JOB DETAILS

Against this background, UN Women seeks to hire a National Consultant – Research Coordinator to guide, monitor, and oversee the various research initiatives of the office, including the CGEP, and ensure that the final knowledge products are of high-quality, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka office.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of the UN Women Head of Office of Sri Lanka, the consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks. The consultant will remain accountable for the timely submission of the deliverables as per the timeline given below.

No.	Duties and Responsibilities
1.	Develop and finalise TORs for the CGEP and other research initiatives, such as on women’s political participation and representation (WPP), as required. In consultation with UN Women Sri Lanka and ROAP, the consultant will develop these TORs based on available guidance and research that has already been conducted to ensure there is no duplication. Where required, the consultant may have to consult with other stakeholders to ensure that the TORs are robustly designed. The TORs may be designed as Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from research institutions or to recruit consultants, as decided with UN Women.
2.	Following a UN Women competitive process to hire a research institution or consultants, conduct a detailed analysis of the proposals received to better inform/advise the UN Women technical evaluation committee. The evaluation would have to be conducted in line with evaluation criteria set out in the TORs.
3.	Provide guidance to the selected Research Institution/Consultants and ensure smooth coordination with relevant stakeholders including Government and non-Government institutions or experts. Specific tasks include: Conduct introductory and planning meetings with the selected institutions/consultants to discuss and refine methodology and a realistic workplan for completion of this work. Provide guidance to the research institution/consultants – particularly on CGEP. Review and provide feedback on quality control measures developed by the research institution/consultants. Together with the research institution/consultants, develop the necessary partnerships with government and non-government entities to facilitate access to information and data. Conduct regular meetings with the selected institutions/consultants to monitor progress against the workplan and ensure quality and timeliness of the research. Identifying and managing potential risks or challenges. Liaise with and provide regular updates to UN Women Sri Lanka and ROAP.
4.	Review and provide technical inputs to all deliverables submitted by the research institutions/consultants. This includes inception reports (inclusive of methodology), literature reviews, draft reports, final reports, policy briefs, outreach/dissemination materials based on the final reports. Please note that draft reports will be reviewed for a minimum of 3 rounds prior to finalisation.
5.	Support with the validation and finalisation of the research studies The consultant will support the research institution/consultants in organising validation workshops with relevant Government and non-Government stakeholders. The consultant is meant to oversee and ensure the incorporation of all comments from UN Women before recommending that the research reports are to a satisfactory technical standard. Where required, the consultant would support the research institution/consultants in revising the draft reports. The consultant will conduct a final copyedit and proofread of the research report.
6.	Support dissemination of the research studies Develop a dissemination and outreach plan in consultation with the Research Institution/Consultants and UN Women, based on available budget. This may include a launch event, social media campaign, targeting mainstream media etc. Support UN Women with procurement/logistical processes related to the implementation of the dissemination plan. Ensure the dissemination activities are successfully implemented.

Deliverables

No.	Deliverables All deliverables should be finalized in line with the feedback given by UN Women	Expected completion time (due day)
1.	Finalised TORs: CGEP WPP	16 September 2024
2.	Technical evaluation of proposals/applications received	07 October 2024
3.1	A brief monthly progress report indicating the coordination and quality assurance work completed, once the Research Institution/Consultants are on board. The report should attach the supporting documents (updates against workplan, meeting minutes etc).	30 November 2024
3.2	A brief monthly progress report indicating the coordination and quality assurance work completed, once the Research Institution/Consultants are on board. The report should attach the supporting documents (updates against workplan, meeting minutes etc).	31 December 2024
3.3	A brief monthly progress report indicating the coordination and quality assurance work completed, once the Research Institution/Consultants are on board. The report should attach the supporting documents (updates against workplan, meeting minutes etc).	31 January 2025
3.4	Monitoring and reporting Plan with the progress update until December 2024 A brief monthly progress report indicating the coordination and quality assurance work completed, once the Research Institution/Consultants are on board. The report should attach the supporting documents (updates against workplan, meeting minutes etc).	28 February 2025
3.5	A brief monthly progress report indicating the coordination and quality assurance work completed, once the Research Institution/Consultants are on board. The report should attach the supporting documents (updates against workplan, meeting minutes etc).	25 March 2025
4.	Technical inputs to draft reports submitted by the research institution/consultants	10 January 2025
5(a)	Technical inputs to the revised reports submitted by research institution/consultants, following the validations	10 February 2025
5(b)	Final proofread, copyedited research reports – with final technical clearance	01 March 2025
6.	Brief report on the implementation of the dissemination plan, including report on the launch event(s)	25 March 2025

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

The consultancy is expected to be started on 1 September 2024 and continue until 31 March 2025. This is a home-based assignment. Where necessary, the Consultant will have to participate in in-person meetings within Colombo. It is estimated that the required time commitment would be 10 days a month.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues;
• Ability to engage others for data collection;
• Ability to apply sound judgment in the context of assignments given, and work under pressure;
• Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of the subject matter;
• Responds positively to feedback and different points of view;
• Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Strong analytical and report writing skills.

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

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Human Rights, Statistics, Data Analytics, 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.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in conducting and coordinating research on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Previous experience in coordinating with multiple stakeholders, including UN agencies, government entities, and civil society, is required.
• Proven experience in research, data collection, and analysis is required.
• Sound knowledge and previous experience related to gender equality and women’s empowerment are required.
• Experience in drafting/authoring research reports on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka is required.
• Experience conducting similar research assignments is an asset.
• Experience in the United Nations System is an asset.
• Field experience is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English
• Fluency in Sinhala or Tamil