Background

Re-Advertised: Those who previously applied do not need to re-apply.

Background/Context

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.

The Fiji Multi Country Office (MCO) covers 14 Pacific countries, with field offices/presence in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.  UN Women, in partnership with Pacific Islands Governments, regional organizations, CSOs, donors and UN agencies, focuses on delivering within four interlinked programme areas:

• Governance and Participation in Public Life
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction

The Fiji MCO is undertaking an end of phase I evaluation combined with a mid-term evaluation of phase II.

Duties and Responsibilities

M4C Project Outline

Markets For Change (M4C) aims ensure that marketplaces in rural and urban areas in the are safe, inclusive with non-discriminatory environments, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. M4C is based on lessons learned and sound evidence gained from implementation of the “Partners Improving Markets” (hereafter PIM) implemented from 2009-2012 in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea. PIM demonstrated that marketplace improvements in physical infrastructure and governance positively affects the socio-economic conditions of women market vendors. M4C Phase II builds on the progress made and lessons learned from both PIM and M4C Phase I implemented in Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu from 2014-2021.

Details of the M4C Project

M4C Phase II aims to promote gender equality and the economic empowerment of market vendors, with specific attention to the needs and aspirations of women market vendors. The programme will target a diversity of market vendors producing a wide-range of products (e.g., produce, handicrafts, seafood, cooked food), and include full and part-time vendors, rural vendors, vendor-farmers, vendors who are part of family businesses, and vendors with disabilities. The project will be delivered over five years, from January 2022 -June 2026 in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

M4C Phase II has been designed building on successes and lessons learned from M4C Phase I, including with an emphasis on strengthening market vendor resilience to respond to vulnerabilities identified in the context of COVID-19. Phase II is a comprehensive, multi-sectoral programme that seeks to ensure that Pacific women advance through the gender-equitable economic and sociocultural empowerment of women market vendors (full and part-time vendors, rural vendors, vendor-farmers, vendors who are part of family businesses, and vendors with disabilities) within the market environment.

The programme supports gender equality and the empowerment of women through the development of Market Vendors Associations (MVAs) as local women’s organizations and movements that advance women’s rights and through the improvement in public-sector institutional capacity. By supporting the advancement of women’s leadership and decision making in governance through support to MVAs and by gender-responsive planning and budgeting in local government, M4C Phase II will contribute to inclusive governance at levels that directly affect the lives of women market vendors.

M4C Phase II is necessary to ensure that M4C Phase I gains are not lost, including the gains made through the formation of women-lead MVAs, as well as to allow for a stronger focus on power relationships and engaging men and boys in addressing equality, voice and agency at the household level.

The following four outcomes are in line with UN Women Strategic Plan Impact 2: Women’s Economic Empowerment: Women have income security, decent work, and economic autonomy, and the UN Women Fiji MCO Strategic Note: Impact 2: Pacific women have income security, decent work, and economic autonomy.

• Outcome One: Inclusive, effective, and representative marketplace groups are created and grow, contributing to gender, social and economic advancement, the elimination of gender-based discrimination and violence, and expanded economic opportunities for women;
• Outcome Two: Improved socio-economic security of women market vendors;
• Outcome Three: Local governments and market management are gender responsive, effective, and accountable to women market vendor needs;
• Outcome Four: Physical infrastructure and operating systems are improved to make markets more sustainable, resilient to disaster and climate change, safer and more accessible.

The Theory of Change (TOC) guiding the M4C Projects is that the gender-equitable economic and socio-cultural empowerment of women market vendors within the market environment can be attained through:

• Accessible, inclusive and representative governance structures are put into place in project marketplaces that improve accountability and advance sociocultural and economic rights, particularly of women market vendors;
• Through training, mentoring, and economic empowerment interventions, vendors themselves are directly empowered to strengthen their voice in the marketplaces and in their daily lives;
• Strengthening market management, local government, and the policy environment will enable more gender-responsive, transparent, and accountable decision-making processes and improved framework conditions, and help give voice to women market vendors in arenas that affect their lives; and
• Targeted, focused support to gender-responsive structures and marketplace services will reduce the vulnerability of vendors and marketplaces themselves to climate change and disaster resilience, violence against women and girls, and economic exploitation.

