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.  

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the centre of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.  

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.  Following the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and the various decrees and edicts passed since that has led to a progressive deterioration of public spaces for women and women CSOs.  UN Women ACO is currently adapting its programming model to manage and mitigate the risks to women's rights and freedoms in the uncertain and rapidly shrinking operational space.

Reporting to the Special Representative, the Senior Strategic Advisor will provide advice on the effective implementation of the programmes, with particular emphasis on the expansion and innovation within the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) programming. In doing so, she/he will directly engage with ACO stakeholders-UN, the International community, INGOs, CSOs and the private sector to identify entry points, knowledge products and advocacy messaging; and will collaborate with relevant programme and operations teams and UN Women Regional Office and HQ to ensure successful UN Women strategic footprint and programme implementation in Afghanistan. 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide strategic advice and specialized technical support on the direction of the programming, specific focus on WEE

  • Provide strategic advice to direct the effective implementation of the WEE portfolio;
  • Serve as an expert resource to senior management, technical team and partners to troubleshoot and advise on addressing the challenges to implement the programme, with a specific focus on WEE;
  • Troubleshoot and advise on addressing the challenges to implementing the WEE programme, considering the evolving operational context;
  • Advise senior management on approaches that ensure flexibility and adaptability of programming in a timely and principled manner in response to potential challenges;
  • Identify and advise on engagement strategies to implement programmes at the sub-national/local levels;
  • Contribute to policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/materials for use in the development and presentation of innovative and coherent policy and programmatic positions.

Provide advice on strategies for expanding opportunities to elevate the engagement of Afghan women CSOs

  • Provide strategic advice to senior management on approaches to effectively safeguard and expand the space for Afghan women and women CSOs in Afghanistan;
  • Contribute to strategies that support women-led CSOs to adapt and respond to the restrictive challenges in Afghanistan;
  • Work on strategies to strengthen the voice of Afghan women working inside of Afghanistan on internal and external policies regarding the Afghan response.

Contribute to strengthening and expanding partnerships with key stakeholders

  • Support the senior management to build, manage, and expand relationships with stakeholders- donors, UN, INGOs, CSOs and the private sector;
  • Identify and lead opportunities to engage with partners and networks to support adapting and implementing the WEE programme,
  • Provide strategic and technical advice and guidance to programme partners;
  • Provide partners with opportunities for advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives;
  • Coordinate with other UN agencies, donors and NGOs/CSO to ensure the strategic direction and programming are harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Support in developing resource mobilization strategies

  • Support developing and implementing partnerships and resource mobilization strategies related to WEE;
  • Advice the finalization of relevant documentation /briefs for donors and develop potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
  • Provide analytical intelligence on donors, identify possible areas of cooperation and identification of opportunities for cost-sharing.

Advice on advocacy, knowledge management and communication messaging

  • Represent UN Women, as necessary, in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to women's economic contributions and programmes;
  • Provide leadership and advice on data generation, advocacy opportunities and communication messages, particularly on WEE; and identify opportunities for their implementation;
  • Identify themes and topics to capture best practices and lessons learned to guide programme innovation and strategic planning.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity;
  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism.

Corporate 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 Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong background in providing strategic advice at senior levels;
  • Demonstrated high-level knowledge of women’s economic empowerment programming in a complex humanitarian context;
  • Strong understanding and experience in programme implementation, advocacy, and knowledge management;
  • Ability to synthesize programme performance data to inform management and strategic decision-making;
  • Excellent coordination and communications skills;
  • Ability to think creatively and work logically and precisely with attention to detail;
  • Initiative, sound judgment, and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with multidisciplinary teams;
  • Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines in a high-pressure environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in gender, international development, business administration or other social science fields is required;
  • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

  • At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience that combines intellectual, strategic, and managerial leadership in development programmes with a strong focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment in areas of livelihood, protection, and  income generation interventions at the international level;
  • Field-based experience working with multicultural teams;
  • Experience in working in a conflict or post-conflict country is a must; 
  • Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
  • Ability to work independently and deliver on tight timelines. 

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required
  • Additional UN 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: 70% (70 points)

  • Criteria 1:  Education (20 Points)
  • Criteria 2:  Experience (40 points)
  • Criteria 3:  Language (10  points)

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

  • Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
  • The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
  • 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

Application:

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)