[Hiring] International Consultant Gender Specialist @UN Women

Role Description

The main objective of this consultancy is to facilitate the conduct of a comprehensive UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard and assess the effectiveness of the UNCT in gender mainstreaming, promotion of gender equality, and women's empowerment. The consultant will also develop an action plan outlining priority measures to strengthen collective action and accountability on gender equality and women’s empowerment and identify relevant reporting milestones for the annual performance review and assessment reporting of the RCO and UNCT.

The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Deputy Special Representative and the direct supervision of UN Women Programme Specialist/Coordinator (Intergovernmental and Normative Engagement), in close coordination with the RCO-assigned task manager and will be supported by the UN Women EVAW Analyst for contract and payment matters.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Facilitate the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard assessment process, including planning, consultations, and validation sessions with UNCT members and the RCO.
• Assist UNCT entities in identifying areas of compliance and gaps in meeting minimum UNSDG requirements on gender mainstreaming practices and performance.
• Stimulate constructive dialogue within the UNCT on current performance in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Identify areas where technical support can enhance performance and accelerate progress.
• Share good practices in supporting national efforts to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

• Conduct a background document review, including:
  • UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard Technical Guidance and Framework.
  • UNCT-SWAP comprehensive report for Palestine for 2022 and action plan.
  • UNCT-SWAP annual reports for Palestine for 2023, 2024, 2025.
  • UNCT Workplan on Gender.
  • Current CCA and UNSDCF 2023-2027.
  • Current United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Guidance (UNSDG).
  • UNCT planning, budgeting, and programming documents.
  • Joint Work Plans, Recovery Framework, UN Palestine Recovery Trust Fund (UNPRTF) documents and project concept notes, outcome and output indicators on gender.
  • CEDAW Reports/other national assessments/national gender strategies, plans and legislations, etc., as relevant.
• Assist and support the Task Team with in-country assessment:
  • Support the collection of complementary data and evidence necessary for sourcing indicators.
  • Conduct gender analysis of verification documents to assist the GTF and RCO in scoring performance areas.
  • Facilitate working sessions with key stakeholders, including the Resident Coordinator, Heads of Agencies, key programme staff, working groups of the UNCT, partners, to discuss and score areas of performance.
  • Complete the rating matrix based on discussions and agreements.
  • Facilitate a debrief with the UNCT Heads of Agencies to discuss findings and proposed actions.
• Prepare an Inception Report and Final Outputs:
  • Prepare an inception report outlining the proposed methodology, detailed workplan, timeline, and stakeholder engagement approach for conducting the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard assessment.
  • Draft the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard report, informed by inputs from the GTF, RCO, UN Women and UNCT members.
  • Develop a comprehensive action plan based on the findings of the assessment including prioritized, time-bound, actionable recommendations to address identified gaps and strengthen UNCT performance on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
  • Prepare and deliver a presentation of the draft findings and action plan to the UNCT or its designated representatives to facilitate validation, feedback, and endorsement.
  • Finalize the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard report and action plan, incorporating feedback from the UNCT, including Heads of Agencies, and ensuring overall quality, coherence, and alignment with UN system-wide standards.

Deliverables

• DRAFT UNCT SWAP GE Scorecard: Prepare the draft UNCT-SWAP report, informed by the inputs of the GTF and UNCT. The report will include a methodology chapter describing the methods used and a brief summary of any constraints encountered (e.g. limited time, restricted access to documents or staff). Expected completion: 14 June 2026
• Prepare an action plan based on agreed follow-up action points identified through the assessment. Expected completion: 30 June 2026
• Presentation of Report: Present the draft report, including a summary of the findings of the UNCT-SWAP gender score card assessment, and action plan to the UNCT (or to representatives as delegated by the UNCT) for feedback and endorsement. Expected completion: 10 July 2026
• Final Report: Finalize the comprehensive UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard report and action plan based on feedback, including from the UNCT Heads of Agencies. Expected completion: 31 July 2026

Competencies

• Core Values:
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism
  • Respect for Diversity
• Core Competencies:
  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Accountability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Leading by Example
• Functional Competencies:
  • Strong commitment to gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s rights, and social justice issues.
  • Ability to evaluate and integrate information from multiple sources and assess its impact on the human rights situation in the country of assignment, including the political environment and relevant legal framework for human rights.
  • Ability to conduct in-depth studies and provide evidence-based conclusions on causes and solutions to gender equality challenges in specific societies and systems.
  • Excellent research and analysis skills.
  • Excellent knowledge of the context with focus on current humanitarian situation in the OPT.
  • Knowledge of institutional mandates of UN agencies, as well as prevailing policies and procedures related to women’s rights in OPT is required.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and respond constructively to feedback.

Required Qualifications

• Education and Certification:
  • A Master’s degree in social and political sciences, human rights, gender equality or related field is required.
  • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
  • A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.
• Experience:
  • A minimum of 7 years of professional work experience in work on gender mainstreaming in development programmes/projects at national and international levels is required.
  • Experience working on results-based management, review and/or evaluation is required.
  • Experience in gender data collection and analysis, including interviews, survey and focus groups is required.
  • Previous experience with the Gender Equality Scorecard, narrative report and follow-up matrix is required.
  • Experience working with UNCTs and UN agencies is desirable.
  • Experience working in Arab Region including Palestine is highly desirable.
• Provide two samples of previous work, including assessments, evaluation or research papers relevant to the assignment to be attached as part of the application.

Languages

• Proficiency in English is required.
• Proficiency in Arabic is desirable.