Background

1. 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; the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development; human rights; as well as humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations (UN) 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 COVID-19 pandemic is one of the challenging contexts we have faced in our lifetime, a human crisis with severe health and socio-economic consequences. As the virus is unprecedented in our lifetime, it requires an unprecedented response. As in previous crises, women and girls are being disproportionately negatively affected. The UN Secretary-General issued an urgent call to action and raised the alarm that the pandemic is having far-reaching socio-economic implications on women and girls and is exacerbating pre-existing inequalities and discrimination against women.

As the virus is unprecedented in our lifetime, it requires an unprecedented response.  As in previous crises, women and girls have been disproportionately and negatively affected. From employment losses and income insecurity (with most women concentrated in service industries, in MSME sectors, in informal employment (all sectors that have been especially hard hit by COVID-19) to an increase in their unpaid care work. Women are also disproportionately essential workers, particularly in health care, and thus face greater exposure to the virus. Furthermore, domestic violence which has spiked as a result of stay-at-home orders, and increased food insecurity limit women’s bargaining power within households. In short, such a crisis threatens the hard-won progress made towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. COVID-19 is threatening to and can actually reverse gains made towards gender equality, and roll-back progress needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

To counteract the negative effects of COVID-19, the UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECA RO), are implementing a number of projects and initiatives under its Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Humanitarian Response portfolio, including a project funded by the Government of Japan: ‘Responding to the urgent needs of women and girls in marginalized and vulnerable situation exacerbated by the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Europe and Central Asia’ with UN Women Country Offices in Moldova and the Kyrgyz Republic, and a joint UN project funded by the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UN COVID-19 MPTF): ‘Accelerating women’s empowerment for economic resilience and renewal: the post COVID-19 reboot in Armenia’ with UNDP, UNIDO and UNICEF Country Offices in Armenia.

In the ECA region, the pandemic has exacerbated the already weak health, social and economic systems in some countries and disproportionately impacting women, particularly in vulnerable situations, such as minorities, migrant women, rural women, the elderly, people living with disability, survivors of gender-based violence, expectant and nursing mothers, and female single-headed households. Mobility restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus stalled livelihood opportunities and deepened gender-based socio-economic inequalities and increased burdens for women and their communities. With an increased number of workers and businesses now conducting their work and business virtually, the COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of digital economies, suggesting that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills are going to be one of the most-in-demand both in education and labour market.

Under its regional WEE, WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio, UN Women will leverage its experiences in gender-responsive programming, and its normative and coordination mandate to provide targeted support to these groups and increase their access to life-saving and livelihood services during and after the restrictions created by COVID-19 and strengthen their resilience to future shocks. The overall goal of the projects is that women and girls in most vulnerable and marginalized contexts are empowered and act as agents of change during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic through targeted gender-responsive actions.

Reflective of the above, UN Women ECA RO is seeking to recruit an international consultant to provide programmatic coordination and management support to the regional WEE and WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio and its country level implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

2. Duties and Responsibilities

a. Goal and Objectives

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide project coordination and support expertise in implementation and contributing to delivery of ECA RO’s regional WEE and WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio. This includes (a) coordinate and support UN Women Country Offices and partnering UN agencies in all programming efforts on COVID-19 response and recovery, (b) contribute to policy advocacy around gender-responsive socio-economic support to women in vulnerable situations during the pandemic, and (c) provide technical and capacity building support to strengthen gender responsive socio-economic approach to UN Women Country Offices and partners. The Project Coordinator will also coordinate relationships with partners, other international consultants and stakeholders, and ensure timely project monitoring and reporting, and oversee the finances and personnel of ECA RO’s WEE and WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio.

b. Scope of Works and Specific Tasks

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Peace, Security and Humanitarian Specialist (ECA RO), the Consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:

Coordinate, support and guide project implementation:

• Supporting the coordination and implementation activities for UN Women’s regional WEE, WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio, including policy advocacy efforts
• Supporting coordination of regional/national counterparts and partners to ensure projects and initiatives are implemented in a timely manner, results are achieved.
• Draft and present workplans, project briefs, periodic narrative progress reports, correspondence and financial updates to UN Women ECA RO and implementing UN partners
• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with the project implementation teams.
• Support project implementation teams and partners in mainstreaming gender into project implementation and learning.
• Facilitate synergies and information sharing between projects in the region on WEE, ending violence against women and girls, WPS, humanitarian response and COVID-19 recovery
• Provide technical and capacity building support to project teams and partners on gender-responsive livelihood and socio-economic programming and policy advocacy to support women and young girls impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
• Record and maintain documents on relevant project activities, issues, and risks.