Direct Beneficiaries

The programme targets women and men market vendors and marketplace duty-bearers such as provincial and Municipal Councils. Priority is placed on women vendors, recognizing that they constitute the majority, ranging between 70-90% across different countries, and are particularly vulnerable.

• Women Market Vendors: a range of market vendors, producing a diversity of products (e.g., produce, handicrafts, fish and seafood, cooked food), including full and part-time vendors, rural vendors, vendor-farmers, vendors who are part of family businesses, and vendors with disabilities have been targeted. M4C Phase II have expanded the range of vending areas under the programme. Vendors were reached directly through Outcome 2, which seeks to strengthen human, financial, social and physical capital, and through Outcome 1 through support and training of MVA Executives and members training. Vendors are enabled indirectly via Outcome 3 on institutional development, and Outcome 4 on gender-responsive and disaster resilient marketplace improvements, including improving access of women vendors and customers living with disabilities. A total of approximately 8,000 market vendors were reached in Phase I of the project.  Phase II proposes to reach approximately 10,000 registered market vendors, in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The estimated number of vendors that benefit from the programme includes all vendors, including those not registered, who use improved market facilities.
• MVAs: Individuals serving in the MVAs, including executive members, have been directly targeted through Outcome 1. Executive members have received specific training and support to enhance their effectiveness within MVAs. Additionally, MVA members have received training in leadership and governance, empowering them to hold leadership accountable and actively participate in MVA governance processes. A total number of 18 MVAs were supported in Phase I of the project, Phase II anticipates that it will expand this number to 26.
• Local Authorities: Phase II will build capacity and provide technical support to market management, council management and government at several levels to ensure they are able to adequately respond to the vendor’s needs. The project currently works with 10 local government bodies in Fiji, 2 local governments and 1 provincial government in Vanuatu, and 2 provincial governments and 1 city council in Solomon Islands.  Phase II proposes to expand that number to 18, including in Samoa.
• Customers: Customers, including persons with disabilities, benefit most specifically from Outcome 4, which will deliver resilient, accessible marketplace improvements.

In addition, M4C implementing agencies UN Women and UNDP, and M4C partners such as government agencies, CSOs, advocacy bodies and mechanisms, development partners and donors, namely the Governments of Australia, among others, will also benefit from the improved availability of knowledge on actualizing women’s economic empowerment (WEE) in the Pacific marketplace context.

Programme governance and management arrangements

The M4C Project has well established structures of accountability and management that ensured successful delivery of results on the ground and that evidence is collected and collated for dissemination at a regional level.

There are 3 levels of project governance structures in place. 

• Regional Project Board: This body includes UN Women, UNDP, and Project donors.  It reviews the reports submitted by the Project Managers and considers progress and challenges and advises accordingly.  The Project Board meeting takes place every twelve months in the last quarter of the year.
• Project Management Committee: The Project Management Committee includes representatives from relevant Government agencies (led by a nominated focal point within Government), UN Women, UNDP, and Project donors. The Committee receives advice from a country-based Project Management team, providing the Committee with various documents relevant to considering implementation and progress.  
• Project Working Committee: The Project Working Committee includes representatives from relevant Government agencies (led by a nominated focal point within Government), UN Women, UNDP, Project donors, Municipal / Provincial Councils, market management and market vendors. The Committee generally manages and reports on the operational level of the project.

The project is headed by the Regional Project Manager and supported by a Regional Project Associate and a Regional Finance Associate.  Each of the four e Country Teams are led by a National Project Coordinator with a Senior Project Officer and a Project Associate.

Purpose and Use of the Evaluation

The UN Women Fiji Multi Country Office is undertaking a combined M4C Phae I End of Project Evaluation and Phase II Mid-term Evaluation. The evaluation will follow the United Nations Evaluation Group Norms and Standards for Evaluation and the UN Women Evaluation Policy and corresponding guidance[1]. The overall purpose of this evaluation is to provide support to learning and accountability from the results thus far. The findings from the evaluation will be used by UN Women, project partners, and donors for decision-making about necessary adjustments to Phase II.

