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 Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECA RO) was established in Istanbul, Turkey in early 2014. It provides support and oversight to Country Offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine. In addition, the Regional Office directly supports programme and project presence in Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244), Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia, Tajikistan and Turkey.

In November 2022 UN Women ECARO starts implementation of Phase II of Women Count Regional Programme till 2025 which is built on results of Phase I and is expected to drive results across three areas: I) creating an enabling environment, ii) increasing the production of gender data; and iii) improving data accessibility and use. At the country level, namely in Georgia, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Kazakhstan, technical and financial support will be expanded to respond to increased demand by countries to addressing data gaps in areas such as women’s economic empowerment (including time use surveys and land ownership), violence against women, gender data on governance and participation. At the regional level, one of the main priorities will be the generation of robust knowledge products on gender statistics production and use and sharing of knowledge across the thematic community of practices. Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), UN Treaty Body concluding observations and preparations for B+30 review will be used as a common ground in a coherent way for stronger targeted advocacy on GEWE commitments enforcement and accountability for the results delivery based on quality data and evidence. 

To support the Regional Gender Data Specialist in implementation of the Women Count Programme, UN Women will hire a Knowledge Management and Programme Consultant, who will support in development and implementation of programme activities in line with UN Women rules and regulations. S/he contributes to research, financial management, resource mobilization and programme implementation including providing necessary operational and programmatic support.

The objective of this assignment is to provide knowledge management and programme implementation support to the ECA RO Regional Programme “Making Every Woman and Girl Count (Women Count)”. Under the direct supervision of the Gender Data Specialist/Regional Programme Manager of the UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, the Consultant will have the following responsibilities and tasks.

Programme management and implementation support:

• To prepare the annual workplan and budget and provide support to their implementation. 
• To oversee technical implementation of the project; ensure synergies with other teams. 
• To support in tracking of  project budgets and proposed activities as needed ensuring consistency with the objectives of the Women Count and in compliance with agreed timeline. 
• To develop procurement plans and oversee procurement processes in accordance with corporate rules and regulations.
• To ensure appropriate actions are taken to optimize use of programme funds.
• To liaise with the national counterparts, donors and UN Women offices to ensure the Programme results are achieved and resources are managed.

Programme monitoring and reporting support: 

• To establish systems for programme tracking, implementation and monitoring using results-based management tools.
• To gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting from the planning to the evaluation stages.
• To monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds by offices and partners; organize and support regular monitoring visits.
• To prepare annual and quarterly reports including donor reports, focusing on results, outputs and outcomes. 
• To provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators

Knowledge management and advocacy support: 

• To design and implement effective learning activities – in collaboration with other team members, work with clients to scope and implement appropriate and effective knowledge capture and sharing activities.
• To identify and share more creative, efficient, and effective ways to engage audiences and facilitate sharing and collaboration.
• To manage the process of collecting and sharing of best practices and lessons learned including its regular dissemination.
• To provide substantive and coordination inputs to the development and maintenance of global and regional programme knowledge networks and practices on gender statistics. 
• To ensure documentation of the programme implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines.
• To build relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Gender Statistics programme; respond to any potential problems.
• To build new partnerships and to support resource mobilization actions including the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies for the programme;
• To develop and review various project briefs, background documents, policy briefs, presentations and other materials related to the gender data and statistics. 
• To organize major advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops, and knowledge products.
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Gender Statistics as necessary.

Expected deliverables

Duration of this assignment is proposed for a maximum of 200 days.

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement 
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Strong budget and finance skills;
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making;
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies. 
• Proven ability to organize and manage knowledge management processes and tools; 
• Good understanding of and commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment and its policy implications;
• Familiarity with gender data and research; 
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in political or social science, economics, international development studies, gender/women's studies or an area relevant to the requirements of the TOR is required.
• A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in development and implementation of complex and multi-component programmes in the gender equality and women’s empowerment area.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in coordinating, implementing and administering development programmes and projects;
• Previous experience on coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is required;
• Proven experience of working in data and knowledge management related activities (data collection, analysis, training, methodology development etc.) is required.
• Knowledge of in UN Women project management cycles considered an asset.
• Knowledge of in UN Women project management cycles considered an asset.

Languages and other skills:

• Proficient in written and oral English. Knowledge of Russian is a strong asset;
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use computers, including PowerPoint, advanced Excel skills is required. Knowledge of related analytical software (SPSS, Stata etc.) is desirable.

Application Process 

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application:

• Cover letter to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised position.

• Signed P11 (and CV) including experience in similar assignments which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment.  Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• Financial Proposal: Specify a total lump sum, including the daily fee.

Management and financial arrangements

The contractor will report to and work under direct supervision of UN Women ECA RO Regional Gender Statistics Specialist. The consultant will be paid upon monthly submission of the deliverables, certification of payment and timesheet for actual number of working days applied. Travel-related costs will be covered separately.

Work plan will be set at beginning of the contract with clear scheduled monthly milestones/deliverables. This work plan will be agreed between the consultant and the ECARO supervisor.

Evaluation process

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a)  Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b)  Having received the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

UN Women may request a follow-up interview for short-listed candidates based on the quality of applications.

Financial Evaluation (30%) – max. 30 points:

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion. A suggested formula is as follows:

p = 30 (µ/z)

Using the following values:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

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.)