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. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The Government of Albania has made national and international commitments to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in many different socio-economic aspects.  Several international conventions and platforms, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the UN Beijing Platform for Action, demonstrate Albania’s commitment to the realization of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality.

Over the past years, UN Women in Albania has provided support to national and local stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and advancing women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting. Gender Responsive Budgeting -GRB has been included as a legal requirement in both the Organic Budget Law (2016) and Local Government Financial Management Law (2017) which both paved the way for the effective inclusion of GRB in all the phases of central and local financial management cycles (medium term and annual budget programming, monitoring & reporting, evaluation and auditing). GRB is currently an important tool for advancing gender equality in key national documents as in accordance with existing Albanian national policy documents on social inclusion and gender equality.

In order to strengthen the work hitherto done and ensure sustainability of the interventions on GRB, UN Women has initiated a regional programme with participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Serbia and North Macedonia on "Transformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans” (2020-2024) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation. The main programme approach will be transformative financing as an enabler factor for policy and financing actions to accelerate implementation of existing national and international commitments on gender equaonTransformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans” lity and women’s empowerment. The country component of the regional programme will focus on expanding the strategic partnerships with Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) and Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP) toward increasing funding for GE priorities. Technical assistance and continued mentoring will be provided to strengthen institutional capacity and knowledge of budget users at central and local level, as well as of oversight bodies, including the parliament commissions, Ombudsperson and the Commissioner for Protection Against Discrimination. The newly established partnership with the State Supreme Audit Institution (ALSAI) will be further expanded through provision of technical and expert support for strengthening the capacities of its professionals on GRB and in conducting gender audits of policies and budgets. In addition, the programme focuses on strengthening monitoring and measuring the impact of GRB, by using key performance indicators, as well as collecting and using sex disaggregated data as part of the Albanian Financial Management Information System, which represents the main tracking tool on Gender Responsive Budgeting.

The program is also highly relevant for Albania during and post COVID 19 Pandemic, in providing technical support to the Government to ensure gender specific impact is closely considered in the decisions on financial allocations the response measures. In this respect, UN Women will work with the government by guiding and assisting them to apply gender responsive budgeting in the new planning cycle and ensure that No One is left behind in the actual emergency situation, as well as in long-term plans for recovering from this pandemic.

In this context, UN Women seeks to recruit one national consultant to extend continued expert support and advise Government stakeholders at central and local level on Gender mainstreaming in Public Finance Management and to contribute to relevant strategic and policy documents. The consultant will work in close cooperation with the MoFE, MoHSP, and other line ministries and state institutions implementing GRB.     

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Programme Manager of Gender Responsive Policies Planning and Budgeting at UN Women Albania, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economy the national consultant is expected to conduct the following tasks:

  • Prepare a work plan for the assignment, with clear time frame of activities and deliverables.
  • Provide technical and expert support to Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) and MHSP in applying an institutional approach towards gender responsive policy making and budgeting, including in response to COVID-19.
  • Support the MoFE to develop the annual Citizen’s Budget by applying gender perspective and reflecting gender related allocations therein.
  • Technical assistance to National Gender Equality Machinery (NGEM) to be able to support budget users on implementing gender responsive budgeting;
  • Support the development of a costing study of the National Strategy on Gender Equality (2021-2030) and the National Action Plan in close cooperation with the MoFE and MoHSP and team of experts.
  • Support capacity development of budget users (line ministries and state institutions) on programme budgeting and GRB across sectors (6 trainings with 6 clusters of ministries).
  • Provide expert mentoring of line ministries and state institutions to introduce gender objectives and key performance indicators in key selected policy areas in the MTBP.
  • Deliver capacity development training sessions for LGUs on GRB (4 training sessions for 10 LGUs)
  • Contribute to capacity development trainings for line ministries on Gender statistics and gender analyses of policies and programmes;
  • Review and provide inputs and recommendations to relevant National strategic documents and policy analyses in the area of public finance management and gender equality and advise UN Women and National Stakeholders on gender equality priorities;  
  • Technical support and data collection on monitoring and reporting on SDG indicator 5.c.1 on Government’s systems in place to make and track budget allocations for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
  • Provide monthly updates and detailed quarterly reports (in English) to UN Women on the implementation of activities as  specified in the monthly consultancy Work-plan.
  • Produce   a   consultancy   report   upon   completion   of the consultancy work.