Objectives

The main objectives of the evaluation are to:    

• Assess the relevance and coherence of Women Economic Empowerment’s M4C Project with respect to UN Women and broader UN system programmes.
• Assess effectiveness of the project’s intervention in achieving the project’s outcomes.
• Assess the sustainability of the interventions implemented by the M4C.
• Identify and validate lessons learned, good practices, challenges, examples, and innovations of efforts that support gender equality, human rights and women’s economic empowerment.
• Collect a number of impact stories from beneficiaries (both women and men), key government partners and stakeholders.
• Provide actionable recommendations for the ongoing phase II M4C

Scope

The scope of the evaluation focuses on the 2014-2021 implementation period for M4C Phase I, and the midpoint of M4C Phase II (2022-2026), with attention given to lessons learned and any evidence of the use of outputs/intermediate outcomes from both Phase I and the midpoint of Phase II of the project. It will focus attention on the Project’s Relevance, Coherence, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Contributions to Impact. The evaluation will include a review of the extent to which recommendations made during the Mid Term Review of Phase I have been put into place, and what effects this has had.  It includes Inputs, Activities, Outputs and Use of Outputs, and any available information on Outcomes.  It focuses at both macro and micro levels.  In alignment with the intention of the project, much of the attention of the evaluation is focused on target groups (the market vendors, Provincial and Municipal Councils and market management).

In accordance with the evaluation objectives and guided by the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, the following enquiry categories will be used. The provided questions below serve as an overview only. The consultant is expected to refine the evaluation questions and develop the evaluation matrix as part of the inception phase.

Relevance

 The evaluation will:

• assess the relevance of the project’s objectives and outcomes in relation to its design in addressing the needs and priorities of women market vendors and their adaptability to COVID – 19 and other shocks.

• assess whether the project remained relevant given the dynamic situation of marketplaces, and whether, and how, adjustments were made.

• Is the project relevant vis-à-vis the causes/factors of gender inequalities in economic empowerment?
• What adjustments were made given the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions?

Coherence

The evaluation will:

• assess the coherence of the intervention.

• How well do the outcomes of the project align with the overall aim?
• To what extent were the different stakeholders’ efforts coherent with each other and the overall aim of the project?
• To what extent is the effort internally coherent with UN Women strategy on WEE and are synergies identified between thematic areas?
• To what extent was the project coherent with other WEE efforts and interests by the Governments of Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, other UN agencies, and donors?

Effectiveness

The evaluation will:

• assess contributions towards achievement of outcomes:

• What progress has been made towards achieving the project outcomes and outputs as articulated by the indicators in the results framework?
• What strategies were most effective in achieving results?
• To what extent did the external environment affect the achievement of results and how?
• Were there any unplanned positive or negative results?
• assess the effectiveness of policy changes undertaken in the marketplaces by the project.
• How did the project team adapt to unforeseen challenges or changes in requirements to maintain effectiveness?

Efficiency:

The evaluation will:

• assess organizational efficiency:            

• To what extent is the project management structure efficient in supporting the management of the programme?
• Were project funds, resources, and activities adequate given the scope of efforts and to what extent were they delivered in a timely manner?

Contributions towards Impact:

The evaluation will:

• assess the contribution of the intervention to women economic empowerment:

• Did the project make a difference in terms of socio-economic security and livelihood of urban and rural women, and if so, how?
• Were there areas where certain groups may have been overlooked or underserved, leading to unequal distribution of benefits?
• What role does the Project play or has played in fostering positive changes within the informal economic sector of implementing countries?

Sustainability

The evaluation will:

• assess the key factors affecting sustainability of the project:

• To what extent will the benefits of the intervention continue, or are likely to continue?
• To what extent is there national ownership/buy-in of the project by governments and CSOs?
• What is the potential for sustainability, replication, and expansion?

