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 is operational in Moldova since 2010 based on former UNIFEM projects, which were laid and active in the country from 2007. It extended continuous support to the Government of Moldova, to key stakeholders from national and local levels, through various programs and activities aimed at creating an enabling environment for gender equality, recognized as a prerequisite for sustainable development with a strong and active policy on gender equality.

The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its new Country Strategic Note 2023-2027, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova (2023-2027), UN Women Global Strategic Plan, National Programs and Strategies and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women; 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance; 3) Women’s Economic empowerment and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on GE.

Since March 2022, in the context of the war in Ukraine and refugee crisis, UN Women implements several initiatives aimed to support Government, local authorities and civil society organizations with response efforts to immediate humanitarian needs of women and girls and efforts focusing on GBV services and protection.

Moreover, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP) is one of the key UN Women’s national partners, collaborating and cooperating in the development and implementation of policies related to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

To enable effective execution and monitoring of these sweeping reforms, the MoLSP is prioritizing a major upgrade of its strategic planning, performance management, and results tracking capabilities through social protection digitalization. This will entail crafting clear KPIs and targets, deploying monitoring and evaluation frameworks, bolstering data collection and analytics, cultivating evaluation expertise, and embedding a results-focused mindset ministry-wide.

The digital transformation of the MoLSP presents a significant opportunity to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Moldova. By leveraging technology to improve the accessibility, quality, and efficiency of social protection services, the Ministry can better address the specific needs and challenges faced by women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable groups. The High-Level Advisor for MoLSP Digital Transformation will play a critical role in ensuring that gender considerations are mainstreamed throughout the digital transformation process, in line with UN Women’s strategic priorities and the SDGs.

Duties and Responsibilities

As an Independent Contractor, the High-Level Advisor on Digital Transformation will provide strategic oversight and coordination to support the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MoLSP) in its digital transformation journey. The Advisor will work closely with the Minister, the RESTART executive team, development partners, and key stakeholders to manage the overall digital transformation process, ensuring alignment with the Ministry’s goals and priorities, as well as UN Women’s strategic priorities on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The core responsibilities include:

1. Provide high-level strategic guidance and coordination for the Ministry’s digital transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment with overall objectives, priorities, and gender equality considerations.
2. Manage and coordinate the work of internal teams and external partners involved in the digital transformation process, ensuring effective collaboration, communication, and integration of gender perspectives.
3. Serve as the primary focal point for development partners, facilitating communication, coordination, and collaboration on digital transformation initiatives, with a focus on promoting gender-responsive approaches.
4. Provide regular updates and briefings to the Minister on the progress of digital transformation initiatives, highlighting key achievements, challenges, and next steps, including gender-related aspects.
5. Ensure that the digital transformation strategy and initiatives are gender-responsive and aligned with UN Women’s strategic priorities on ending violence against women, promoting women’s leadership and governance, and advancing women’s economic empowerment.
6. Collaborate with UN Women and other relevant stakeholders to conduct gender analysis and assess the potential impact of digital initiatives on women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable groups.
7. Provide guidance and support to the MoLSP in developing and implementing gender-sensitive policies, procedures, and metrics related to digital transformation, in line with international best practices and standards.

The High-Level Advisor is expected to deliver the following:

1. Strategic Coordination: Coordinate the overall digital transformation process, ensuring alignment between various initiatives, teams, and partners, with a focus on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
2. Team Management: Manage and coordinate the work of internal teams involved in the digital transformation process, including IT, data analytics, cybersecurity, and program teams. Ensure effective collaboration, communication, and knowledge sharing among teams, with attention to gender considerations.
3. Development Partner Engagement: Serve as the primary focal point for development partners involved in the Ministry’s digital transformation initiatives. Facilitate regular communication, coordination, and collaboration with development partners to ensure alignment and support for the Ministry’s goals and priorities, including gender equality objectives.
4. RESTART executive Team Support: Work closely with the RESTART executive team to support the implementation of digital transformation initiatives within the broader RESTART reform agenda, ensuring the integration of gender perspectives throughout.
5. Minister Briefings: Provide regular updates and briefings to the Minister on the progress of digital transformation initiatives, including gender-related aspects. Prepare and deliver high-level presentations, reports, and recommendations, highlighting key achievements, challenges, and next steps, with a focus on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Throughout the engagement, the High-Level Advisor will work to ensure the effective coordination and management of the Ministry’s digital transformation process, facilitating collaboration among internal teams, development partners, and key stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Advisor will provide strategic guidance and support to ensure that digital initiatives are gender-responsive and aligned with UN Women’s priorities, and that the necessary resources, capabilities, and partnerships are in place to drive successful implementation.

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the contract: up to 85 working days within 01/05/2024 to 31/12/2024.

Management arrangements

The High-Level Advisor will report directly to the Minister of Labour and Social Protection, who will be responsible for providing strategic guidance and oversight. The Advisor will work closely with the RESTART executive team, development partners, and key stakeholders to ensure effective coordination and alignment of digital transformation initiatives, with a strong focus on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The Advisor will have the flexibility to choose their own hours and work schedule, with the expectation that they will be available for regular high-level briefings with the Minister and key stakeholders. The Advisor will be responsible for providing their own equipment and ensuring compliance with data security and confidentiality requirements.

No travels are envisaged under the current assignment.

Performance evaluation

The High-Level Advisor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered, with a strong emphasis on the effective integration of gender considerations throughout the digital transformation process.

Financial arrangements

Payment will be disbursed on a monthly basis, upon submission and approval of deliverables and timesheets with actual days worked and certification by the Minister that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional competencies:

• Strategic Thinking and Leadership
• Gender Mainstreaming
• Digital Transformation Expertise
• Project Management and Coordination
• Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Building
• Communication and Advocacy
• Resilience and Adaptability
• Critical Thinking
• Intersectionality Awareness

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Law 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.
• Additional certifications in relevant areas such as Cybersecurity, Project Management, or Digital Strategy are highly desirable.

Experience

• At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience in digital transformation, project management, operations, or related fields is required.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and coordinating complex, large-scale digital projects in the public or private sector is required.
• Experience managing and coordinating cross-functional teams, including IT, data analytics, cybersecurity, and program teams is required.
• Strong background in stakeholder engagement and relationship management, with experience collaborating with senior officials, development partners, and international organizations is an advantage.
• Deep understanding of digital transformation best practices, emerging technologies, and innovation trends is an advantage.
• Experience working in or with government agencies, particularly in the social protection sector, is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity, data privacy, and digital risk management principles and practices is an advantage.

Language Requirements

Excellent command of Romanian and English is required, knowledge of Russian would be an advantage.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND SUBMISSION PACKAGE

Interested candidates are invited to submit their online applications with the following documents:

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc );
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page).

Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.

Please note that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

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.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.