Expected deliverables:

  • A consultancy work plan with clear time frame of activities and deliverables (annual WP to be consulted with and approved by UN Women);
  • Consolidated inputs and gender analyses for the MTBP cycle 2022-2024 and 2023-2025, including a detailed presentation of the final MTBPs with gender key performance indicators and allocations;
  • Gender sensitive Citizen’s budget document;
  • Consolidated inputs and recommendations for the costing of the NSGE (2021-2030);
  • Capacity development training materials, pre and post-training assessments, training reports; and lists of participants for budget users at central level (6 trainings);
  • Capacity development training materials, pre and post-training assessments, training reports and lists of participants for LGUs (4 trainings);
  • Consolidated annual monitoring report on SDG indicator 5.c.1.
  • Technical inputs and on-demand reports on specific initiatives and strategic policy documents;
  • Quarterly reports on the technical support provided within the time period;
  • Final individual report with key conclusions and recommendations to UN Women.

Duration and remuneration:

The duration of the contract will be up to 80  working days between February 2021 - January 2022. The payment will be made in installments upon satisfactory completion of all tasks and deliverables in the assignment, and submission and approval by UN Women.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

Functional Competencies:

  • Thorough knowledge of Albanian PFM system, planning and budgeting processes of the MTBP.
  • Strong presentation, facilitation, reporting and writing abilities in English and Albanian.
  • Diverse organizational skills in various settings.
  • Proven ability to work within limited time constraints in the preparation of high-quality documents.
  • Strong ability to interact effectively with various partners and stakeholders, with focus on central public administration.
  • Strong negotiating skills.
  • Possesses the ability to work independently.
  • Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education:

  • Master’s degree in finance, gender equality, human rights, and/or any other related science.
  • Additional trainings and certifications on gender equality and Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting desirable.

Work Experience:

  • A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in gender responsive budgeting application either at the central or local level.
  • Experience in working on central government finance policies and processes – including medium-term budgeting program (MTBP), budgeting methodologies and approaches.
  • Experience in conducting policy analyses and/or costing in the field of gender equality.
  • Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system and/or international organizations is considered an asset.

Language:

  • Fluency and proficiency in spoken and written Albanian and English required.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

  • Financial Proposal specifying the total fee in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified above. 

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g., fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).

Payment will be made as per the payment schedule in the contract upon (i) satisfactory completion of tasks; (ii) provision of deliverables specified in the ToRs; (iii) submission of and approval by UN Women; and (iv) submission of the certification of payment.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their application no later than 2 February 2021:

  • A Letter of Confirmation of Interest including a brief description explaining why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
  • UN Women Personal History Form (P11) including past experience in similar assignment. Can be downloaded at: UN Women Personal History Form (P11)  or http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
  • Financial Proposal specifying the total lumpsum in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified in this assignment.

Evaluation of applicants:

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:

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
  • Having received the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.
  • Technical Evaluation –70 points:
  • Master’s degree in finance, gender equality, human rights, and/or any other related science (max 10 points)
  • Additional trainings and certifications on gender equality and Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (max 5 points)
  • A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in gender responsive budgeting application either at the central or local level - (max 20 points)
  • Experience in working on central government finance policies and processes – including medium-term budgeting program (MTBP), budgeting methodologies and approaches (max 20 points)
  • Experience in conducting policy analyses and/or costing in the field of gender equality (max 10 points) 
  • Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system and/or international organizations is considered an asset (max 5 points)

Financial Evaluation – 30 points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

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. The calculation formula applied is as follow:

p = 30 (µ/z); where: p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated; µ = price of the lowest priced proposal; z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

  • Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
  • Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), the Financial Proposal, and the Letter of Confirmation of Interest into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.
  • Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
  • Click 'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click 'Submit Application;'
  • Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above).
  • You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

  • UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications, we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
  • The consultancy post is open to local (Albanian) individuals or foreign individuals with valid temporary or permanent residence in Albania.
  • Applications without the financial offer will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
  • The individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the issuance of contract.