Individual National Consultant: Gender Responsive and Disability Inclusive Humanitarian Cash Transfer Consultant, Viet Nam

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Viet Nam is highly exposed to climate-related shocks, particularly typhoons, floods, landslides and droughts, which increasingly affect vulnerable households, disrupt livelihoods, and threaten children’s access to essential services. While Viet Nam has made significant progress in strengthening its social protection system, existing programmes are primarily designed to address chronic vulnerabilities and have limited capacity to rapidly scale up in response to shocks.

In recent years, humanitarian cash transfers (HCT) have become an important modality in UNICEF Viet Nam’s humanitarian response, providing flexible and dignified assistance to disaster-affected households while generating evidence to inform longer-term shock-responsive social protection (SRSP) development. However, emergency cash assistance in Viet Nam remains relatively limited and is still largely delivered through development and humanitarian partners rather than being systematically integrated into government-led emergency response mechanisms. This highlights the need to document lessons learned and strengthen the evidence, systems and capacities required for the future institutionalization of cash-based approaches.

Following Typhoon Yagi in 2024 and subsequent climate-related emergencies in 2025, UNICEF Viet Nam expanded HCT interventions in affected provinces, providing multipurpose cash assistance and cash-plus support linked to nutrition, education and WASH for vulnerable households with children. These responses demonstrated the feasibility of delivering emergency cash assistance through improved targeting, digital beneficiary management, partnerships with financial service providers, monitoring systems and feedback channels.

As HCT programming continues to evolve in Viet Nam, ensuring that cash interventions are gender-responsive and disability-inclusive is essential to reach the most vulnerable groups. Women, girls, boys, men and persons with disabilities may face different barriers in accessing assistance, participating in programme processes and benefiting from cash support, and may also experience different protection, safety and accountability risks.

The purpose of this assignment is to assess how gender equality and disability inclusion are integrated into humanitarian cash transfer programmes in Viet Nam and to generate evidence-based recommendations, practical guidance and learning products to strengthen future HCT deployment by UNICEF, development partners, CWG members and, where relevant, government counterparts. The assignment will also consider how HCT can be better linked with shock-responsive social protection and other social sector programmes to improve preparedness, response and recovery for vulnerable households with children.

The assignment will pursue the following specific objectives:

1. Review the extent to which gender equality and disability inclusion considerations have been incorporated into the design, targeting, delivery mechanisms, communication approaches, accountability systems, monitoring, and evaluation of humanitarian cash transfer programmes.

2. Analyze gender- and disability-related factors affecting access to, participation in and benefits from humanitarian cash assistance among different population groups, including women, men, adolescent girls, adolescent boys, children with disabilities, caregivers, older persons and persons with disabilities.

3. Assess whether humanitarian cash transfer interventions have helped reduce vulnerabilities and respond to the distinct needs and priorities of women, girls, children, and persons with disabilities, while minimizing exclusion and unintended negative consequences.

4. Examine whether key implementation processes - including registration, verification, payment delivery, grievance and feedback mechanisms, and communication channels - are accessible, safe, and inclusive for persons with disabilities and diverse population groups.

5. Document good practices, lessons learned, gaps and opportunities related to gender-responsive and disability-inclusive humanitarian cash transfer programming among CWG members, including links with complementary measures that address the specific needs of women, girls and persons with disabilities.

6. Develop actionable recommendations and practical guidance to strengthen gender equality and disability inclusion in future HCT programme design, implementation, monitoring and scale-up, including preparedness, shock-responsive social protection linkages and coordination with relevant social sector programmes where appropriate.

Scope of Work:

The consultancy will examine the practical application of gender-responsive and disability-inclusive approaches across selected HCT programmes in Viet Nam, with attention to how programme processes have functioned in practice for women, men, girls, boys, persons with disabilities, caregivers and other vulnerable groups.

The work will cover UNICEF-supported emergency cash transfers in Viet Nam and selected HCT experiences of Cash Working Group (CWG) members, including relevant regional or global examples only where they provide practical lessons for Viet Nam. It will focus on the HCT programme cycle, including needs assessment, targeting, registration, verification, payment delivery, communication and community engagement, accountability, monitoring, coordination and learning.

The expected outputs will include an inception report, desk review, field mission note, analytical report, validation workshop materials, executive summary and PowerPoint presentation, with findings and recommendations tailored to UNICEF, development partners, CWG members and relevant government counterparts.

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

1. Inception and Document Review

- Review relevant documentation on UNICEF- and CWG-supported HCT programmes in Viet Nam, complemented by relevant regional or global HCT experiences where CWG members operate and where these provide useful lessons for Viet Nam. Documentation may include SOPs, data collection tools, programme design documents, beneficiary selection criteria, monitoring and post-distribution monitoring reports, evaluations, after-action reviews, donor reports, lessons learned, accountability to affected populations (AAP) materials, complaints and feedback mechanism reports and other relevant materials.

