Advocacy, Partnership and Communications Consultant for EXPO 2020

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 UAE Liaison Office for the GCC was inaugurated in 2016 to focus on 3 areas in terms of its mandate. These include advocacy for UN Women to drive its global mandate, resource mobilization for UN Women programs globally, and coordination of partnerships to drive the work and strategic priorities of UN Women in the GCC region. The office acts as a liaison between UN Women globally and stakeholders in the GCC from the private sector, government, academia and non-profits. The office reports to UN Women global headquarters.

Expo 2020 is a World Expo to be hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, opening on October 20, 2020. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) general assembly in Paris awarded Dubai as the host on November 27, 2013.

As a World Expo, it adheres to a wide universal theme that applies to all humanity and it will focus on three subthemes: opportunity, mobility and sustainability, each with its own pavilion. 

UNWomen GCC office is working closely with EXPO team to ensure a Women-friendly Expo and to carry out activities to highlight the importance of women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality.

UNWomen GCC office seeks to hire an Advocacy, Partnership and Communications Consultant to support in communications, advocacy, establishing strategic partnerships, and supporting resource mobilization efforts related to EXPO. The consultant will primarily work with EXPO team, GWU, UNWomen other development partners, private sector and non-state actors in order to advance this agenda.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Elaborate and implement communications strategies, including media strategy to achieve the EXPO agenda.
• Collaborate with internal partners (media/ communications, outreach/ campaign) on the development and use of effective communications, outreach, branding and other resource mobilization mechanisms and tools to enhance the packaging and marketing of UN Women’s mission, competencies, and goals within EXPO.
• Support the Organization of High-Level Meetings and Side Events of EXPO.
• Facilitate, coordinate and contribute to the development of briefing notes, strategy documents, guidelines, speeches, talking points and fact sheets.
• Help lead efforts to document results and lessons from projects implemented under EXPO. 
• Prepare input for reports, slides, and other materials as required.
• Contribute to the design of technical proposals/programmes and/or review programme/project proposals and activity reports in accordance with UNWomen requirements and procedures.
• Identify innovative opportunities and new communications tools and platforms which can serve to highlight the work of UN Women work in EXPO.
• Format and edit Office documents in the required English and Arabic.
• Identification and development of storylines for publications and substantive articles contributing to debates on key development issues.
• Undertake research to develop donor intelligence, policies, sectoral and geographic preferences, economic and political background, development assistance strategies etc. and other activities to identify funding opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to secure resources from partners to support the implementation of EXPO activities.
• Coordinate closely with the UN Women Strategic Partnership Division as relevant to all resource mobilization activities.
• Provide logistics support in organization and preparation of the UNWomen advocacy and fundraising events.

Impact of Results

The effective support provided to the liaison office directly impacts on the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of the UN Women Office interventions under EXPO. The post impacts on the development, implementation of results that in turn directly impact on the credibility and image of UN Women as an effective partner for national partner organizations and as a competent knowledge-based organization on gender equity and girls’ rights issues

Competencies

Core Values/Guiding Principles

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
• Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core competencies

Writing skills:

• Demonstrates strong writing skills, particularly the ability to present persuasive, coherent and well-founded arguments;
• Has ability to write in a style that is accessible to a broad audience of policymakers, academics and activists.

Work ethics:

• Reliably takes action to honor commitments; takes international outlook in decision-making.

Intellectual Qualities:

• Possesses good grasp of development policy issues;
• Demonstrates analytical rigor, intellectual creativity and contributes original ideas;
• Maintains open-minded attitude towards new ideas.

Working in teams:

• Contributes to team spirit, inspires and motivates staff and colleagues at all levels;
• Demonstrates willingness to integrate ideas of others into own thinking;
• Remains composed under stress;
• Manages moods and creates positive attitude in the team even in times of crisis.

Results Orientation in Process:

• Demonstrates drive to achieve results in timely manner and to seek and find solutions to any problems encountered;
• Makes efficient use of available resources;
• Demonstrates ability to multitask.

Communication skills:

• Has ability to communicate clearly and persuasively;
• Demonstrates ability to build consensus and expresses own ideas openly and frankly without jeopardizing rapport with colleagues.

Innovation and marketing of new approaches:

• Generates new ideas, seeks new approaches and introduces and promotes them in the workplace.
• Ability to identify opportunities and builds strong relationships with client and external actors

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A maters Master’s degree or equivalent in social science related field; communications; Education; journalism; Languages Health Education; Social Policy or in any other related field.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of related work experience;
• Strong networking capabilities;
• Proven experience in women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Strong research, writing and copyediting skills; ability to convey technical and complex concepts for a variety of audiences. 
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills suitable for collaborating with multiple stakeholders;
• Experience with donor relations/resource mobilization.

Language requirement:

• Proficiency in written and spoken English and Arabic.

The Application Should Include

• Personal History Form (P-11 form) - including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted;
• Financial Proposal: Specify a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (per deliverable, all travel costs, per diem any other possible costs as relevant);
• Candidates should have the ability to quickly produce degree certificates and medical certification (of good health) should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy post.
• Management and financial arrangements
• Payment Will Be Disbursed on monthly basis and upon Submission of a monthly approved report and certification of payment .

Evaluation process

Consultants will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of qualifications and financial proposal.

The candidates must possess following minimum qualification criteria to be eligible for further technical evaluation:

• A degree in social science related field; communications; Education; journalism; Languages Health Education; Social Policy or in any other related field.
• Proven experience in women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Strong networking capabilities.
• Experience with donor relations/resource mobilization.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English and Arabic.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills suitable for collaborating with multiple stakeholders.

UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Due to large number of applications received, UN Women will inform only the successful candidate about the outcome or status of the selection process.

Evaluation Criteria:

TECHNICAL EVALUATION (70%)

FINANCIAL EVALALUTION (30%)