Background

Important Note:

This call for applications is being advertised in English, French and Spanish. Kindly apply only once and in the same language as that of the announcement.

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As a trusted multilateral partner serving 177 countries and territories around the world, UNDP is uniquely positioned to help advocate for change, connect countries to the knowledge and resources they need to develop and to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations at the country level.

 

In order to advance UNDP’s mandate on gender equality and women’s empowerment, UNDP has launched the Gender Equality Strategy for 2014-2017, (aligned with UNDP’s Strategic Plan) which outlines how UNDP will work towards ensuring that gender equality and the empowerment of women are integrated into every aspect of its work to support countries to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities and exclusion.

In 2011, UNDP launched the first phase of the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Public Administration initiative (GEPA), an initiative focusing on women’s equal participation, including in decision-making positions, within public administration. This initiative is focused on supporting the advancement of women’s participation and leadership within public administration and is intended to provide the basis for UNDP to adapt, scale up, share lessons learned and advocate with national partners for informed policy and programmatic actions. The Global GEPA Report, to be released in June 2014, includes analyses of the approaches undertaken by a wide range of governments in promoting women’s participation, particularly in decision-making positions, in public administration. It reflects on the strengths, constraints, specificities, lessons learned and implementation challenges at different levels of government, as well as diverse geographic and governance contexts and public administration traditions. Drawing on thirteen case studies, and a broader desk review/mapping, the Global GEPA Report proposes a comprehensive analysis of trends and challenges and provides recommendations to support strengthened policies and programming.

To support implementation of this initiative, UNDP will back its in-house expertise with a roster of external experts who can provide demand-driven advisory and technical services, to build capacities, develop and share research and knowledge and advocate on these issues.

Only the applicants who pass all screening procedures will be included in the roster and recommended for consultancy assignments.

Please note that inclusion in the roster does not guarantee a consultancy with UNDP.

Profile of Consultants

UNDP is inviting applications from highly qualified junior and senior consultants (individuals only, not companies) with relevant expertise in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Public Administration, and proven experience in at least one of the following sub-areas:

• Expertise in enabling legislative and policy frameworks and in harmonizing laws and regulations governing public administration, including in relation to gender equality;
• Expertise in developing and implementing temporary special measures and accompanying measures, including fast track programmes for women;
  
• Development of policy guidance on gender equality and/or the promotion of women’s participation and leadership, including in public administration;
  
• Expertise in developing and implementing gender equality training;
  
• Organizational and cultural change in public administration, including change related to the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment, including gender parity;
  
• Public sector organization and reform, including focusing on structures and functions of public institutions, civil service systems, staffing, human resource and talent management with a particular focus on gender equality and gender parity in the civil service;
  
• Policy making, strategic planning and coordination of public administration reform strategies, both at the sectoral level and for the whole of government, with a special focus on the impacts on and strategies for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment as part of PAR efforts;
  
• Analysis of institutional and contextual factors and social impact assessments of public administration reform plans and programmes, with a special focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
  
• Support to centre of government institutions and functions, including policies and strategies for improved government communication especially with regard to gender equality and women’s empowerment;
  
• Integrity frameworks for accountable and transparent public service, including that safeguard and guarantee the principle of gender equality and women’s empowerment;
  
• Gender equality in public service delivery including in relation to administrative decision making, administrative simplifications, performance management, e-government, decentralisation and public-private partnerships;
  
• Support to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment through public administration information systems and access to information policies and strategies;
  
• Public administration capacity assessments, diagnostics and development including support to the development of public administration training institutions with a focus on gender equality issues;
  
• Support to the preparation of project documents, proposals, resource mobilisation strategies and innovative partnerships in the area of gender equality in public administration;
  
• Development of knowledge sharing platforms and networks, development of knowledge and advocacy products on gender equality in public administration;
  
• Development of partnerships with the media to address visibility of women leaders;
  
• Development of monitoring and evaluation methodologies to track women’s participation in public administrations and development of relevant baselines, targets and indicators;
  
• Policy and programming support on gender equality in public administration in transitions and post-conflict contexts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Consultants will assist Country Offices, Regional Centres, Headquarter Units and/or national stakeholders (including governments, civil society organizations and others in the region).

The range of tasks that would typically be expected from a GEPA consultant may include:

• Providing capacity building and strategic, programmatic, policy and operational advice to governments and non-state actors on the formulation and execution of public administration policies, strategies and interventions with special focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Based on an in-depth technical understanding of policymaking, as well as institutional, political, economic, social and cultural analysis, providing strategic and operational advice to governments, private sector and/or civil society organizations on the formulation and execution of public administration policies, strategies and interventions with special focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Supporting high-level government officials in preparing and operationalizing institutional development strategies, and in locally applying best practice principles to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality;
  
