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.

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division develops and implements the UN Women program of work on normative, analysis, research, operational and knowledge management that supports the advice and guidance UN Women provides to the intergovernmental process, the UN system, and to UN Women country and regional offices. The Division is organized in thematic sections, which undertake policy research; analyze data on country, regional or global trends; and propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards and for UN Women global programme strategies, policy advocacy, and flagship programmes. In support of UN Women’s normative and coordination mandates, the Division also undertakes substantive preparations for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and drafts reports on behalf of the Secretary-General on multiple topics. With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN Women is supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards achieving gender equality and women’s economic empowerment by 2030 to benefit all women in the world, leaving no woman behind. UN Women works in partnership with governments, multilateral organizations, the UN System, civil society organizations and the private sector.

Economic empowerment is one of the priority areas of UN Women. UN Women works with governments and partners to promote women’s economic empowerment and increase their access to economic opportunities and outcomes, especially for those who are most excluded, including women migrant workers. In 2018, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was adopted by UN Member States. And as the blueprint for the governance and coordination of international migration, it is critical that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central in its implementation. UN Women works to help ensure that migrant women’s human and labour rights are effectively promoted and protected at all stages of migration, and that the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration is human rights -based and gender- responsive.

Since 2023, UN Women has been implementing the second phase of the Germany-funded Making Migration Safe for Women programme in Ethiopia and at the global level with the goal of ensuring that the development and implementation of national migration policies and laws in Ethiopia are gender-responsive, and that international norms and standards for protecting and promoting migrant women’s rights are strengthened. The programme has also aimed to improve the use and collection of sex- disaggregated data and provide robust evidence and research on migrant women to inform national policy making. In January 2025, UN Women will expand implementation of the Making Migration Safe for Women programme in South Africa.

UN Women seeks to hire a consultant to provide short-term support to the operationalization of the Making Migration Safe for Women programme in South Africa. This will include supporting the establishment of the programme in South Africa, including helping to set-up partnerships. The consultant will report to Making Migration Safe Global Coordinator.

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities:

The consultant will be responsible for supporting the operationalization of the ‘Making Migration Safe for Women’ programme in South Africa by:

• Developing the workplan and budget for the Making Migration Safe for Women (MMSfW) programme in South Africa, in coordination with the Global Coordinator.
• Establishing partnerships with key stakeholders in South Africa, including in the government, other UN entities and civil society.
• Identifying opportunities for programming and follow them through.
• Supporting the selection of implementing partners.
• Identifying capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.
• Setting up the Programme Steering Committee.

Deliverables:

• Develop and finalize the annual workplan and budget for year 1 of the MMSfW programme in South Africa.
• Undertake the initial implementation of the programme; ensure synergies with the global and country teams;
• Establish the Programme Steering Committee;
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation of the MMSfW programme in South Africa and respond to any potential problems.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is an office-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

Functional Competenices:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Strong knowledge of country and/or region.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in migration, social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, 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;
• A programme/programme management certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes on gender;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is required;
• Technical experience on the linkages between migration, gender equality and women’s empowerment is a strong asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of any other UN official is an asset.

Application Process:

• Interested candidates will submit an expression of interest with their application.
• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.
• Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. They will then be requested to submit a proposal for further consideration.

Note:

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.