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.

Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality. Women’s economic empowerment includes women’s ability to participate equally in existing markets; their access to and control over productive resources, access to decent work, control over their own time, lives, and bodies; and increased voice, agency, and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels.

In addition, empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world of work are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5, to achieve gender equality, and Goal 8, to promote full and productive employment and decent work for all; also Goal 1 on ending poverty, Goal 2 on food security, Goal 3 on ensuring health and Goal 10 on reducing inequalities.

The private sector is a key partner in efforts to advance gender equality and empower women. Research shows that women’s economic empowerment contributes to economic growth, innovation, and increased performance of companies. More than 30 per cent of private sector leaders report increased profits from efforts to empower women in emerging markets (McKinsey 2010) and companies with more than one-woman board director generated additional annual return of 3.5 per cent (McKinsey 2007, Catalyst 2014). Hence, ensuring the inclusion of women’s talents, skills, and energies—from executive offices to the factory floor and the supply chain—requires intentional actions and deliberate policies.

Under the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 and in alignment with the objectives of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the National Strategy for Women’s Empowerment (NSWE) and the objectives of Egypt’s Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator, UN Women Egypt is working with the private sector through the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

Established by UN Women and UN Global Compact, the WEPs are informed by international labor and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and a responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment. The WEPs are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on gender equality dimensions of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. By joining the WEPs community, the CEO signals commitment to this agenda at the highest levels of the company and to work collaboratively in multistakeholder networks to foster business practices that empower women. These include equal pay for work of equal value, inclusive supply chain practices and zero tolerance against sexual harassment in the workplace. For more information on the WEPs, please read the WEPs brochure. To date, more than 100 business leaders from Egypt have signed the CEO Statement of Support; therefore, signaling their support to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and more specifically, to the guidance offered by the WEPs.

This assignment supports two programmes:

“Women’s Economic Empowerment for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Egypt” – “Rabeha”:

UN Women and UNIDO are implementing this five-year program funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The program aims at reaching 6,300 direct beneficiaries. The Programme reflects an integrated approach combining both upstream interventions at the policy level and downstream measures directly working with women and businesses to realize each of the three outcomes:

Outcome 1100: Increased productivity and job opportunities generated by women entrepreneurs.

Outcome 1200: Increased employment of women by businesses.

Outcome 1300: Reduced gender-specific barriers to women’s entrepreneurship and to women entering and remaining in the work force.

The Programme is implemented through partnerships with the National Council for Women (NCW), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA).   

“Women’s Economic Empowerment in Egypt” project:

UN Women Egypt and KOICA are implementing a three-year project titled “Women’s Economic Empowerment in Egypt” co-funded by UN Women and KOICA.  The project aims to ensure that women in three Governorates in Egypt are economically empowered through access to capacity development, decent employment opportunities, and increased community support for gender equality through enhanced cultural perceptions to realize the two outcomes:

• Outcome 1: A gender-responsive private sector that attracts, retains, and invests in women is expanded.
• Outcome 2: Women’s active participation in the private sector is facilitated.

Objective of the Assignment:

Reporting to the Programme Specialist under the overall supervision of the Head of Programmes/Deputy Country Representative, the consultant is expected to deliver this assignment that aims at creating a cohort of mentors that have the skills and knowledge required to design and implement gender-sensitive mentorship programs in their companies. This will in turn support female employees in companies that are WEPs signatories in having an internal professional confidante at the workplace to discuss career advancement and future goals with and seeking their advice or reporting incidents to, ensuring that there are equal opportunities for both women and men in the company’s corporate culture and a concrete mentorship programme to guide and protect the female human resource within their place of work.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant is expected to:

• Develop interactive training content (agenda, presentation, exercises, and assessment tools) tailored to the national context based mainly on the WEPs “Mentoring in the Workplace” toolkit (https://www.weps.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/WEPs_GUIDANCE_Mentoring_in_the_Workplace_0.pdf) and other resources for a Training of Trainers (TOT).
• Conduct TOT workshops (two workshops) and equip participants with the skills and knowledge to design and implement gender-sensitive mentorship programs in their companies.
• Administer, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of the TOT and the progress of participants pre- and post- training.

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

Deliverable 1: Interactive Training Content for TOT:

• Thoroughly review and analyze the WEPs Mentoring in the Workplace toolkit (alongside other resources).
• Develop an agenda and an engaging and interactive presentation for a TOT adapted to the national context and aimed at training participants to design and implement mentorship programs.
• Integrate best practices, success stories, and real-life Egyptian (if possible) examples relevant to the target audience.
• Design interactive activities and exercises that encourage participants to apply their learning and tailor the program to their companies' needs.

Deliverable 2: Training of Trainers:

• Conduct TOT (two workshops) with an average of 15 participants each.
• Deliver the developed interactive presentation effectively, fostering and facilitating active participation and knowledge sharing.
• Provide personalized feedback and guidance to participants as they design their own mentorship programs.

Deliverable 3: Training Evaluation Report:

• Develop and administer pre- and post-training assessments to evaluate participants' knowledge gain and program effectiveness.
• Analyze the assessment results and provide a comprehensive report on the progress of participants and the overall effectiveness of the TOT.
• Identify key learnings, successes, and areas for improvement for future trainings.

Methodologies:

• The consultant should utilize appropriate adult learning methodologies, including interactive presentations, group discussions, case studies, and role-playing activities.
• Content should be aligned with the WEPs Mentoring in the Workplace toolkit and tailored to the needs of the target audience and the Egyptian private sector context.
• The TOT sessions should be designed to be participatory and engaging, encouraging knowledge sharing and peer learning.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, there is no expected travel.

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.

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

• Knowledge and expertise in gender research and policy analysis;
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to draft and communicate high quality clear and concise outputs;
• Familiarity with statistical analysis and indicators, especially gender-related statistics and indicators;
• Capacity to set priorities, self-organize research work and to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time;
• Capacity to engage and communicate with partners from private sector and leverage partnerships within WEPs and other platforms;
• Ability to develop and maintain partnerships with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and NGO partners;
• Proven excellent written skills;
• Ample knowledge and use of computer office tools (word, database, spreadsheets, etc.).

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in business studies, social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.

Experience

• 5 years of proven experience in designing and delivering effective training programs, preferably on gender equality and diversity topics, required.
• Expertise in developing interactive presentations and using training tools and resources, required.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate productive group discussions and provide constructive feedback, required.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage and motivate participants, required.
• Experience working with and advising companies on implementing gender-sensitive workplace initiatives, required.

Language Requirements

• Fluency (written & spoken) in English and Arabic is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria Weight Technical: 100% (100 points)

• Criteria 1: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in business studies, social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field (10 Points)
• Criteria 2: Proven experience in designing and delivering effective training programs, preferably on gender equality and diversity topics (27 Points)
• Criteria 3: Expertise in developing interactive and motivating presentations and using training tools and resources (26 Points)
• Criteria 4: Demonstrated ability to facilitate productive and engaging group discussions and provide constructive feedback (27 Points)
• Criteria 5: Experience working with and advising companies on implementing gender-sensitive workplace initiatives (5 Points)
• Criteria 6: Fluency in English and Arabic (5 Points)

Application:

Interested Individual Candidate must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11). UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment; make sure that you sign the form, and
• 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, and
• A cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and link to portfolio of work.
• Personal CV.

The above-mentioned documents MUST BE merged in a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to uploading one file per application.

You can merge your documents by using Online resources. 

Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification. Make sure that you provide a valid email address for future communications.

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.)