Gender equality and human rights

The evaluation will:

• assess the incorporation of gender equality and human rights:

• To what extent was a human rights-based approach and gender responsive approach embedded in the approach of the programme (i.e., participatory, transparent, inclusive, realizing power dynamics, etc.)?
• To what extent were the perspectives of vulnerable and marginalized groups (i.e., women, ethnic minorities, persons with disability, persons of diverse SOGIESC) integrated in the project and reached in meaningful ways?
• To what extent were power dynamics and structural barriers addressed through the project?

Evaluation Methodology

The evaluation will use non-experimental, theory-based and gender responsive approaches. Mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analytical approaches) will be utilized in consideration for the complexity of gender relations in the M4C Project countries and to ensure participatory and inclusive processes that are culturally appropriate. 

The Consultants will use the Theory of Change (TOC) as necessary to ensure a robust analytical framework for assessing contributions to outcomes at the time of evaluation. The evaluation team will use various data collection methods to provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful. The methods to be used include a review of project documents, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, survey, and individual interviews. Most significant change or storytelling approaches will be utilized to capture how the project has impacted the lives of the participants.

The evaluation will engage the UN Women project team, government counterparts, implementing partners, direct beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. The evaluator will be expected to develop a sampling frame for data collection, that is representative of all stakeholder groups. Sampling to select the sites to be visited should also be representative. The evaluation methodology should enable achievement of the evaluation purpose, be aligned with the evaluation approach, and be designed to address the evaluation criteria and answer the key questions through credible techniques for data collection and analysis.

To ensure maximum validity, reliability of data and promote use, the evaluation will ensure triangulation of the various data sources collected using various participatory methods.  The entire evaluation will be undertaken as per UNEG Ethical Guidelines and consider a human right based and gender empowerment approach[2]. The evaluation experts and all their direct collaborators will follow the UN Women’s Evaluation Handbook and are bound by the UN Women report assessment criteria (GERAAS), which will be provided upon initiation.[3] The evaluation is expected to report using disaggregated data.[4] To the extent possible, the evaluation will integrate an inclusive approach and ensure do no harm in engaging marginalized groups, including from diverse SOGIESC, persons with disabilities and/or ethnic minorities. Ethical protocol will be developed and annexed to the inception report.

Ethical Considerations

UN Women has developed a UN Women Evaluation Consultant Agreement Form for evaluators that must be signed as part of the contracting process, which is based on the UNEG Ethical Guidelines and Code of Conduct. All data collected by the consultant must be submitted to the Evaluation Manager in Word, PowerPoint or Excel formats and is the property of UN Women.  Proper storage of data is essential for ensuring confidentiality and a data protection plan will be developed during the inception phase. The evaluation’s value added is its impartial and systematic assessment of the project. As with the other stages of the evaluation, involvement of stakeholders should not interfere with the impartiality of the evaluation.

The evaluators have the final judgment on the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation report, and the evaluator must be protected from pressures to change information in the report. Proper procedures for data collection with rights holders who may have been affected by violence must be adhered to as outlined in the Improving the collection and use of administrative data on VAW  and WHO Ethical and Safety Recommendations for research on violence against women.

Additionally, if the evaluator(s) identify issues of wrongdoing, fraud or other unethical conduct, UN Women and UNDP procedures must be followed and confidentiality be maintained. The UN Women Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct, and accompanying policies protecting against retaliation and prohibiting harassment and abuse of authority, provide a cohesive framework aimed at creating and maintaining a harmonious working environment, ensuring that staff members do not engage in any wrongdoing and that all allegations of wrongdoing are reported promptly, investigated and appropriate action taken to achieve accountability.

Limitations

The evaluation team will rely on the accuracy and completeness of the provided documents by the offices, with independent verification of the information provided, where possible. To avoid biases raised, the information will be triangulated and validated with the UN Women team, the Evaluation Management team, and Reference Groups.

Evaluation Management

M4C Evaluation will be managed by the M&E Specialist under the oversight of the Deputy Representative Fiji MCO.  The Evaluation Management Group (EMG) will be comprised of the M4C Project Manager, the UN Women Deputy Representative, and the UN Women Regional Evaluation Specialist. The EMG will provide quality assurance to the entire evaluation process and approve all deliverables.

