UN Women, Private Sector Engagement, National Consultant (Home-Based)

Background:

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between all genders 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 the efforts of the United Nations System 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 national priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with government, civil society, and other relevant actors. In Nepal, UN Women, with an overarching five-year Strategic Note (SN) 2023 – 2027, aims to support the national stakeholders in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in line with internationally agreed normative standards that contribute to four outcome areas of the UNSDCF 2023 – 2027.

Under the framework of the current UN Women Nepal Country Office (NCO) Strategic Note 2023-2027, UN Women in Nepal continues its work to strengthen women’s leadership and participation in national and local level decision-making processes,  empower women economically by supporting women, especially those from the most vulnerable and excluded groups[1], promote environmental sustainability, climate and disaster resilience and transform gender discriminatory social norms and end harmful practices for inclusive and transformative human development. 

As outlined in UN Women’s Private Sector Engagement Strategy (PSES 2023-2025), the only way to achieve transformational results for gender equality and women’s empowerment is with and through partners, including in the private sector. The launch of Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in 2010, together with UN Global Compact (UNGC), marks UN Women’s over a decade engagement with private sector. Over 9800 companies’ chief executives across the globe have signed the WEPs to date, and 62 of them are from Nepal. The independent midterm review of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 found out that partnerships with the private sector had some success, especially in contributing to women’s income security, decent work and economic autonomy[2]. As well, partnerships promoted gender-responsive procurement, expanded opportunities for women entrepreneurs and led to digital innovations. Further, UN Women collaborated with private sector, governments, non-government organizations and women workers to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in specific industries. In the midterm review, the WEPs, the Unstereotype Alliance and HeForShe are identified as “good models” for encouraging business transformation through the adoption of gender-responsive practices.
 

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to and good understanding of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. 
• Strong interpersonal skills; 
• Strong organizational skills and strong self-direction. 
• Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.                   
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication. 
• Ability to handle documents and the information contained therein with strictest confidentiality is a non-negotiable requirement.
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence 
• Conflict management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution. 
• Partnership development and negotiation skills. 

Education and Certification:

Master’s degree in economics, Business Administration/Management, Agri-economics, enterprise development or any other related field of studies. 

Experience: 

• At least five years of professional experience in private sector engagement, women’s entrepreneurship and market system facilitation
• Proven expertise in private sector partnership building, CSR/ESG initiative and/or gender responsive procurement.
• Strong understanding of local market systems, SME development, and inclusive value chains.
• Familiarity with the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and gender equality frameworks would be an added value.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector actors, civil society organizations, local service providers and development partners.
• Experience working with the UN system is a considerable asset. 

Evaluation Criteria :

• At least five years of professional experience in private sector engagement, women’s entrepreneurship and market system facilitation. (35)
• Proven expertise in private sector partnership building, CSR/ESG initiative and/or gender responsive procurement. (20)
• Strong understanding of local market systems, SME development, and inclusive value chains. (20)
• Familiarity with the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and gender equality frameworks would be an added value. (10)
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector actors, civil society organizations, local service providers and development partners(10)
• Experience working with the UN system is a considerable asset. (5)

The maximum score that the candidate can achieve for this consultancy is 100. Out of 100, candidates who receive a score higher than 60, will be qualified for this position.  

Languages:

Fluency in English and Nepali is required. 

Statements :

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.