National Consultant - Specialist Gender Equality Profiling, Freetown, Sierra Leone

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.

Globally UN Women is the leading UN agency with the three-pronged mandate to supporting improvements in global norms and standards that accelerate the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women Country Offices work to strengthen and incorporate good practices and lessons learned from regional and national experiences in its normative support work. UN Women Sierra Leone strategic focus areas are grounded in UN Women Strategic Plan 2025 - 2030 and fully aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2025-2030 and major International and African regional development and gender commitments, including the agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SDGs); the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA) (1995); the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979); MAPUTO Protocol and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

UN Women aims to strengthen national understanding and data on the advancement of international, regional, and national commitments towards GEWE and to serve as a source for evidence-driven advocacy and programming for national stakeholders, international development partners, and the UN System to advance the gains and overcome bottlenecks at the national, regional, and global level.

It is against this background that UN Women Sierra Leone is recruiting a consultant to undertake a Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP). The Country Gender Equality Profile will provide a detailed assessment of current context including on progress and key challenges for gender equality in the context of sustainable development in Sierra Leone, identifying gender discrepancies in the enjoyment of social and economic rights, cultural and political rights, and analyzing the underlining root causes of the identified challenges inclusive of the effects of identified challenges on women and men, particularly vulnerable groups such as, women and girls living with disabilities, women and girls living in rural and remote areas, single mothers, women survivors of violence, etc. The Country Gender Equality Profile should equally identify gaps in research and data concerning gender equality in Sierra Leone, with emphasis on the need for statistical data in addressing additional issues and analyzing raw data on the following:

• Gender Equality in political participation and decision-making
• Gender Equality in the economic environment
• Gender Equality in education
• Gender Equality in civic participation
• Gender Equality in social protection and healthcare
• Gender Equality in the context of human security with strong focus on Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Women’s Peace and Security issues

The Country Gender Equality Profile should serve as an analytical and operational document, including an overview of opportunities to address the gaps identified.

Organizational Setting, Reporting, and Collaboration

The scope of work is national, covering all district and regions in Sierra Leone

The consultant will implement the responsibilities and tasks defined in the current Terms of Reference (TOR).

The consultant will report to the UN Women Sierra Leone Country Representative. Technical support and day‑to‑day coordination will be provided by the Program Specialist – Social Protection (Ending Violence Against Women and Girls), who will also serve as the point of contact for contractual and payment matters.

The consultant will collaborate closely with UN Women Sierra Leone program staff, national stakeholders, and relevant UN agencies to ensure the CGEP reflects diverse perspectives and aligns with national and international commitments.

Monitoring and Progress Controls (Optional)

• Reporting Requirements: The consultant will submit an inception report, a draft CGEP, and a final CGEP.
• Periodicity: Reports will be delivered at agreed milestones within the 30‑day consultancy period spread over two months.
• Format: Reports should be submitted in English, in both Word and PDF formats.
• Deadlines: Specific deadlines will be outlined in the contract, ensuring timely delivery of outputs for review and validation.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

• The scope of work is national, covering all district and regions in Sierra Leone
• Under the direct supervision of the UN WOMEN Head of Office, related Program Specialists and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, the consultant will work with the UN Women team and assigned focal person from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs to conduct a Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP).
• The consultant will implement the responsibilities and tasks defined in the current Terms of Reference (TOR).

In her/his scope of work, the consultant will have to submit a more complete list of variables, policies, programs and social, governance and economic contexts of GEWE in the country, which will guide data collection, deliberate knowledge production and context analysis.

The consultant will conduct and provide technical expertise for an assessment for a Country Gender Equality Profiling, produce a high-quality Country Gender Equality Profile with qualitative and quantitative data that supports findings to stakeholders across various levels.

The Consultant should:

• Identify entry points and strategies to address gender gaps across different sectors, including an advocacy strategy and indicators that can be used to track progress in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment in these sectors.
• Identify gaps in research and data concerning gender equality, including the need for statistical data to cover additional issues or further analysis of raw data.
• Provide a list of recognized research bodies that can produce quality data and information. It will also design an Action Plan to address the information gaps and possible institutions that could take the lead in data collection
• Identify key entry points and opportunities, and good promising practices, to address gender gaps in social, economic and political arenas. The assessment should have a comparative analysis of the current situation of women and men in the country, identifying gender discrepancies in the enjoyment of social and economic rights, cultural and political rights.

Provide a gender perspective of poverty and sectoral priorities about vulnerabilities as indicated in the MTNDP and where relevant the gaps in the priority sectors

Deliverables

• Inception report

15th – 21st April (5 days)

• Consultative Surveys analysed and incorporated into the Country Gender Equality Profile

27th April – 15th May (15 days)

• A comprehensive and high quality first draft GEP, Knowledge materials

18th – 29th May (10 days)

• Agenda, presentation and methodology for validation meeting; report of meeting

1st – 2nd June (2 days)

• 2nd draft report

3rd June (1 day)

• Final Report and Presentation

4th – 10th June (5 days)

• Presentation

11th – 14th June (2 days)

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Sustainable Development, Statistics, or related fields.
• Specialized training in gender analysis, participatory research methods, or monitoring and evaluation is an asset.

Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience in the field of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, including proven experience in developing Country Gender Equality Profiles
• Experience working with multi-stakeholder and cultural organizations is essential: governments, International NGO, CSOs, and the UN/ multilateral/bilateral institutions.
• Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women’s rights and related instruments.
• Experience in policy analysis, institutional capacity assessment, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports and facilitate consultative processes.
• Familiarity with Sierra Leone’s socio-political and economic context is highly desirable.

The candidates shall provide relevant reports to evidence their experience related to the key activities of this consultancy.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written Englishis required.
• Working knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

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.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of legislation, program and public policies on gender, women’s economic empowerment, and women’s rights in general in Sierra Leone
• Strong skills and experience in presenting evidence and ideas for policy and program.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
• Strong communications skills (written and oral)
• Demonstrated experience in gender and development related research
• Leadership and skills to work with autonomy and initiative
• Strong Advocacy skills
• Excellent knowledge of gender equality, women’s human rights and women's empowerment in Sierra Leone
• Strong knowledge of UN system.
• Managing knowledge and learning
• Promote knowledge sharing and learning culture.

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Sustainable Development, Statistics, or related fields.
• Specialized training in gender analysis, participatory research methods, or monitoring and evaluation is an asset. Experience:
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience in the field of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, including proven experience in developing Country Gender Equality Profiles
• Experience working with multi-stakeholder and cultural organizations is essential: governments, International NGO, CSOs, and the UN/ multilateral/bilateral institutions.
• Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women’s rights and related instruments.
• Experience in policy analysis, institutional capacity assessment, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports and facilitate consultative processes.
• Familiarity with Sierra Leone’s socio-political and economic context is highly desirable.
• The candidates shall provide relevant reports to evidence their experience related to the key activities of this consultancy. Languages:
• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Working knowledge of other UN languages is an asset

Statements :

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.

Diversity and 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.

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.