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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Consultant, Gender Transformative Education GLOSSARY Section/Division/Duty Station: Education Section – PG – NYHQ

Duration: 1 May 2024 – 30 October 2024

Home/ office Based: REMOTE

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection, and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The UN Girls’ Education Initiative’s (UNGEI) is a global partnership for gender equality in and through education. Our mandate is to catalyse and galvanize action locally, nationally, regionally and global for girls’ education and gender equality in education. The UNGEI Secretariat is governed by UNICEF policies of employment. We strive to uphold feminist and anti-racist principles in how we work and offer flexible work arrangements.

The Consultant – Gender Transformative Education Glossary, is crucial to the delivery of an outcome that is part of one of UNGEI’s flagship initiatives, the Feminist Network for Gender Transformative Education (FemNet4GTE) 2024.

FemNet4GTE brings together local and global organizations and activists who seek to achieve gender equality in and through education. UNGEI’s goal in developing, curating, and convening this network is to create a strong movement of actors that demand commitment by education leaders to this area of work and provide support to them to fulfil their commitments. In addition to creating a connected group of actors, UNGEI will also execute global in-person gatherings in order to advance our shared goal: All learners, regardless of gender or sex, are supported with gender-transformative education (GTE)* to realize their full potential and contribute to achieving equal, just societies including by removing barriers to girls’ and women’s rights.

Gender Transformative Education (GTE) is a critical framework that will further gender equality and justice in and through education. The current working definition of GTE is as follows: “Gender transformative education seeks to utilize all parts of an education system- – from policies to pedagogies to community engagement – to transform stereotypes, attitudes, norms and practices by challenging power relations, rethinking gender norms and binaries, and raising critical consciousness about the root causes of inequality and systems of oppression” (Plan International, UNGEI, UNICEF, Transform Education, 2021).

The GTE glossary will clarify the conceptual ground of gender transformative education by providing a comprehensive defined set of terms and definitions anchored in theory and research. As such, it will provide common language and vocabulary to facilitate meaningful discussions and aligned action for a range of actors committed to this work.

The glossary aims to:

• Serve as a defining resource that provides conceptual clarity, common ground and shared language for gender transformative education

• Provide conceptual guidance for program, policy, and curriculum development

• Operate as an effective advocacy tool for a range of actors

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision of the Communications & Advocacy Manager and UNGEI Director, and in close collaboration with UNGEI team, the Consultant – Gender Transformative Education Glossary will work with partners to develop a glossary of terms for Gender Transformative Education, in pursuit of our overall aim to mobilise governments, donors and implementing partners to take up gender transformative education in their policies, fundraising and programming. The groundwork for this has already been completed, with a wide ranging survey in 2023 which resulted in a longlist of terms. The Consultant – Gender Transformative Education will analyse these terms, do further research to refine both the definition and a core list of terms and deliver this along with final copy which grounds the glossary and the definition, to be published on the UNGEI website.

The project deliverable will consist of a GTE glossary with key terms and definitions. Terms and definitions will be systematically organized around conceptual themes and guiding questions.

The glossary will be launched at FemNet4GTE 2024. This is a deliverable-based contract over 2023 to reach that first milestone and outline recommended next steps for the glossary delivery in 2024.

The Consultant – Gender Transformative Education Glossary will deliver:

1. Refined definition of GTE draft document
2. List of refined terms and structure for glossary
3. Consultations with key partners on glossary terms
4. Final copy for glossary
5. Glossary launch

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. Refined working definition of GTE draft document, anchored in relevant feminist / gender studies literature – By 30 June 2024.
2. Appropriate structure for the glossary around key thematic focal areas shared.

Draft list of terms (up to a maximum of 40) that align with and will help operationalize the working definition of GTE – By 30 June 2024

3. Identification of 3 core partner groups for consultation, to include UN agencies, UNGEI team, FemNet4GTE members.

Deliver series of consultations – By 30 June 2024

4. Review and refinement of terms based on feedback and consultations.

Draft copy for the glossary (including introduction, citations, context) shared.

Two rounds of feedback from UNGEI team & partners

Delivery of final glossary of up to 50 terms and surrounding text. – By 31 August 2024

5. Facilitation of a session at FemNet4GTE on the glossary – By 31 October 2024

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree – Research, academia in the field of gender, gender and education studies with a global perspective.
• Published academic / research papers in the area of gender / gender and education.

Work experience:

• 7 years of experience in research / academia relating to gender / gender and education globally
• Relevant work experience with a significant academic institution

Competencies/Knowledge:

• Deep understanding of gender and feminist studies
• Excellent attention to detail

Language Proficiency:

Fluency in English mandatory.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability.
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

Remarks: 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.