Международный консультант по вопросам гендерного равенства

Job Description
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 UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard is a United Nations system-wide accountability and self-assessment framework that enables United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) to assess how effectively gender equality and women’s empowerment are mainstreamed across their collective work. The Scorecard assesses UNCT performance across seven dimensions and 15 Performance Indicators and supports Country Teams in identifying gaps and agreeing corrective actions to strengthen gender mainstreaming.
UNCT Azerbaijan has implemented the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard through a comprehensive assessment followed by annual progress assessments, most recently in 2025. In 2026, following endorsement by the UNCT, Azerbaijan will undertake a new comprehensive assessment covering all 15 Performance Indicators in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026–2030, establishing a new baseline for the current Cooperation Framework cycle.
The 2026 exercise will be conducted as a participatory, evidence-based self-assessment through an Inter-Agency Assessment Team (IAT), under the overall leadership of the United Nations Resident Coordinator and with technical coordination by UN Women in close collaboration with the Resident Coordinator Office (RCO). Preparatory work, including identification of IAT members and compilation of available evidence, has already commenced. The assessment will build on previous UNCT-SWAP findings and evidence and will result in a GEAP-aligned Action Plan reflecting relevant United Nations system-wide gender equality priorities. The final Comprehensive Report and Action Plan are to be submitted through the UNCT-SWAP reporting platform by 14 November 2026.
In this context, UN Women Azerbaijan seeks to engage an International Consultant to provide technical guidance, analytical support and facilitation throughout the 2026 comprehensive UNCT-SWAP assessment. The consultant will facilitate the process in accordance with the 2023 UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard Technical Guidance, while the IAT retains responsibility for providing and validating evidence, analysing performance and agreeing ratings and follow-up actions.
The consultant will report to the UN Women Country Representative/Liaison for the South Caucasus and work in close coordination with UN Women Azerbaijan, the RCO, designated UNCT-SWAP coordinators and the IAT.
Description Of Responsibilities/ Scope Of Work

• Review the 2023 UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard Technical Guidance and current reporting/platform requirements, together with Azerbaijan’s previous comprehensive assessment, annual progress reports and Action Plans, including the 2025 Annual Progress Assessment and Action Plan for 2026.
• Review relevant Azerbaijan-specific evidence for all 15 Performance Indicators, including the UNSDCF 2026–2030 and Results Framework, latest Common Country Analysis, final evaluation of the previous Cooperation Framework, Joint Work Plans and UN INFO/Gender Equality Marker data, UN Country Results Reports, GTG documentation, relevant inter-agency records, organizational culture survey results, gender parity/staffing data, and other evidence provided by the IAT. Azerbaijan does not have a Country Gender Equality Profile.
• Prepare an inception note and detailed workplan, refine the evidence matrix and indicator-rating templates, and build on the IAT and evidence-collection arrangements already initiated by the UNCT, RCO and UN Women.
• Provide a technical orientation to the IAT and support IAT sub-groups to review evidence, identify evidence gaps, analyse performance and prepare preliminary findings and rating justifications for all 15 Performance Indicators in accordance with the Technical Guidance.
• Review and use the 2025 organizational culture survey results for relevant indicators. A new survey is not required if the size and composition of UNCT personnel remain largely unchanged, unless subsequent technical guidance or material staffing changes make an updated survey necessary.
• Facilitate IAT technical discussions, consolidation and validation sessions to support consensus on ratings, findings and priority corrective actions, while preserving IAT ownership of the assessment and ratings.
• Draft the 2026 UNCT-SWAP Comprehensive Report and a GEAP-aligned Action Plan with clear actions, responsibilities, timelines, milestones/indicators and means of verification, integrating relevant United Nations system-wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) priorities as applicable. The consultancy does not entail a separate country-level GEAP assessment.
• Prepare platform-ready reporting inputs, incorporate consolidated feedback and applicable quality-assurance comments, and support finalization of the report package sufficiently in advance of the 14 November 2026 submission deadline.
  

Deliverables
Deliverables Expected completion time (due day)

• Inception note and detailed workplan, including methodology, refined IAT engagement/division of labour, initial evidence matrix and identified evidence gaps. (4 days)
  

18 October 2026

• Consolidated evidence matrix for all 15 Performance Indicators; preliminary findings and rating justifications; review of relevant organizational culture and gender parity evidence; and facilitation of IAT technical/validation sessions. (8 days) 23 October 2026
• Draft 2026 UNCT-SWAP Comprehensive Report, complete rating matrix/justifications and draft GEAP-aligned Action Plan reflecting IAT consensus (5 days) 31 October 2026
• Final platform-ready Comprehensive Report and GEAP-aligned Action Plan incorporating consolidated feedback and applicable quality-assurance comments, with limited technical revision support through submission (3 days) Substantive final package by 7 November 2026; availability for limited revisions through 14 November 2026
  

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy to be provided in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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 visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:
Functional Competencies:

• Strong technical expertise in gender equality and women’s empowerment, gender mainstreaming and UN system-wide accountability frameworks.
• Excellent knowledge of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard methodology, 2023 Technical Guidance and comprehensive reporting process.
• Strong understanding of UN coordination architecture, Cooperation Framework processes, results-based management and inter-agency working methods.
• Ability to review complex institutional evidence and synthesize findings into clear, evidence-based rating justifications and action plans.
• Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills for participatory inter-agency self-assessment processes.
• Understanding of the United Nations System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) and its relevance to country-level gender accountability.
• Excellent analytical, drafting and presentation skills in professional UN English.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs under a compressed timeline.
  

Required Qualifications:
Education

• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender studies, international development, social sciences, public policy, human rights, monitoring and evaluation, organizational development, international relations 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 degree.
  

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience in gender equality, gender mainstreaming, UN coordination, results-based management, monitoring and evaluation, institutional accountability or related fields (9 years with a first-level university degree).
• Demonstrated previous experience facilitating or conducting UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard comprehensive assessments and/or annual progress assessments is required; experience applying the 2023 UNCT-SWAP Technical Guidance is a strong asset.
• Experience supporting Cooperation Framework/CCA processes, inter-agency results reporting, UN INFO, Gender Equality Marker or similar UN system planning and accountability processes is required.
• Experience facilitating inter-agency consultations, validation workshops and consensus-based assessment processes involving UN Country Teams, RCOs, Gender Theme Groups or similar coordination mechanisms is required.
• Experience in evidence review, gender data analysis, institutional assessment and high-quality report/action-plan drafting is required.
• Experience with GEAP or other UN system-wide gender equality accountability frameworks is an asset.
• Previous experience in Europe and Central Asia and/or familiarity with Azerbaijan is an asset.
  

Languages:

• Fluency in English 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, 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.