UN Women: National Consultant_Interpretation, Dili, Timor-Leste

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 also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030 Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.

Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to do the simultaneous interpretation and written translation from Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese to English or English to Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese. 

Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities 

UN Women Timor Leste requires the service of translators and/or interpreters under the direct supervision of the Country Representative and National Programme Officer(s), the Consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Undertake content translation from Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese to English or English to Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese as required.
• Submit quality final translations in a timely manner to UN Women represented by the Country Representative and/or the National Programme Officer(s).
• Provide quality simultaneous interpretation services during events conducted by UN Women or partners from English to Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese and or English to Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese.
• Timely submission of content translation from Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese to English or English to Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese
• Fluent and easily understandable simultaneous interpretation from Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese to English or English to Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia and/or Portuguese

Expected Deliverables 

Duration of Assignment

The assignment is for the duration of 15 July 2026 – 14 July 2028. The consultant will be engaged under a retainer contract, which facilitates direct engagement of the consultant depending on need and availability within the contract period for a pre-agreed fee.

Inputs

The consultant is expected to cover the cost of transportation in Dili, and the cost of telecommunication. 

UN Women will provide the consultant with the materials for the assignment, and cover transportation and the related daily subsistence allowance (DSA) for any work-related travel to other municipalities outside of Dili.

Performance evaluation:

Contractor’s performance will be evaluated based on: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Required experience and qualifications

The consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education

• Hold a high school diploma, or the equivalent.  A Bachelor’s degree would be an advantage. 

Experience 

• At least 2 years of experience in translation and interpretation is required.
• Proven experience in working with the Government institutions and the United Nations would be an advantage.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in Tetum/Bahasa Indonesia/Portuguese, and English.

Submission package

Please submit your application, together with the following required documents, by 24 June 2026.

• CV 
• Letter of Interest containing the statement on candidate’s experience in the field of recruitment.
• Financial proposal, clearly indicating the proposed professional fee for each service category, including written translation charged per word or per page, and interpretation services charged per hour for simultaneous interpretation. The proposal should specify the applicable currency, rate structure, and any additional costs, if applicable.
• Sample of the previous and relevant work. 

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis. 

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%] 
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidate.

Financial/Price Proposal Comparison:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated. 
• The total number of points allocated for the price component is 100. 
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price. [Lowest Price x 100 / Other Price under Consideration] = Points for Other Candidate's Price Component.

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:

Will be added separately for each position

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.