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UN Women - National consultant to support State Audit Office in North Macedonia on conducting gender audits and application of GRB

un women office

  • Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • Location: un women office
  • Grade: Consultancy - National Consultant - Locally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Accounting (Audit, Controlling)
    • Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
    • Internal audit, Investigation and Inspection
  • Closing Date: Closed

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; the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development; human rights; as well as humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts 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 Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women Programme Office in the Republic of North Macedonia in line with the priorities set in the UN Women Strategic Plan, the country Strategic Note (2019-2021) and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2021-2025), is supporting the country to fulfil National and International commitments to gender equality and empowerment of women.

Over the past years, UN Women has provided extensive support to national and local stakeholders to strengthen democratic governance and advance women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting. Through its ongoing project “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets: Towards Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Republic of North Macedonia” (2018-2022), UN Women is extending technical support to Government stakeholders at central and local level on gender responsive budgeting, and to civil society organizations and oversight bodies on strengthening the accountability towards gender equality commitments. The programme provides a consolidated framework that enables systematic and sustained implementation of gender responsive budgeting and optimal impact of gender budgeting initiatives on lives of women and men in the country.

The project includes a set of interventions focused on gender mainstreaming in policy making and budgeting processes at central level, which aims at extending technical and expert support to line ministries and state institutions to advance the application of gender responsive budgeting.

In 2020, UN Women initiated a regional programme with participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo[1], Serbia and North Macedonia on “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans” (2020-2024) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation. The main programme approach will be transformative financing as an enabling factor for policy and financing actions to accelerate implementation of existing national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Within the scope of the regional project, UN Women is extending technical support on gender responsive budgeting (GRB) to Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). Informed and guided by the policies and standards of INTOSAI, UN Women will strengthen the capacities of the Supreme Audit Institutions in Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in mainstreaming gender in their audit work. Two International experts will be recruited to support the development of a Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality, as well as extending expert and mentoring support to SAIs on strengthening their capacities on gender mainstreaming and GRB.

In North Macedonia, UN Women signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Audit Office (SAO), which is the lead institution on public sector auditing and plays an important role on strengthening the oversight and accountability towards gender equality commitments in the management of public funds.

To support the State Audit Office of the Republic of North Macedonia on mainstreaming gender in the auditing processes and to advance the oversight and accountability to gender equality commitments, UN Women is seeking to recruit a national consultant to support the State Audit Office in strengthening its capacities for mainstreaming a gender perspective in the overall audit work, and in conducting gender audits focused on gender equality policies and programmes implemented by state institutions in North Macedonia

[1]For UN Women, references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

For the European Union, this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work

The objective of the assignment is to provide expert, training and mentoring support on gender audits, gender responsive programme planning and budgeting to the State Audit Office. More specifically, the aim is to build the capacities and skills of the auditors and employees of the State Audit Office on mainstreaming gender in the auditing processes, conducting audits on gender equality policies and programmes implemented by the government institutions in North Macedonia. The support will be provided through assisting SAO in different types of public sector external audits from a gender perspective as well as supporting the SAO in developing a Methodological Note for integrating the gender perspective in auditing processes.  Furthermore, support will be provided in the development of a Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality that is planned within the scope of the regional programme by an international consultant. 

With this ToR, UN Women is seeking to hire a national consultant who will be responsible for delivering expert training and mentorship to SAO in North Macedonia.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Based on the above-described objectives of the assignment, under the supervision of the GRB Programme Analyst, GRB programme team and the GRB regional programme manager, and in close coordination with the gender focal point at SAO, the national consultant will undertake the following tasks and responsibilities: 

  • Desk review of existing globally recognized gender auditing practices;
  • Assess and identify specific programmes at central level in North Macedonia for auditing from a gender perspective;
  • Provide inputs to the international consultant in the development of a Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality;
  • Coordinate closely with the international consultant in the process of development and delivery of two regional workshops organized by UN Women:
  • One two-day-training on the Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality is expected to be delivered in cooperation with the international expert. This training will be held virtually;
  • One two-day follow-up training on Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality and its application is expected to be delivered in cooperation with the international expert. This training will be held with physical presence;
  • Development of a Methodological Note for integrating gender perspective in line with the Regional Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality and harmonized with the rules and procedures for performing audits of the State Audit Office of the Republic of North Macedonia;
  • Provide training and mentorship to SAO on gender mainstreaming and GRB in accordance with the needs and requirements of the State Audit Office and in line with INTOSAI’s gender policy and strategic documents;
  • Prepare final report on the assignment. 

Key deliverables, activities and timeframe

The Local consultant will be expected to complete the below tasks within the indicative timeframe:

Tasks

Deliverables

Working days

  • Develop a detailed work plan for the assignment includes timeline, tasks and activities (to be consulted with and approved by UN Women);

1. Work Plan  and timeframe of the assignment (in English)

3 day (by 12 July 2021)

  • Desk review of existing globally recognized gender auditing practices;
  • Assess and identify specific programmes at central level in North Macedonia for auditing from gender perspective;

2. Desk review on existing globally recognized gender auditing practices

 

3. Assessment of specific programmes at central level in North Macedonia for auditing from a gender perspective

 

 

 

5 days (by 09 August 2021)

  • Provide inputs to the international consultant in the development of a Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality;

4. Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality

5 days (by 01 September 2021)

  • Coordinate closely with the international consultant in the process of development and delivery of two regional workshops organized by UN Women:
  • One two-day-training on the Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality is expected to be delivered in cooperation with the international expert. This training will be held virtually;
  • One two-day follow-up training on Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality and its application is expected to be delivered in cooperation with the international expert. This training will be held with physical presence;