• Liaising with other development partners (e.g., other UN agencies, EC, USAID, OSI, IFIs, but also NGOs), assisting in donor coordination and preparations for donor meetings;
• Contributing to partnership building and resource mobilization efforts for global, regional and/or country level initiatives;
• Supporting the development of transparent and effective performance management systems and related indicators with special focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Supporting knowledge generation and sharing on gender equality in public administration through comparative analyses;
• Developing a methodology to collect and track data on the presence of women in decision-making positions in public administration, globally/regionally/nationally;
• Supporting the creation of a platform that would be a central repository for relevant constitutional provisions, laws, regulations, policies, concrete measures undertaken and good practices related to advancing women’s equal participation and leadership in public administration;
  
• Contributing to innovative research, data and knowledge production, and information dissemination and exchange about gender equality and women’s empowerment in public administration, with a focus on women’s leadership.
• Supporting and facilitating a global, regional, national or subnational dialogue, forum, debate or consultations involving a range of stakeholders to promote greater understanding of and commitment to women’s equal participation and decision-making in public administration;
• Supporting and facilitating organizational and cultural change in particular of the mechanisms within public administration and of social norms in order to advance gender equality and gender parity, particularly at decision-making levels;
• Offering technical assistance for law reform, policy development, design and implementation of temporary special measures and coordination mechanisms within and for public administration, such as the development of gender parity plans;
• Supporting capacity building, including assisting with the development and implementation of training, e-capacity building and fast-track schemes for women in public administration, particularly those in decision-making roles, and including young women;
• Strengthening gender equality capacity building in public administration and mainstream gender equality and gender parity issues in civil service training;
• Developing policy guidance on how to promote women’s leadership and preparedness in public service, in particular in transition or post crisis developmental contexts;
• Developing additional GEPA country case studies;
• Supporting the piloting of the recommendations that emanate from the first series of GEPA country case studies and the global GEPA report.

Specific duties and responsibilities – as well as reporting and working relationships – will vary according to each assignment and will always be specified at the time of contracting.

Competencies

• Strategic vision, demonstrated and strong technical understanding and analytical capabilities on gender equality and women’s empowerment and public administration;
• Strong reporting and writing abilities;
• Ability to work in a team, develop synergies and establish effective working relations with government counterparts, donors, NGOs and other development partners;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment, tact, and negotiating skills, and the ability to cope with situations which may pose conflict;
• Integrity, modelled by the UN's values and ethical standards;
• Sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
• Ability to manage heavy workloads and solve complex problems with minimum supervision. 
  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
Experience:

Depending on the complexity of the assignment, consultants will need to have a minimum of:

• Junior Consultants: 3 years (with Master’s/PhD degree) | 5 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of proven work experience in the field of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Public Administration, as stipulated under the “Profile of Consultants” section above;
• Senior Consultants: 10 years (with Master’s/PhD degree) | 12 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of proven work experience in the field of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Public Administration, as stipulated under the “Profile of Consultants” section above.

• Proficiency in one of UNDP’s working language is required (English, French, Spanish), proficiency in a second UNDP working language is highly desirable.

• IT literacy and ability to operate with on-line web-based applications and tools.

Evaluation of Applicants:

In accordance with the procedures set out in UNDP’s Procurement Guidelines and Financial Rules and Regulations, a technical evaluation of all applications will be conducted, based on a balanced assessment of candidates’ qualifications and competencies as specified above, and including:

• Knowledge and analysis of the subject matter;
• Relevance of previous experience and technical expertise;
• Education background;
• Language skills.

• Short-listed candidates may be requested to participate in a brief interview;
• Selected candidates will be invited to create a profile in the roster; once their profile is active in the system, they can be considered for consultancy opportunities as needs arise. Roster profiles will only be activated once the expert completes the required information and 3 letters of reference are received and verified.

Contractual Arrangements:

Successful candidates will be included in UNDP’s Vetted Experts Roster in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Public Administration (GEPA) for a period of 2 years. Inclusion in the expert roster does not guarantee a contract with UNDP.

When a request for services arises, the hiring unit/office shall:

• Contact the roster manager or search the roster to select at least three qualified experts;
• Send the procurement notice and ToRs for the assignment to the selected experts with a request to confirm availability and submit a financial proposal for the assignment within 3-5 business days;
• Review the submissions and financial proposals;
• Select an expert for the assignment based on the ‘Best value for money’ approach;
• Issue an Individual Contract to the expert;
• Notify the roster manager of the decision and of the duration of the contract issued to the expert;
• Submit an evaluation of the expert to the roster manager once the assignment is completed; and before the final payment is issued.

Important Note:

• This call for applications is being advertised in English,  French and Spanish. Kindly apply only once and in the same language as that of the announcement.

Applications should include:

• A brief cover letter, clearly identifying the area(s) of interest and expertise in the field of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Public Administration, as stipulated under the “Profile of Consultants” section above. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
• A current completed and signed P11 form/ UN Personal History Form (a blank form can be downloaded here); please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
• Contact details for 3 references. Please note that your previous employers could also be contacted.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you provide all requested materials.
• Do not send CVs or additional documentation to UNDP. All applicants must follow the online application process via the UNDP website in order to be considered.
• The deadline for submission of applications is 30 June 2014.

This call for experts is not linked to other UNDP rosters or to a specific UNDP recruitment opportunity.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are only able to inform the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.