Background:
UN Women exists to advance womenโs rights, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As the lead UN entity on gender equality and secretariat of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women shift laws, institutions, social behaviours and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world. UN Womenโs partnerships with governments, womenโs movements and the private sector coupled with its coordination of the broader United Nations translate progress into lasting changes.
In Tรผrkiye, in line with its globalย Strategic Plan 2022-2025ย andย Country Strategic Note (2022-2025), and the overallย UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Turkey (UNSDCF) (2021-2025), UN Women works towards the overarching goal of โWomen and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Tรผrkiyeโ. UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) womenโs economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction. In line with its coordination mandate, UN Women promotes coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and womenโs empowerment, including through joint programmatic and advocacy actions and initiatives, standardized tools and guidance and services to strengthen the relevant capacities of the UN system.ย
Towards these goals, UN Women implements programmes and projects that aim to advance gender equality, improve womenโs access to opportunities, rights, and services in political, social, and economic life, and combat gender stereotypes, discrimination, and violence, as required by international and national legal and policy commitments. UN Women collaborates with numerous partners โ central and local level government authorities, civil society organizations, including womenโs organizations and platforms, academia, private sector companies, and other UN agencies. It commits itself to the Leave No One Behind principle, by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women face in accessing their rights and to promote them as agents of change. UN Women Tรผrkiye has been at the forefront of support for Tรผrkiyeโs continuous commitment to implement international norms and standards on womenโs rights, and the enhancement and implementation of relevant national legal and policy frameworks. The Country Office has been operational in Tรผrkiye since 2012.ย
In the area of ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) and other harmful practices, UN Women supports enhancing services on VAWG prevention and protection through strengthened capacities of institutions, improved data management, better coordination, and empowerment of women and girls who are at risk of and/or are survivors of violence. Furthermore, to address the underlying root causes of VAWG and harmful practices, UN Women Tรผrkiye works towards favorable social norms, attitudes, and behaviors at the individual, community, and institutional levels that advance gender equality and womenโs empowerment. Currently, UN Women in Tรผrkiye has a diverse and growing portfolio on Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) which is led by a Programme Specialist, under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Director and the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director.ย
Within the scope of โRestoring and Strengthening the Preventive and Protective Services in response to Violence Against Women affected by the earthquakes in Tรผrkiye (2024-2027)ย โ project, UN Women aims to restore and strengthen both the physical infrastructure and technical capacities of VAW service provision through a survivor-centered and rights-based approach that contributes the empowerment of women. The project aims to establish good models that can then be scaled up to become part of the overall MOFSS response to violence against women in their areas of competence under the scope of the project.
The Impact/ Overall Objective of the Project is to improve the protection of women and childrenโs rights in earthquake affected regions in Tรผrkiye. The project comprises of the following 1 Outcome/Special Objective and 4 Outputs:
Specifically, under the Output 1.4 the project focuses on supporting women survivors of VAWG โ including those in shelters, temporary settlement areas, and receiving VAWG protection and response services especially from Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centers (VPMCs) and Social Service Centers โ through skills mapping, gap analysis, financial literacy, vocational training, private sector engagement, and social support mechanisms.
Under the Supervision of Programme Specialist and the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Director โ The Womenโs Economic Empowerment Consultant will provide technical and coordination support in designing, implementing, and monitoring these activities, ensuring survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and market-responsive interventions.
Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work
1. Provide technical and coordination support for Skills Mapping and Gap Analysis:
Provide technical inputs to the design and methodology of the skills mapping and gap analysis exercise for 5 earthquake-affected provinces, ensuring it is gender-sensitive, participatory, and aligned with UN Women standards. Support the procurement/partner selection process for selecting the implementing entity for skills mapping and gap analysis. Coordinate collaboration with key stakeholders such as Turkish Employment Agency (ฤฐลKUR), Chambers of Commerce, development agencies, CSOs, and public institutions during data collection, analysis and validation. Supervise, review and provide quality assurance on the draft and final reports of the skills mapping and gap analysis, ensuring actionable, localized and market-responsive recommendations are included. Support the integration of findings into subsequent project activities such as training, protocols, and networking events.2. Support implementation and content development for financial literacy and vocational training workshopsย
Guide the design and standardization of training curricula and materials (written, visual, interactive) for financial literacy and skills training tailored to VAWG survivors' needs and literacy levels. Coordinate with CSO partners and government stakeholders to ensure relevance and quality of the training content. Monitor the rollout of training sessions in shelters, temporary settlement areas, and VPMCs, and support tracking of beneficiary participation and outcomes. Support post-training follow-up mechanisms and evaluation tools to assess long-term impact on participants.3. Support development and revision of protocols for institutional cooperation on womenโs economic empowerment:
Provide technical inputs for drafting and revising inter-institutional protocols with MoFSS, ฤฐลKUR, Ministry of National Education including Public Education Centers, and other relevant central and local entities. Ensure protocols address the specific economic empowerment needs of survivors, including those transitioning from shelters. Facilitate consultations and validation meetings with relevant institutions to finalize protocols.4. Support private sector engagement and coordination:
Contribute to the design of collaboration models with private sector partners to facilitate employment pathways and quota-based job opportunities for survivors. Support UN Women in identifying and engaging Womenโs Empowerment Principles (WEPs)signatories and aligning their job/vocational training offerings with womenโs skills. Develop private sector sensitization materials and facilitate training/awareness sessions for companies on VAWG-sensitive employment practices. Monitor implementation of private sector quotas and ensure survivor confidentiality and safety throughout job placement processes. Document promising practices and challenges in private sector engagement and inputs for donor reports.5. Support to Knowledge Management and Reporting:
Contribute to the development of guidance notes, toolkits, and knowledge products related to socio-economic empowerment of VAWG survivors. Support the collection of activity-based monitoring data and provide inputs to periodic progress and donor reports. Document lessons learned and contribute to post-activity evaluation and improvement measures. Compile and synthesize findings, feedback, and recommendations emerging from key project activities, including training, networking events, and gap analysis. Coordinate and technically support the functioning of the Project Technical Working Group (TWG) on womenโs economic empowerment by contributing to the preparation of inputs, summaries, and follow-up documentation ahead of and following TWG meetings, in coordination with relevant stakeholders. Ensure that technical insights and survivor-centered recommendations raised within the TWG are reflected in the implementation and reporting of Output 1.4.Payments will be made on a monthly basis, based on the provision of timesheets and supporting deliverables approved by the UN Women Programme Specialist, who shall confirm Consultantโs work is completed and eligible for payment. The total duration of the contract is a maximum of 100 working days until 30 June 2027.
Consultantโs Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based assignment with travels to project provinces if needed. UN Women Tรผrkiye Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultantโs travel as per UN Womenโs rules and regulations.ย
Mandatory Training Courses:
The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time.ย The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor.
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 visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
ย Strong knowledge of womenโs economic empowerment, livelihood recovery, and socio-economic integration in post-crisis or humanitarian settingsย Proven ability to coordinate multi-stakeholder platforms and working groups, and synthesize technical inputs for collaborative decision-making Experience in designing, implementing and/or monitoring financial literacy, vocational training, skills development, or employment linkage programmes Ability to collect, analyze and synthesize information from diverse sources and translate findings into actionable programmatic recommendations Strong analytical and writing skills, with the ability to prepare clear and concise technical documents, reports and presentations Ability to coordinate and liaise effectively with public institutions, CSOs, WLOs and private sector partners Understanding of survivor-centered and gender-responsive approaches, particularly in relation to violence against women and girlsRequired Qualifications
Education and Certification:
Masterโs degree in economics, gender studies, development studies, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in womenโs economic empowerment, livelihood recovery, or employment-related programming, ideally in humanitarian or post-disaster contextsย is required. Proven experience in designing and/or implementing skills mapping, gap analyses, and financial literacy or vocational training programmes is required. Experience working with public institutions (e.g., ฤฐลKUR, Ministry of Education), private sector, and CSOs and WLOs on livelihood and womenโs economic empowermentย is required. Demonstrated understanding of survivor-centered approaches and gender equality in service delivery is an asset. Experience with results-based management, reporting, and monitoring tools is an asset.Languages:
Fluency in English and Turkish 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,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย 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 toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย 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.
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