An evaluation reference group (ERG) will be established comprising representatives from the key stakeholders and representing the different types of stakeholders (e.g., government. UN, CSO’s, donors).  The ERG will be consulted throughout the evaluation process: they will provide inputs on the inception report, preliminary findings, and final report to ensure it is participatory and has the ownership of the key project stakeholders. The ERG will participate in the inception meeting, and presentation of preliminary findings to provide feedback and validation. 

The Evaluation Team will be comprised of an international Team Leader, an Analyst and two National Consultants who will carry out field missions. The Evaluation Team is expected to complete a good quality report in line with UN Women GERAAS standards for evaluations. The National Consultant(s) will need to work closely with the Evaluation Team leader to complete the work.

The Fiji MCO will provide the Evaluation Team with necessary information project documents, including the project Monitoring; Evaluation and Learning Framework, project donor reports, meeting minutes, training reports, mission reports, monitoring data, market assessment etc. A detailed list of documents will be provided to the Evaluation Team for a better understanding of the context. The Fiji MCO will facilitate communication between the Evaluation Team and the Fiji MCO Senior Management, project staff and stakeholders, help identify the project sites to be visited and persons, stakeholders and groups to be interviewed based on criteria and lists established in the evaluation plan and provide all the information sources the evaluation team requires. Additionally, the Fiji MCO will be responsible for arranging travel logistics for the Evaluation Team.

Evaluation Process (UN Women responsible)

The duration of the assignment/consultancy is up to 20 working days after signing of contract, inclusive of travelling, field work and reporting. Below are the evaluation phases:

Preparation phase (UN Women responsible)

UN Women is responsible for the preparation of the evaluation which include TOR approval and consultant selection and compiling documents for the evaluation.

Inception phase (Evaluation Team responsible – up to 3 days)

• Conduct a desk review of past reports, the project results framework, project activity documentation produced by UN Women and other documents including the baseline and the monitoring mission reports.
• Develop a methodology for the evaluation, evaluation matrix, sampling frame, data collection tools and ethical protocol.
• Finalize the stakeholder analysis.
• Review the existing TOC and reconstruct (based on consultations / workshop with the programme staff).
• Develop relevant qualitative and quantitative data collection tools.
• Conduct an inception workshop/consultation with the Evaluation Reference Group (key project stakeholders) (PowerPoint presentation).
• Prepare a draft inception report to be shared with the EMG and ERG and finalize upon receiving feedback.

Data collection and analysis phase (Evaluation Team responsible – up to 15 days)

• Data Collection and preliminary analyses.
• Debriefing with Fiji MCO after field visit.
• Preliminary findings - validation meeting with Evaluation Reference Group (key stakeholders) on preliminary findings, conclusions, and recommendations (PowerPoint presentation).

Reporting phase (Evaluation Team responsible – up to 2 days)

• Develop a draft report as per UN Women GERAAS quality checklist for evaluation reports and UN-SWAP evaluation performance indicators.
• Finalize the report with feedback from key stakeholders (minimum 2-3 rounds of review will be required).
• Track all comments received and the evaluation team response for transparency.

Dissemination phase (UN Women responsible)

• UN Women to produce the evaluation management response and post on GATE website for public access.
• The final report will the shared with UN Women, UNDP, and relevant government institutions. 

Deliverables

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 6 months, not exceeding 20 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs:

• Invoice and evidence of outputs/deliverables covered.
• Options for site visits should be provided in the Evaluation Inception Report.
• Payment will be made upon submission of deliverables with an approval of the M&E Specialist as Evaluation Manager under the oversight of the Deputy Representative Fiji MCO. 
• All deliverables should be in line with the UN Women Editorial Style Guide.
• All deliverables should be written and generated in English.
• Fiji MCO will be responsible for formatting in line with UN Women branding guidelines for technical publication (evaluation)
• All deliverables submitted by the consultant are subject to quality review in line with the UN Women Evaluation Report Quality Assurance. The report will only be considered final when it meets the UN Women GERAAS quality standards.[5]

All the deliverables should be agreed with the UN Women’s Markets for Change Programme Team provided in English hard and electronic copy. 