 

1.Training agenda, training programme, PPTs and Training reports

10 days (by 31 April 2022)

First two-day training to be delivered by 31 October 2021

Second two-day training to be delivered by 31 April 2022

  • Development of a Methodological note for integrating gender perspective in line with the Regional Practice Guide to Auditing Gender Equality and harmonized with  the rules and procedures for performing audits of the State Audit Office of the Republic of North Macedonia;

 

 

6. Methodological Note for integrating gender perspective in the auditing practices (in English and Macedonian)

 

 15 days (by 30 June 2022)

  • Provide training and mentorship to SAO on gender mainstreaming and GRB in accordance with the needs and requirements of the State Audit Office and in line with INTOSAI’s gender policy and strategic documents;

 

7.Meetings/training agenda and minutes

8.Training programme and PPTs

20 days (by 30 June 2022)

Final report on the assignment to UN Women (English)

Final individual report

2 days (by 31 August 2022)

Total

 

60 working days

Reporting

Under the overall supervision of the GRB Programme analyst and the GRB programme team at UN Women Skopje Office, the National consultant will develop and deliver the above listed deliverables in accordance with the indicative timeframe.

All deliverables of an acceptable standard and quality should be submitted to the UN Women and in languages as specified above.

Competencies

Core Values/guiding principles:

  • Integrity - Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
  • Professionalism - Demonstrate professional competence and Consultant knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
  • Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity - Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Additionally, the individual should have an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

  • Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
  • Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
  • Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
  • Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

  • Shares knowledge and experience
  • Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UN Women
  •  Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
  • Development and Operational Effectiveness
  • Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills. Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
  • Demonstrates very good understanding of and experience in communications and outreach/advocacy
  • Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported
  • Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational problems
  • Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Leadership and Self-Management

  •     Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
  •     Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
  •     Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
  •     Proven networking skills and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate
  •     Identifies opportunities and builds strong partnerships with clients and partners

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

  • A university degree in public administration, public policy, finance, gender studies, or any other degree relevant to the requirements of the TOR. A Master’s degree is considered a strong asset.

Experience:

  • A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated relevant professional experience in the area of gender equality with focus on gender responsive policy making;
  • Demonstrated relevant professional experience on policy making and budgetary processes in the Republic of North Macedonia;
  • Previous experience in designing and delivering training and/or mentoring programmes on gender equality and gender mainstreaming in policy making and budgeting;
  • Proven experience in developing methodologies and/or frameworks and/or handbooks;
  • Demonstrated experience on public sector auditing procedures, practices and processes in the Republic of North Macedonia;
  • Previous experience working with central level government institutions.

Language

Fluency in Macedonian and English is required.

Evaluation of applicants:

UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process. Applicants will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications/skills and their financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultants whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

  • Responsive to and compliant with the requirements of the ToR; and
  • Having received the highest score out of below combined technical and financial criteria.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Evaluation criteria

Total points

Max. Points

Technical Evaluation (70%)

70

 

Relevant education

10

10

0: without relevant university degree

7: A first-level university degree

10: Master’s degree or PhD

A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated relevant professional experience in the area of gender equality with focus on gender responsive policy making;

15

15

0: without relevant experience

10: 3 years of experience

10 – 15: 5 years of experience

15: more than 5 years of experience

Demonstrated relevant professional experience on policy making and budgetary processes in the Republic of North Macedonia;

15

15

0: without relevant experience

0-5: 1 year of experience

5-10: 2 years of experience

10 – 15: 3 years of experience

15: more than 3 years of experience

Previous experience in designing and delivering training and/or mentoring programmes on gender equality and gender mainstreaming in policy making and budgeting;

10

10

0: without relevant experience

0-5: 2 years of experience

5-10: 3 years of experience

10: more than 3 years

 

Proven experience in developing methodologies and/or frameworks and/or handbooks;

10

10

0: without relevant experience

0-5: 2 years of experience

5-10: 3 years of experience

10: more than 3 years

 

Demonstrated experience on public sector auditing procedures, practices and processes in the Republic of North Macedonia;

5

5

0: without experience

5: demonstrated experience

Previous experience working with central level government institutions;

5

5

0: without experience

5: demonstrated experience

Language requirements

Fluency in Macedonian and English is required.

 

REQUIRED

 

Financial Evaluation (30%)

30

 

TOTAL

100

 

Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30

S - score received on financial evaluation;

Fmin - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round;

F - financial offer under the consideration.

Duration and remuneration:

The national consultant will be engaged for a total of 60 working days during the period of 30 June 2021 until 31 August 2022. Deliverables from the consultant will be reviewed and approved by UN Women before they are considered final. UN Women will process the payment of consultancy fee in three instalments:

I instalment - 50% upon submission and approval of deliverables 1-5 (30 November 2021)

II instalment - 30% upon submission and approval of deliverables 6-8 (by 30 June 2022)

III instalment - 20% upon satisfactory completion of all tasks in the assignment, submission and approval of final report by UN Women (31 August 2022)

Application:

Interested individual consultants are requested to apply electronically through the following link: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm  no later than 22 June 2021 and to submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

  • Short Letter of interest, including financial proposal in local currency (MKD), indicating a total lump sum for the delivery as per above description. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (consultancy fee, travel and any other possible costs).
  • Completed UN Women Personal History (P11) form, that can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment
  • 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.
This vacancy is now closed.
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