Consultant - Research Assistant - Intergovernmental Processes - Ministry of Women and Child Development (Two Positions) (Open to Indian Nationals Only)

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

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.

UN Women’s India Country Office works towards promoting women’s leadership in governance and participation in intergovernmental processes, UN interagency coordination, women’s economic empowerment and ending violence against women and girls.

Under its comprehensive and unique mandate of normative support and coordination, UN Women is expected to provide strong and coherent leadership in support of countries’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society, the nodal government agency, private sector and other relevant actors.

The Intergovernmental Processes & Inter-Agency Coordination division in UN WOMEN India Country Office (ICO) plays a central role to deliver on UN Women’s normative support functions and strengthens linkages between normative work and operational activities. It contributes to the Entity’s support for the development and strengthening of a comprehensive set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment that is dynamic, responds to new and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities and is applied through action by Governments and other stakeholders at all levels. The Unit also has special responsibility for the coordination of substantive servicing of intergovernmental and expert bodies as mandated in relevant legislative documents.

The Intergovernmental Processes and Coordination Division is UN Women’s interface with intergovernmental bodies, including the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, the G20, as well as with other intergovernmental processes and events.

The Consultant - Research Assistants’ role would contribute effectively to assist the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) on behalf of UN Women in handover processes for G20 related activities pertaining to the Ministry by providing substantive inputs and support for intergovernmental dialogues and documentation. She/ he will engage across the UN to maximise support for the Government India’s engagement on the gender aspects in various intergovernmental processes.

In this context, UN Women will be placing two Consultant - Research Assistants - Communications and Coordination at the Ministry to support their on intergovernmental processes including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030. The persons will be placed in MWCD and will directly report to the Joint Secretary, MWCD under the overall supervision of the Deputy Representative, UN WOMEN India Country Office. He/ She will also meet with UN Women once a fortnight and/or when required to discuss work undertaken.

Duties and Responsibilities

Research, Knowledge Management & Documentation:

• Support Ministry’s monitoring of relevant intergovernmental processes (including G20 handover and followup, Beijing Platform for Action, UN General Assembly, Commission on Status of Women, World Economic Forum etc.) and developments on the sustainable development goals and Agenda 2030;
• Assist in communication and documentation and reporting on G20 and other intergovernmental dialogues;
• Participate in meetings with MWCD, align with the communications plan and assist in execution of the same;
• Analysis and research of information, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation & identification of new opportunities;
• Prepare briefing notes and updates on gender issues;
• Prepare periodic progress reports of the work undertaken by the Ministry;
• Document and disseminate resources for initiatives under the such as case studies and best practices;
• Assist in preparatory work for review meetings with Secretary and Ministers, including, preparation of resource materials, agenda papers, minutes etc;
• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues.

Communications and Coordination:

• Facilitate coordination and manage communication and documentation for MWCD in close collaboration with the relevant focal points;
• Support the communications focal point in planning, organizing and documenting for events organized by MWCD;
• Assist in preparation of knowledge resources, communications, presentations and background material for internal and external use, including fact sheets on thematic issues as well as state specific content for websites and social media;
• Coordinate with the communications focal point on press releases, opinion pieces and social media messaging;
• Draft/and or conduct interviews and collect quotes from partners, and/or at workshops and events;
• Coordinate monthly meetings with UN Women and MWCD Joint Secretary. Ensure regular communications between UN Women and MWCD;
• Support the Ministry’s engagement and follow up in bilateral and multilateral forums.

Any other duties assigned by the Direct Supervisor in MWCD & the Deputy Representative in UN Women.

Expected Deliverables:

• Creation of documents and communication material – online and offline media, presentations, and background material for internal and external use;
• Support communications efforts with the organisation of events;
• Produce press, media and advocacy related material, such as press releases, social media messages, factsheets and knowledge materials;
• Assist in planning and execution of MWCD’s events;
• Ideate and create new communications products;
• Monthly report to UN Women with details of the tasks undertaken, documents, templates, media products etc.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Respect for Diversity
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with demonstrated experience of researching or working on gender issues;
• Strong research and writing skills, with strong analytical skills and creative thinking;
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Previous experience (also volunteer experience) from the non-profit sector is an advantage;
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities;
• Ability to produce quality deliverables in a timely manner;
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, Power Point, Canva.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent in Social Science, Political Sciences, Business Administration, International Relations, Journalism, Communications, Gender Studies, or related field.

Experience:

• At least Two years of relevant experience at the national or international level in supporting knowledge creation services and hands-on experience in communications and coordination.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages and handling of web based management systems.
• Previous work experience with UN agencies are considered an advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Hindi.

Application:

Interested applicants should apply to this announcement through UNDP jobs site: jobs.undp.org

Interested individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/about-us/jobs
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
• Applications received after the close date will not be accepted;
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Criteria for shortlisting of CVs will be based on the following assessment:

• Required Degree and Qualification (5 points);
• Expertise and Experience relevant to the assignment (10 points);
• Demonstrable experience on policy advocacy with the government and other stakeholders (5 points).

The evaluation process for selection of the candidate will be based on the following assessment:

• Writing Samples Assessment (20 points)
• Interview (80 points)

Please Note:

• For an assignment requiring travel, individuals of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
• Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.
• The consultant is expected to use their own computer equipment. The office will not provide any computer equipment for this assignment.
• This is a full-time assignment. The consultant is expected to disclose any outside activity and shall not be permitted to take up any outside work during the course of this assignment.

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.

Apply Now Refer a Friend