Note that all materials, including any video footage and images, will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women at least within 10 business days of submission.

All the documents and materials utilized need to be returned to UN Women in electronic format.  

Any printed materials utilized to be referenced and returned.

Performance Evaluation

• The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

• Payments will be disbursed to the Consultant in instalments, upon submission and approval of deliverables set forth in the section “Deliverable” above and certificated by the M4C Project Manager that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Travel

• This is a home-based consultancy.  
• As such, it is anticipated that no travel will be required for this assignment, unless agreed and authorized by the UN Women Fiji MCO.   
• The position is open to Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Nationals only – however, these nationals are to be already residing in Fiji, at the time of this work assignment.

[1] UN Women Evaluation Policy (2020: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/08/evaluation-policy-of-the-united-nations-entity-for-gender-equality-and-the-empowerment-of-women  and the UN Women Evaluation Handbook: https://genderevaluation.unwomen.org/en/evaluation-handbook

[2] UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation (2016): https://www.betterevaluation.org/en/resources/example/UNEG-evaluation-standards-2016; UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluations (2020): http://www.unevaluation.org/document/detail/2866; Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation (2014): http://www.uneval.org/document/detail/1616

[3] UN Women’s Evaluation Handbook https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/05/un-women-evaluation-handbook-2022

[4] UN Women’s Evaluation Handbook https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/05/un-women-evaluation-handbook-2022

[5] https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Evaluation/Evaluation-GERAASMethodologyMatrix-en.xlsx 

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

• Excellent ability to communicate in English and to write in English
• Have job knowledge to complete the assignments
• Efficient in time management
• A Problem-solving person
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Holds the integrity of the assignment
• Shows professionalism 
• Produces work quality  

Required Skills and Experience

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education and Certification:

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in gender, development and social studies, sociology, political science, or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree with two (2) additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 11 years (with Master’s degree) or 13 years (with first-level university degree) of experience in review and assessment assignments with the multilateral and bilateral organizations.
• Experience as a team member conducting complex reviews in the development field with international organizations (at least five reviews);
• Proven working experience in the area of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, women’s rights, and gender;
• Good knowledge of development strategies, policies, frameworks, and international law.
• Work experience in/good knowledge of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu context and the region situation but should have not been involved in the design and/or implementation of UN Women-supported interventions during the period covered by the evaluation;
• Ability to ensure ethics and integrity of the evaluation process, including confidentiality and the principle of do no harm.
• Ability to consistently integrate human rights and gender perspectives, and disability inclusion in all phases of the evaluation process.
• Solid knowledge of evaluation approaches and methodology and demonstrated ability to apply both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.
• Familiarity with UN Women or other United Nations organizations’ mandates and activities will be an advantage.
• Ability in one of the languages used in three target countries (Fijian, Hindi, Bislama, or Pidgin) an advantage.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Knowledge and experience in a range of review methods.
• Experience working in the Pacific region.
• Experience working with the UN system is an asset.
• Ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions; and
• Must be flexible and adaptive to change.
• Computer literate with ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, internet and email.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Relevant Pacific Island language/s (Fijian/Hindi, Pidgin, Bislama (Optional) is an asset.

Additional Information:

UN Women Statement on Diversity Inclusion

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. 

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).

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in gender, development and social studies, sociology, political science, or other related fields is required. A first-level university degree with two (2) additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.
• Minimum 11 years (with Master’s degree) or 13 years (with first-level university degree) of experience in review and assessment assignments with the multilateral and bilateral organizations.

Technical evaluation of shortlisted candidates will be done through desk review of applications on the basis of responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR) as per table below. 

Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Evaluation Table:

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

How to Apply / Submission of Application

• A cover letter explaining suitability, experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
• Personal CV or P11; P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc

• Note that UN Women may ask for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of candidates’ experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.