Women’s Economic Empowerment Communications Consultant-National or International

Contract

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

Background

The Arab Region has made significant progress in the past years towards achieving gender parity in education. Many governments in the Arab region are looking for new sources of economic growth and job creation, and to capitalize on the advancements in education by facilitating women’s labour force participation, which, to this day, remains the lowest worldwide at 20%. At the same time, companies are looking to boost growth and innovation in increasingly competitive global and domestic markets. An increase in competitiveness requires attracting and retaining the best talent, and thus focusing on the potential of women in the labour market is a clear opportunity for private sector growth.

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that gender diversity supports businesses in performing better. Companies with mixed management teams have reported increased productivity and innovation. Investing in better working conditions for women and men reduces the costs of staff turnover and absenteeism which is found to be relatively high even if often is not captured by the companies. Having better relations and addressing better the needs of women and men in the local community lead to enhanced reputation and gains from expanding and accessing new markets. Women’s engagement and leadership is important driver of development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Progress towards the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the sustainable development goals (SDG) requires a revived global partnership, expeditious delivery on commitments already made, and an agile transition to a more environmentally sustainable future.

To promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, UN Women and the UN Global Compact have partnered with the private sector under the framework of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). In the Arab Region, the WEPs were leveraged to engage with the private sector and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and the UAE. To capture the work that has been done and expand the reach of the WEPs, UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) is seeking to engage a communications consultant to (a) design and implement a comprehensive advocacy and communication strategy to promote women’s economic empowerment in the Arab States region, including work with private sector companies and promotion of the WEPs.

Objective of the Assignment:

The Communications Specialist will lead the planning and implementation of communication activities and media relations related to UN Women ROAS efforts on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

The main objective of the assignment is to develop and oversee the execution of a communications and advocacy strategy for the women’s economic empowerment (WEE) portfolio of UN Women ROAS over the next 12 months. This includes raising awareness of the important role of the private sector to advance gender equality, promoting the WEPs, and supporting UN Women ROAS’ engagement with different stakeholders in advancing women’s economic empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the WEE Policy Specialist and in close coordination with the ROAS WEE and Communications Teams, the consultant is expected to:

• Review and understand the regional WEE portfolio, its strategic objectives, and work plan;
• Acquaint with the Arab States context, in terms of women’s position in the socio-economic life, the role of the stakeholders, especially the private sector in promoting economic independence/autonomy for women in the Arab States;
• Develop a communications and advocacy strategy including a costed action plan and monitoring and evaluation component in support of women’s economic empowerment aligned to the WEE strategic and programmatic objectives. The Plan must identify key target audiences, actions, tools, and channels with a clear implementation timeline;
• Oversee the recruitment and supervise any additional supporting consultants and/or companies needed to execute the aforementioned strategy, with clear and tangible deliverables in terms of services and goods that contribute to achieving the expected results;
• Implement the WEE Comms & Advocacy Strategy including WEPS campaigns, ongoing visibility for WEPS signatories, and the organization of WEPS events;
• Produce periodic communications reports.

DeliverablesTimelines/ Latest by

A detailed inception report with a clear timeframe and action plan to deliver the assignment. The inception report should include an outline of the Communication and Advocacy Strategy (10% of a lump sum upon certified delivery)

15 November 2021

Draft a Communications and advocacy strategy in consultation with the ROAS WEE and communications team (40% of a lump sum upon certified delivery)

30 December 2021

Finalize the strategy and develop the costed action plan/results framework and performance monitoring framework (10% of a lump sum upon certified delivery)

7 February 2022

Lead the implementation of the strategic plan, including management of contractual work and monitoring for results. Submit monthly reports on progress, achievements, challenges. (30% spread monthly)

25 October 2022 (monthly

at every 25th)

1 final report summarizing the results achieved as a result of implementing the WEE Coms strategy, the key milestones, achievements, M&E, limitations, and next steps. (10%)

10 November 2022

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/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Functional Competencies;
• Knowledge of gender issues;
• Demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Highly effective organization and planning skills and high attention to detail;
• Excellent analytical and research skills;
• Team player;
• Strong knowledge and use of computer office tools;
• Excellent drafting and editing skills across a range of reporting formats and requirements.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in communications, journalism, media, international relations, international development, gender studies, or a related field 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 5 years of experience in communications, including advocacy, design, digital advertising, video production, media, and storytelling;
• Demonstrated experience in design/implementation of communication campaigns related to sustainable development and/or gender issues;
• Demonstrated experience in event management;
• Demonstrated experience in overseeing the production of video, animation, social media content, graphic design;
• Experience working with the UN is an asset;
• Experience working in the Arab region is an asset.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required; Knowledge of Arabic is an asset;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working 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: A Master’s degree or equivalent in communications, journalism, media, international relations, international development, gender studies, or a related field (maximum obtainable points10);
• Criteria 2: At least 5 years of experience in communications, including advocacy, design, digital advertising, video production, media, and storytelling (maximum obtainable points: 15);
• Criteria 3: Demonstrated experience in the design/implementation of communication campaigns related to sustainable development and/or gender issues. (maximum obtainable points: 15);
• Criteria 4: Demonstrated experience in event management; (maximum obtainable points: 10;
• Criteria 5: Demonstrated experience in overseeing the production of video, animation, social media content, graphic design. (maximum obtainable points: 10);
• Criteria 6: Experience working with the UN (maximum obtainable points: 5);
• Criteria 7: Fluency in English. Arabic is an asset (maximum obtainable points: 5).

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

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• 2-page sample portfolio with examples of previous work (including a writing sample in English and Arabic, social media materials, linked to previously executed campaigns and or videos);
• Financial proposal; Proposed lump sum for completing the deliverables (remuneration shall be made against deliverables as a share of the overall lump sum financial proposal submitted).

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all of them since the online application submission does only permit uploading one file per application. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

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.

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.)