Coordinate the monitoring and reporting of projects:

• Support the coordination and lead monitoring efforts and gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and results-based reporting, from planning to project completion stage
• Monitor the implementation of activities and in line with the planned expenditure of UN Women funds.
• Coordinate and facilitate monthly and/or quarterly project meetings to monitor progress and timely assess and address challenges and risks
• Support reporting commitments of projects (including corporate reporting requirements)
• Prepare, edit and timely submit annual, quarterly and periodic reports, both narrative and financial
• Provide inputs from activities and results of the regional WEE portfolio to UN Women's ECA RO reporting
• Review and coordinate submission of financial and narrative reports with project teams

Coordinate and monitor financial resources and project staff:

• Where needed, support the coordination  of team of administrative personnel, including consultants recruited under the regional WEE, WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio
• In communication with the Programme and Operational support colleagues, provide input on development and preparation of financial resources of projects and initiatives, including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting.
• Monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds under UN Women activities

Build partnerships and facilitate national and regional dialogues and networking, and support in developing resource mobilization strategies:

• Facilitate and strengthen partnerships with the project implementation team and partners at the national level and through regional platforms, and provide gender-responsive guidance, technical advice and support to the partners
• Support national dialogue and cooperation initiatives and build on existing partnerships and networks of current programmatic work in the country and at the regional level especially related to the women’s socio-economic recovery, WPS and humanitarian response, ending violence against women/gender-based violence, and other initiatives led by UN Women
• Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies on women’s socio-economic recovery post-COVID-19
• Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country and regional needs and donors’ priorities, and provide support to develop the relevant partnerships

Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication:

• Support preparation of studies and knowledge products under the regional WEE, WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio
• Support preparation of gender briefs, thematic papers and/or advocacy literature, reports, research papers, briefing notes, background papers, summaries, correspondence, and other knowledge products related to the WEE, WPS and Humanitarian Response portfolio, with special emphasis on women in marginalized or vulnerable situations, including regular and irregular migrant workers, internally displaced populations (IDPs), refugees and other individuals in marginalized or vulnerable situations in the ECA region
• Ensure documentation of the project implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines
• Support project teams and UN Women to share project experiences at Community of Practices and other relevant thematic groups
• Promote synergies with other UN Women regional programmes and initiatives to ensure complementarities and holistic approaches to contribute jointly to transformative results for women and girls
• Draft, review and edit press releases, feature stories, case studies and other promotional and visibility materials in close collaboration with the project teams and the ECA RO communications team.

Provide support on any additional related areas as requested by the Supervising Manager.

3. Deliverables And Timeline

The Project Coordinator will be required to support and produce the following indicative key deliverables within a period of 10 months:

Competencies

4. Competencies

Core Values:

• 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 safeguard ethics and integrity
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative
• Work in 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
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge

Functional Competencies:

• Strong knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in the fields of gender equality, women's economic empowerment, protection and humanitarian action and coordination
• Strong knowledge of the region
• Strong networking skills
• Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills
• Ability to write policy papers, reports, speeches, briefings, etc.

Required Skills and Experience

5. Required Qualifications and Experience

Education and certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in business management, social sciences, public administration, international relations, communications, gender studies, or a related field relevant to the requirements of this TOR;

A Bachelor’s degree can be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree with two additional years relevant experience (total 7 years).

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in gender, women's economic empowerment, socio-economic and livelihood support, or similar work with a focus on gender responsive approach, preferably in crisis or humanitarian settings
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience at a national and/or international level in programme planning, monitoring, reporting and communications/advocacy
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in writing, reviewing, editing knowledge products, research papers and/or briefing notes
• Experience in working with civil society organizations, international institutions, donors and private sector businesses on gender-related issues is an asset
• Experience working with the UN is an asset
• Experience working in the Europe and Central Asia region is an asset

Language and Other Skill Requirements

• Fluence in written and spoken English is required
• Good computer skills in Windows, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Power Point, Word, Excel) required 

6. Application Procedure

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
• P11 including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted with the application
• Financial Proposal a US$ amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate and number of anticipated working days, and any other possible costs). The Consultant may be requested to work from the office dependent on the current restrictions in place relating to COVID-19. In such an event any travel related costs will be covered by UN Women.

Candidates should have the ability to quickly produce degree certificates and medical certification (of good health) should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy post.

7. Payment Schedule

Workplan will be set at beginning of the contract with clear scheduled milestones/deliverables and timesheet. This workplan will be agreed between the Consultant and the ECA RO supervisor.

Monthly payments will be made based on the Supervisor reviewing and confirming that the consultant has met the required deliverables set in this workplan. This will also be accompanied by a time sheet submitted by the Consultant to the Supervisor.

8. Evaluation of Applicants:

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

1. Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
2. 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.

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