International Consultant for Gender Audit of Political Parties

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women was established in July 2010 as part of the UN reform agenda to enhance gender equality and women's empowerment globally. The organization merges the resources and mandates of four previously distinct parts of the UN system that focused on gender issues. UN Women operates in numerous countries, working towards the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, empowering women, and achieving equality between genders in various sectors including development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security. The organization emphasizes women's leadership and decision-making, aiming to enhance women's influence in public life and political processes.

Job Overview:
The International Consultant will lead a Gender Audit of Political Parties in Liberia, focusing on how internal party systems, rules, culture, leadership, and resource allocation affect women's participation and the broader goal of gender equality. The audit aims to generate baseline data on the representation of women and men across leadership structures, decision-making bodies, and nomination processes. It will review party statutes and policies to assess gender equality, identify barriers to women's participation, and encourage dialogue through participatory methods. The consultant will oversee the audit process, coordinating with political parties and stakeholders, and will be responsible for the methodology design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Overall coordination and delivery of the Gender Audit of Political Parties, including developing a detailed workplan and timeline, leading the audit process, and ensuring quality assurance for all deliverables.
• Preparation and kick-off of the audit process, conducting a desk review of party documents, and developing structured questionnaires for data collection.
• Audit roll-out and data cross-referencing, facilitating workshops with political parties, conducting interviews with party leaders, and organizing focus groups.
• Reporting, drafting party-specific audit reports and a consolidated synthesis report, incorporating feedback from parties.
• Presentation of findings and recommendations to party leadership and facilitating a multi-party workshop.
• Support for Gender Action Plan development, providing technical guidance for drafting plans aligned with audit recommendations.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Master's degree in law, human rights, development studies, gender studies, political science, sociology, or a related field. A Bachelor's degree with additional qualifying experience may be accepted. The consultant must have a minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in gender research or related areas, particularly with political institutions. Proven experience conducting gender audits for political parties and facilitating dialogues with political leaders is essential. Excellent analytical skills and the ability to work independently are also required.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Master's degree in relevant fields such as law, human rights, development studies, gender studies, political science, or sociology. A Bachelor's degree combined with additional qualifying experience may be considered in lieu of a Master's degree.

Experience:
The consultant should have at least 7 years of relevant experience, particularly in gender research and working with political institutions, including electoral management bodies and political parties. Experience in conducting gender audits and facilitating discussions with political stakeholders is crucial.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory for this position, as effective communication is essential for the role.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is home-based with an expected duration of up to 70 days over a 5-month period, tentatively from November 1, 2025, to March 31, 202

• The consultant will report to the Programme Specialist, Women Political Participation, and will collaborate closely with UN Women and other stakeholders. The consultant is expected to travel to Liberia for at least two missions, with travel costs covered by UN Women. Performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of deliverables. Payments will be made based on the completion of specified deliverables.