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

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is providing technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental), including private sector, in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life.

The work of UN Women in the Republic of Moldova is guided by its Country Strategic Note 2023 - 2027, aligned to the UN-Moldova Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2023-2027 and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan (SP) (2022-2025), and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The overarching vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is inclusive and sustainable growth with its promise to leave no one behind.  Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, target 5.5. calls to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of the decision-making in political, economic and public life”. Gender equality is mainstreamed throughout the SDGs, including SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”. Gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres. At its core, the economic empowerment of women depends on the quantity and quality of paid employment, the provision or absence of public services, the amount of unpaid care work borne by women, as well as coverage or lack thereof under core social and labor protections.

The Country Strategic Note 2023 - 2027 focuses on four impact areas: 1. Governance & participation in Public Life 2. Economic Empowerment & Resilience, 3 Ending Violence against women & girls, 4 Peace& Security, Humanitarian Action & Disaster Risk Reduction. To achieve progress under these areas, UN Women works with variety of national and international partners and as part of different national and regional initiatives.

UN Women is looking for a national consultant with expertise in the area of gender equality and women economic empowerment (WEE), to provide programmatic support to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of WEE portfolio of UN Women Country Office.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The selected national consultant will be responsible to support timely and synergetic implementation of the UN Women Strategic Note in the area of women’s economic empowerment. The consultant will provide programmatic support in the development and implementation of effective programmes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.  She/he works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and projects’ staff in the UN Women Moldova CO.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women WEE area Programme Coordinator, the UN Women Programme Specialist, and the Country Representative and in close cooperation with Programme Officers, the following major tasks shall be undertaken by the national consultant:

       Strategic support 

  1. Support the implementation of the UN Women’s Strategic Note and WEE area action plans.  
  2. Gather country-level information on women’s economic empowerment (WEE) and provide substantive inputs to programme deliverables in line with UN Women’s Strategic Note: 
  • Collect, analyze, and synthesize country-specific research, policy papers, articles, case studies and other knowledge based-products that can inform and shape the programme. 
  • Conceptualize proposals, programmatic initiatives and design of knowledge products, tools and incentives based on the specific context in Moldova in collaboration with implementing partners, UN Women team.
  • Consult on bottlenecks and challenges identified through programme implementation.

      3. Identify, analyze, and present best international practices in WEE area and identify synergies at the local level. 

      4. Support in conceptualization and organization of online and offline multistakeholder dialogues: 

  • Develop and expand the partnership base with wide range of partners at national and local level (Government, Parliament, civil society, academia, private sector, media, international institutions, etc.) in the WEE area, including non-traditional partners. 
  • Participate in regular meetings with key partners under the WEE area for monitoring of the ongoing activities on WEE. Provide input based on expertise.  
  • Identify and build new sustainable partnerships with strategic organizations and companies for programme implementation, visibility, and overall success. 
  • Ensure coordination with relevant institutions, stakeholders, humanitarian working groups including the Gender Task force (GTF);

       Research, Writing, and Communication  

  1. Ensure timely and proper documentation of the WEE Impact Area implementation processes and products in accordance with the UN Women guidelines.   
  2. Contribute to the design of outreach materials for use at events, campaigns, and social media, including country fact sheets and infographics on women’s economic empowerment issues. 
  3. Contribute to discussions at seminars and conferences linked to the programme activities. 
  4. Disseminate with project stakeholders and wider community the knowledge generated through the project implementation process, in particular, experience and good practice with regard to women's economic empowerment;
  5. Contribute to design of advocacy materials and promote initiatives for advocacy and policy dialogue in WEE area. 
  6. Promotion of Knowledge management products and learning environment based on the programme, the partners and results achieved and updated database.

       Work stream Management 

  1. Provide support  in reviewing the reports/deliverables from consultants/companies. 
  2. Support in the development  concepts and terms of reference for specific components of the workplan.
  3.  Substantive support to programme coordination meetings and participation in organizational exercises.
  4. Implement other tasks related to WEE area. 

Total number of days – up to 220 .

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply

 

Competencies

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. 

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

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree in economics, finance, public administration, human rights, gender equality, management or other related areas;

Experience:

  • Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programmes and projects, preferably in the area of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and gender responsive budgeting;
  • Minimum 3 years of collaborative work experience with national partners at policy/decision making and/or institutional and local level, including government and civil society organisations;
  • Strong analytical and writing skills and experience;
  • Experience in the UN system, agencies and international organizations is an asset;
  • Experience in working with diverse public and private actors on gender and socio-economic empowerment and response, is an asset.  
  • Computer literacy and professional knowledge of office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems. 

Language skills:

  • Fluency in English and Romanian is required. Advanced knowledge of Russian is an advantage.
  • Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language is an asset.

Application procedure:

This is a local position; therefore only citizens of the Republic of Moldova are eligible to apply. Applications should be submitted on line and include fully.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

  • All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc);
  • Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
  • Letter of Intent to include a brief overview of the consultant’s previous experiences makes the candidate the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. It should reflect the above-mentioned required skills and experience.
  • Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the task specified in Terms of References. The Financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate). Please see ANNEX I and ANNEX II. - https://sc.undp.md/jobs/
  • Applications received after the close date will not be accepted;
  • Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.