Consultant Engineer to Support Preparatory Phase for the the South Sudan Women Economic Empowerment Project (SSWEEP)

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. 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. UN Women 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 in South Sudan supports the government to implement commitments to international normative standards on gender equality and women’s human rights. The new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2022-2026 and the corresponding UN Women South Sudan Strategic Note (2022-2026), defining UN Women’s strategic engagement in South Sudan, focus on strengthening the national structures and mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in policies, plans and budgets; supporting efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women; promoting women’s economic empowerment; promoting policies and government investment in women’s empowerment and resilience building in the context of climate change, humanitarian crisis as well as threats to peace and security. UN Women works with a range of stakeholders in South Sudan including the government, civil society and women’s organisations, youth, UN agencies and donors, to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Currently, UN Women in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and the Office of the Vice President (Gender and Youth Cluster) is developing a programme that aims at promoting the social-economic empowerment of women and adolescent girls in South Sudan. The project called “South Sudan Women Economic Empowerment Project (SSWEEP)”, will be implemented in 10 states and 2 administrative areas in South Sudan focusing on promoting women’s access to economic opportunities, protection and access to GBV information and services and also strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare to effectively implement its mandate of promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. The project has four (4) components, namely: a) Component 1: Community Empowerment Support to Women and Girls, b) Component 2: Establishment of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Facility (WEOF), c) Component 3: Services for Survivors of GBV and d) Component 4: Institutional Strengthening and Project Management. Component 1, Component 3 and Component 4 has activities to do with construction, namely the construction of 5 Women Empowerment Community Centres (WECCs) under Component 1, the Construction of a GBV safe House in Juba under component 3, and the construction of the HQ office for the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare under Component 4.

Against this background, UN Women South Sudan seeks to engage an International Consultant to support the drafting of key technical  Terms of References (ToRs) for several components, in preparation for the rollout of the programme . Under the direct supervision of the Country Representative, the consultant will support South Sudan Country Office (SSDCO) to formulate high-quality Terms of References for the various activities of the project and support the completion of required documentation for to facilitate the finalization of the project design.  

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will support:

• the development of technical ToRs for engagement of  a firm responsible for planning, design and construction of the Women Empowerment Community Centres (WECCs), Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Office Block and GBV safehouse/shelter;
• and contribute to the drafting and finalization of TORs for engagement of implementing partners for the delivery of additional components of the Project for 1) Capacity Assessment for the Ministry of Gender, social workers to support gender ministry mandate;
• And contribute to stakeholders’ engagement and report on the design and construction of infrastructures highlighted above.

Key deliverables:

• Develops ToRs for the recruitment of the design and construction firm; Capacity Assessments, Social Workers;
• Report from the stakeholder engagement meetings.

Supervision and Performance Evaluation: 

The consultant will undertake the tasks under the direct supervision and guidance of the Deputy Country Representative. 

Duration and Work Location: 

The consultant will travel to and be based in the Country Office in Juba, South Sudan with a possibility to travel to the project-selected field sites within the period of one to two months (with a possibility of extension).

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

• The consultant must send a financial proposal based on the Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, only and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the SSA in completing the assignment;
• The contract price will be a fixed output-based price;
• Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs or can be negotiated based on key deliverables if part payment applies.

Competencies

Core Values and 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 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 differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Functional Competencies:

• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative;
• 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;
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others;
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution;
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge;
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision-making.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Must have a Master’s degree in architecture or engineering or equivalent.

Experience and skills:

• Must have at least 7 years of experience in building design works;
• Experience in facilitating stakeholder consultations and high-quality reports;
• Must be fluent in spoken & written English;
• Previous experience with UN agencies is preferred; experience in working with government, donors and other UN agencies is an asset.

Language:

• Excellent command of written and spoken English required. 

To be included as part of the proposal:

 Only applications including all items mentioned above will be considered.

The submission package will include:

• Cover letter outlining relevant experience for the assignment;
• Updated CV;
• Personal History Form (P11); https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc
• Financial proposal: Propose per day lump sum professional fees in USD  or for the total duration of the assignment.         

Please note, that the system will only allow one attachment, and, hence please combine the multiple files while uploading the attachment.

• Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. Personal History Form P11 that can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

Qualified women candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.

 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.

Gender Sensitivity:

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.

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.