, criminal, civil, informal, and quasi-justice systems, their impact on women, and implications of programming within the context of UN Women’s mandate;

· Understanding of legislative framework reform processes (penal code, code of criminal procedure, etc.);

· Professional understanding of the dynamics of the justice chain, vertical and horizontal relationships within and across ministries and departments; knowledge of the interface between civil, criminal, informal and quasi justice systems or approaches;

· Ability to undertake policy research, data collection and analysis; ability to produce operational, simple-to-use material/ SOP’s relevant to various contexts.

Prevention of VAW

· Comprehensive understanding of the prevention evidence base and entry points for undertaking prevention work along the socio-ecological model;

· Knowledge of root causes, risk factors, and social norms that enable violence against women;

· Familiarity with promising practices and programming to prevent violence against women;

· Experience implementing and monitoring social norms change programmes;

· Familiarity with research and evidence regarding prevention of VAW, such as the RESPECT Women: Preventing Violence against Women framework

Data for VAW

· Experience in conducting primary research (quantitative methods, qualitative methods) on violence against women, gender equality, or related fields;

· Strong knowledge and understanding of the methodological, ethical and safety standards for conducting research on violence against women;

· Ability to do quality assurance of reports and publications on violence against women research and data, in coordination with and input from multiple partners, with the view of using such reports and publications for advocacy, policy, and programming;

· Experience with/good knowledge of monitoring systems related to violence against women and girls’ programs, including using administrative data from services providing support to survivors, i.e. health, justice, security, social services, or related to homicide and femicide data based on the existing UN Women briefs and guidance.

Gender Responsive Budgeting (GPB)

· Experience with national and local development finance and gender responsive planning and budgeting / or participatory planning and budgeting related to EVAW;

· Experience designing and implementing GRB approaches focused on EVAW with local and national systems and agencies.

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

· Experience in developing, implementing, and updating PSEA policies, procedures, and guidelines in alignment with international standards and organizational values;

· Developing tools and resources to support the ongoing education of staff and partners on PSEA-related issues;

Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE)

· Proven experience in program design, implementation, and monitoring in crisis contexts;

· Proven experience in facilitating learning regarding gender-based violence in emergencies;

· Strong understanding of international frameworks and guidelines on GBViE (e.g., IASC GBV Guidelines, CEDAW, UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace, and Security);

· Experience in supporting the implementation of GBV programming in humanitarian emergencies, in line with global Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, as needed;

· Relevant experience in conducting assessments/situational analyses to determine needs and gaps for GBV preparedness and response across the region and develop guidance for strengthening GBV response.

Monitoring & Evaluation

· Proven experience in monitoring and evaluating VAW programs;

· Technical expertise in the principles of theory-based programs, developing theories of change, M&E systems, impact assessment techniques, and data management and analysis;

· Experience designing programs and implementing Results Based Management approaches;

· Experience developing Terms of Reference for various methods of evaluating and reviewing EVAW programmes;

· Understanding of ethics related to safe and ethical data management, monitoring and evaluation;

· Familiarity with best practice approaches in program evaluation and social research methods, including qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis and the GERAAS criteria established by UN Women.

Cooperation with Women’s Movements

· Strong understanding of gender equality and women's empowerment, especially related to community mobilization and movement building/strengthening;

· Experience in facilitating high-level events with government representatives, Women’s Rights Organizations, CSOs (Civil Society Organizations), and a diverse range of actors;

· Experience building strong partnerships with civil society organizations;

· Experience working with civil society around VAW, including, for example, through coordination, developing advocacy strategies, capacity building, mapping exercises, gap analyses, etc.;

· Supporting organizational capacity strengthening of CSOs and feministic CSO’s networks on VAW.

Harmful Practices

· Comprehensive understanding of the intersection between addressing all forms of harmful practices (HPs) against women and girls and key policy pillars of addressing VAW;

· Significant professional experience in programming and policy to address violence against women and girls with demonstrated experience in work to address harmful practices;

· Experience working with multiple stakeholders to support program delivery in diverse social and cultural contexts.

Trafficking in women and girls with linkages to migration processes

· Comprehensive understanding of trafficking of women and girls as a form of gender-based violence, as well as understanding of demand and root causes of exploitation;

· Relevant experience working with National Referral Mechanisms (NRM) as a framework for identifying victims of trafficking and ensuring they receive the appropriate protection and support;

· Relevant experience working with stakeholders to support service delivery for victims and survivors of trafficking;

· Relevant experience in policy and programming to address prevention and response to trafficking of women and girls.

· Relevant experience in understanding the nexus between trafficking in women and girls, migration processes and VAW.

Communications/Advocacy on EVAW

· Extensive work experience and proven record in advocacy, policy, campaign, strategic management related to EVAW;

Other skill areas not noted specifically above that are relevant to preventing or responding to VAW through evidence building, programming, policymaking, and coordinated approaches among diverse actors.

Consultant’s Workplace, Duration and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. Contract duration is from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2027 (Maximum 100 days of assignment period; UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of 100 days. The service will be purchased during the term of the Agreement). The consultant will be engaged under a retainer contract, which facilitates direct engagement of the consultant depending on need and availability within the contract period for a pre-agreed fee. As part of this assignment, there may be travel related to an evaluation, which will be paid for separately in accordance with UN Women’s travel policy.

Reporting and Payments

The consultant will be supervised by the UN Women Ending Violence against Women Programme Manager, Asia and the Pacific region and supported by a Programme Associate as the point of contact on contract and payment issues. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the EVAW team, Asia and the Pacific Region.

Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each assignment and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payments will not be based on the number of days worked but on the completion of each stated assignment within the indicated timeframes.

Competencies

Core Values:

· Respect for Diversity

· Integrity

· Professionalism

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

· Proven technical competencies in working around ending violence against women/girls;

· Demonstrated experience in implementing programs on gender equality and VAW; and in formulating result-oriented programs, monitoring of programs based on indicators and quality reporting;

· Proven organizational experience in building strategic partnerships in countries with government agencies, women-led organizations, CSOs, and other non-traditional partners;

· Demonstrated experience developing quality research methodologies involving multiple country consultations and extensive desktop review;

· Previous work experience in countries in Asia and the Pacific is a strong advantage;

· Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Experience:

Languages:

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis:

Technical qualification (100 points); weight: (100%)

A one-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the applications, with evaluation of the technical application being completed.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria for thematic evaluation consultant:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Education and Certification:

Experience:

Languages:

V. Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis:

Technical qualification (100 points); weight: (100%)

A one-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the applications, with evaluation of the technical application being completed.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria for thematic evaluation consultant:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Technical Evaluation Criteria

Obtainable Score

A) Education

15

B) Experience and skills

65

C) Language and report writing skills

20

Total Obtainable Score

100 %

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates who may be contacted for validation interview.

How to Apply

· List of 3 professional references that can be contacted.

· Copy of biodata page of national passport

· Copy of the highest Education certificate

* Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an electronic application not later than Friday, October 11, 2024, Midnight New York’s time (EST).

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. Please merge all documents into one document to attach.

UN Women statement

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.)