National Consultant on Gender Responsive Budgeting and Public Finance Management (Retainer)

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The Government of Albania has made national and international commitments to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in many different socio-economic aspects. Several international conventions and platforms, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action, demonstrate Albania’s commitment to the realization of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality and SDGs as women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.

Over the past years, UN Women has provided support to national and local stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and advancing women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting. Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRB) has been identified as important tool for advancing gender equality in key national documents as in accordance with existing Albanian national policy documents on social inclusion and gender equality. In this framework, Albania has made important steps towards the institutionalization of gender responsive budgeting at central and local level.

UN Women Albania is currently implementing its Strategic Note (SN) 2022-2026 which aims to ensure that “All Women and girls enjoy and exercise their human rights in a gender equal society and meaningfully contribute to Albania’s sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and EU integration”. To achieve such result, UN Women will focus on three outcomes, which mirror verbatim the areas of focus of the United Nations Albania:

1. Increased and more equitable investment in people to remove barriers and create opportunities for those at risk of exclusion.
2. Innovative and integrated policy solutions that accelerate sustainable, productive, and inclusive development.
3. Gender-responsive governance that strengthens equality and non-discrimination.

Across its interventions, UN Women Albania will address key thematic areas of focus in line with the Global Strategic Plan 2022-2025: ending violence against women; women’s economic empowerment; gender-responsive budgeting; gender responsive governance; as well as promoting cross-cutting principles including the principle of Leaving No One Behind, and engagement of new and emerging partners such as the private sector to advance gender equality in the country. This approach aims to support the Government of Albania to implement its commitments on human rights and gender equality, in line with its National Strategy on gender Equality (NSGE) 2021-2030, and the EU Acquis Communautaire. All interventions undertaken by the Country Office aim to address structural causes of gender inequality, addressing discriminatory practices and reach women and girls who are at greatest risk of being left behind.

As part of the implementation of its new Strategic Note, UN Women will continue supporting gender responsive governance as well as influencing and supporting implementation of national-level policy documents, working closely with government institutions being engaged across UN Women Albania’s projects and interventions, including but not limited to the following projects:

• Regional programme “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality in the Western Balkans,” implemented with support from Sida in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo.
• UN Joint Programme “Ending Violence Against Women in Albania Phase II “, being implemented by UN Women, UNDP and UNFPA with support from Sida.
• UN Joint Programme “Leave No One Behind,” supported by SDC and implemented by UN Women, UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA.
• The “Gender Rural Equality and Tourism (GREAT)” project, being implemented with FAO and with support from AICS Tirana.
• The project “Empowering Women in Politics and Decision-Making in Albania,” supported by Sida as part of UN Women Global programming.
• The UN women project “Engendering the consumption and offer of tourism services in Albania.”

To support the programmatic work and technical support and to advise government stakeholders on gender mainstreaming in public finance management, and to contribute to relevant strategic and policy documents across the various projects of the office and as part of the implementation of its strategic note, UN Women Albania is seeking to recruit a national consultant.

The consultant will work in close cooperation with the MoF, MoHSP, MoARD and other line ministries and state institutions implementing GRB. Furthermore, the consultant will work individually and in cooperation with other local or international consultants engaged by the office for relevant assignments.

See UN Albania UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework:

See UN Women Global Strategic Plan here:

All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Head of Programmes and the direct supervision of the relevant UN Women Albania project managers, the national consultant is expected to conduct assignments upon request which include but not limited to (some assignments may require working in a team with other consultants):

• Provide technical and expert support to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) and other line ministries in applying an institutional approach towards gender responsive policy making and budgeting.
• Support capacity development of budget users (line ministries and other state institutions) on programme budgeting and application of GRB across sectors.
• Provide expert mentoring of line ministries and state institutions to introduce gender objectives and key performance indicators in selected policy areas in the MTBP.
• Review and provide inputs and recommendations to relevant National strategic documents and analyses in the area of public finance management and gender equality and advise UN Women and national stakeholders on gender equality priorities.
• Prepare and draft the gender-responsive budgeting expenditures monitoring reports.
• Prepare costing documents for action plans and other documents or services based on request by UN Women.
• Technical support and data collection on monitoring and reporting on SDG indicator 5.c.1 on Government’s systems in place to make and track budget allocations for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
• Participation/presence in meetings/workshops/round tables/study visits on relevant topics where the consultant’s expertise will be required and upon request by UN Women.
• Prepare briefs, summary of GRB progress and results, evidence needed for various events, reports or publications including stories and articles based on requests by UN Women.
• Support to record tracking and keeping full documentation of the work conducted, meeting minutes, all deliverables and results achieved in the framework of this consultancy.
• Provision of periodic reports and time sheets (in English) for the assignments undertaken and the implementation of activities and other reports upon request by UN Women.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

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:  

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

• Thorough knowledge of Albanian PFM system, planning, and budgeting processes of the MTBP.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, reporting and writing abilities in English and Albanian.
• Diverse organizational skills in various settings.
• Proven ability to work within limited time constraints in the preparation of high-quality documents.
• Strong ability to interact effectively with various partners and stakeholders, with focus on central public administration.
• Strong negotiating skills.
• Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
• Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in finance, gender equality, human rights 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 training and certifications on gender equality and Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting desirable.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in public finance management and/or gender responsive budgeting application at the central and/or local level.
• Experience in providing technical support for the development of central government finance policies and processes – including medium-term budgeting program (MTBP) cycle, budgeting methodologies and approaches.
• Experience in conducting policy analyses and/or costing in the field of gender equality.
• Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system and/or international organizations is considered an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English both spoken and written, is required.

How to Apply 

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the  )
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11) and Cover Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
• Click ‘Apply Now’ button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click ‘Submit Application;’
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above).
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

• UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications, we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
• The consultancy post is open to local (Albanian) individuals or foreign individuals with valid temporary or permanent residence in Albania.
• The individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the issuance of contract.

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.)