- Review relevant UNICEF and CWG global guidance, policies and standards on gender equality, disability inclusion, humanitarian cash transfers, protection, accountability to affected populations and safe, inclusive programming.

- Prepare an inception report outlining the assessment framework, methodology, data collection tools, stakeholder mapping, workplan, report outline and ethical considerations.

2. Field Missions and Stakeholder Consultations

- Conduct field missions to two selected provinces to collect qualitative evidence for the assessment.

- Conduct key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and consultations with UNICEF, government counterparts, implementing partners, programme beneficiaries, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), women's organizations, girls’ and youth groups, community representatives, members of the Cash Working Group (CWG), and other relevant humanitarian actors.

- Apply accessible, safe and inclusive consultation approaches to support the meaningful participation of women, adolescents, persons with disabilities, caregivers and other vulnerable groups.

3. Analysis

- Analyse findings from the document review and stakeholder consultations to assess how gender equality and disability inclusion have been integrated throughout the HCT programme cycle, including needs assessment, programme design and targeting, registration and verification, cash delivery, communication and community engagement, accountability to affected populations, monitoring, coordination and learning.

- Identify barriers, risks, good practices, lessons learned and opportunities to strengthen inclusive and equitable HCT programming, including links with complementary measures such as protection, GBV risk mitigation, disability-inclusive services, social protection, child protection, education, health, nutrition, WASH or other social sector support, especially for women, girls and persons with disabilities.

- Develop practical, evidence-based recommendations to strengthen gender-responsive and disability-inclusive HCT programming, including emergency preparedness and response, shock-responsive social protection linkages and coordination with relevant complementary services and social sector programmes.

4. Validation and Reporting

- Prepare a draft analytical report presenting the methodology, findings, conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations, including clear implications for future HCT deployment by UNICEF, development partners, CWG members and, where relevant, government counterparts in Viet Nam.

- Facilitate consultation meetings and a validation workshop with UNICEF and relevant stakeholders to present preliminary findings and obtain feedback.

- Revise the field mission note, draft analytical report and final report through at least two rounds of review and feedback with UNICEF and relevant stakeholders before finalization.

- Prepare a PowerPoint presentation and executive summary highlighting key findings and priority recommendations.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete TOR here: Terms of Reference gender and disability inclusive HCT Consultant.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) in public policy, social policy, development studies, economics, gender studies, disability studies or another relevant social science field.

Work Experience:

- At least five years of relevant professional experience in research, assessment, evaluation or policy analysis related to social protection, humanitarian cash transfers, social policy, gender equality, disability inclusion or related fields.

- Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative or mixed-methods research, including stakeholder consultations, data analysis and report writing.

- Proven experience in humanitarian cash transfer programming, shock-responsive social protection, social assistance or related areas.

Language Requirements:

Excellent written and spoken English and Vietnamese.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

- Good understanding of gender equality and disability inclusion in humanitarian and development programming.

- Good knowledge of Viet Nam’s social protection system, humanitarian response architecture and policy context is highly desirable.

- Strong analytical, research, and report-writing skills.

Desirables:

- Prior work experience with UNICEF, UN agencies or international non-governmental organizations is preferable.

Evaluation Criteria:

Technical Evaluation Criteria (75 points):

+ Education background: Master’s degree in public policy, social policy, development studies, economics or another relevant social science field (15 points)

+ Relevant work experience (40 points):

i) At least five years’ experience in research, evaluation or policy analysis related to social protection, humanitarian cash transfers, gender equality or disability inclusion. ii) Experience in qualitative and mixed-methods research, stakeholder consultations and data analysis. iii) Experience in humanitarian cash transfer programming, shock-responsive social protection or social assistance.

+ Relevant knowledge, skills and competencies (20 points):

i) Good understanding of Viet Nam’s social protection system and humanitarian response architecture;

ii) good knowledge of gender equality and disability inclusion in humanitarian and development programming; and

iii) strong analytical, research and report-writing skills.

Qualifying score in technical evaluation is 65 out of 75 points.

Technical proposal requirement:

Candidates should submit a technical proposal outlining their understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, workplan and relevant experience.

Financial evaluation (25 points):

- The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened /evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 65 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

- The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview if needed.

Submission of applications:

a. Updated CV/Resume;

b. 03 references including past supervisors;

c. Technical proposal outlining their understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, workplan and relevant experience. (less than 15 pages).

e. Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee, travel and any other relevant costs for this assignment.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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