UN WOMEN Jobs - 57905- Consultant- Strategic Note Midterm Review and Revi

Consultant- Strategic Note Midterm Review and Revision

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Monrovia, LIBERIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

27-Jul-2015

Application Deadline :

16-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 Months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 Months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) was established by General Assembly resolution 64/289 of 2 July 2010 on system-wide coherence, with the mandate to assist countries and the United Nations system itself to progress more effectively and efficiently toward the goal of achieving gender equality, women’s empowerment and upholding women’s rights. The Strategic Plan, developed pursuant to paragraph 77 of resolution 64/2892 is the first such plan created by UN Women.

The mission statement of UN Women was set out in the proposal of the Secretary-General as follows: “Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the composite entity will work 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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, the composite entity will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.”

UN-Women Liberia’s Strategic Note (SN) 2014-2017 was approved by the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women in December 2013. The Liberia SN is a forward-looking programmatic document that translates the UN Women Strategic Plan 2014-2017 to the country level and adapts it to the country context and priorities, including the UNDAF/’One Programme’. The SN outlines the overall strategy and plan of action for the UN Women Liberia Country office for the years 2014-2017 and includes a Development Results Framework (DRF) and an Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Framework (OEEF) with expected results and targets/ indicators/ baselines.

The consultancy will be divided into 2 different and complementary exercises: the Strategic Note Mid-Term Review (SN-MTR) and the Strategic note revision (SN-R). Under UN Women’s policies and procedures in relation to programme management, a Mid-term review (MTR) is mandatory for programmes of at least three years duration. Mid term review belongs to monitoring and planning areas and should not be confused with an evaluation, and it is considered as the most important monitoring event during the year and engagement of all staff in the mid term review process is essential and mandatory.

In the case of UN Women Liberia, strategic note-mid term review will considered as the first step to assess the relevance of the current SN and to propose revision so that it reflects changes that affect Liberian women and girls lives during and after Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, and in the light of the upcoming UNMIL drawdown scheduled for June 2016, as well as other new developments.

The objectives of the strategic note-mid term review and stretegic note revision process are as follows:

Analysis and reflection on the progress of the programme and the validity of UN-Women’s strategy in Liberia;
Re-examination of the offices theories of change for each of the relevant impact areas: Governance including Leadership, Women’s decision making, Participation and Decentralization, Women Economic Empowerment, Peace and Security and Gender Mainstreaming;
Recognition and response to changes in the programming context caused by Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and post-Ebola period, as well as UNMIL drawdown (including normative developments);
Developing an updated strategic note for the rest of the cycle (2015-2017).

The consultant will work from home and in the UN Women office as per agreements made. One roundtrip (travel and DSA) to and from Liberia will be included in the contract as per UN Women rules and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

To provide office with a point of reflection and strategic analysis, distinct from the normal everyday process of programme and project and operations management;
To provide a context for engagement with partners and beneficiaries in that reflection;
To take stock of changes in the programming context (including normative developments) and operational response with the emphases on Ebola and post-Ebola recovery process and planned UNMIL drawdown;
To review and finalize Discussion papers;
To check in on key management issues, such as availability of data and evidence to allow informed and credible analysis of performance, and the ‘evaluability’ of the programme;
To finalize agenda for mid term review meeting, to facilitate the mid term review meeting and produce the report based on provided template;
To reflect mid term review findings in a revised version of the strategic note;
To elaborate an updated strategic note, including DRF and OEEF;
Desk Review of key knowledge products established by the CO such as: 2014-2017 SN and AWP’s,2013 and 2014 Annual Reports;
Select recent studies related to Gender Equality and Women’s’ Empowerment in Liberia and West Africa;
Economic Revitalization and Recovery Plan (ERSP 2015) Studies and documents related to EVD outbreak including post-recovery plans;
UN and GoL plans for and after UNMIL drawdown;
UNDAF 2013-2017;
Analysis and report on partners’ and staff surveys;
In collaboration with the monitoring and evaluation in the CO, the Consultant will analyze and present the results of staff and partners’ surveys at the mid term review meeting and will incorporate partners and staff feedback in order to reflect the results in the new stretegic note;
Finalization of discussion papers and mid term review agenda;
Review and finalization of discussion papers and mid term review agenda as developed by Country office team;
Facilitation of the strategic note- mid term review meeting;
Production of the report on strategic note-mid term review;
Production of the revised strategic note;

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen;
Development and Innovation: Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in teams:

Build and promote effective teams;
Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communication and Information Sharing:

Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication;
Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
Excellent oral and written skills;
Listen actively and respond effectively.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Development studies, Law, Human rights, Politics, Gender, Women studies or related field.

Experience:

Minimum of 10 years progressively responsible experience in the area of planning, policy work or program management preferably with 5 years field experience in one or more of the regions in which UN Women operates.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and oral English is essential.