National Consultant

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women was established in July 2010 as part of the UN reform agenda to enhance the impact of gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives. The organization is dedicated to eliminating discrimination against women and girls, empowering women, and achieving gender equality as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security. UN Women operates globally, providing leadership and support to Member States in their efforts to implement gender equality commitments. It collaborates with civil society and other stakeholders to ensure that women's rights are central to all its efforts. In Liberia, UN Women focuses on advancing gender-sensitive laws and policies, promoting women's participation in politics, and preventing violence against women in elections and politics. The organization is involved in various projects, including the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP), which aims to strengthen electoral processes and increase the participation of women and marginalized groups.

Job Overview:
The National Consultant will play a crucial role in supporting the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP) by providing legal analysis from a gender and inclusion perspective. This position involves working closely with the National Elections Commission (NEC), UN Women, and UNDP to ensure that the electoral framework in Liberia is inclusive and accountable. The consultant will be responsible for collecting and compiling relevant electoral laws, regulations, and institutional documents, as well as providing contextual insights on their practical application within Liberia's electoral system. The consultant will engage with various stakeholders, including civil society, political parties, and marginalized groups, to facilitate consultations and ensure that local perspectives are integrated into the analysis. The ultimate goal of this role is to generate evidence-based recommendations that address barriers to equal participation in the electoral process and align Liberia's electoral framework with international commitments.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The National Consultant will be tasked with several key responsibilities, including:

• Collecting and compiling electoral laws, regulations, guidelines, and institutional documents for review.
• Providing contextual insights on the practical application of laws and regulations within Liberia's electoral system.
• Liaising with NEC, civil society, political parties, youth and disability groups, and other stakeholders to arrange meetings and consultations.
• Co-facilitating stakeholder consultations, workshops, and validation meetings to capture local perspectives.
• Documenting discussions, preparing summaries, and ensuring local commitments are reflected in the analysis.
• Contributing to drafting reports by preparing background notes and synthesizing national inputs.
• Supporting the finalization of reports by integrating feedback from stakeholders.
• Reviewing various electoral documents, including the New Elections Law, NEC regulations, and codes of conduct.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Master's degree in relevant fields such as law, international law, or human rights law. Alternatively, a first-level university degree in law combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. Additionally, candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of experience working on electoral processes and promoting gender equality and social inclusion in governance. Proven expertise in identifying and addressing barriers to participation for women, youth, and marginalized groups is essential, along with experience in analyzing legislative and regulatory frameworks for elections. Engagement with NEC, political parties, civil society organizations, and development partners is also required.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Master's degree in relevant fields such as law, international law, human rights law, or a related field. A first-level university degree in law, combined with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. This educational foundation is critical for understanding the complexities of electoral laws and the legal frameworks that govern political participation in Liberia.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of experience in electoral processes, election administration, and promoting gender equality and social inclusion in governance. Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in identifying and addressing structural barriers to the participation of marginalized groups in political processes. Experience in conducting analyses of legislative and regulatory frameworks for elections is essential, as is experience engaging with the NEC, political parties, civil society organizations, and youth/disability groups.

Languages:
Fluency in English is required for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, particularly if it enhances communication with local stakeholders and communities involved in the electoral process.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy will be home-based in Monrovia, Liberia, with an expected duration of up to 45 days within a 5-month work assignment, tentatively from 15 November 2025 to 14 April 202

• The consultant will engage in regular meetings with NEC, UN Women, UNDP, and other stakeholders as required. Performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of deliverables. Payments will be made on a deliverable-based arrangement, contingent upon the satisfactory performance of services as certified by the Programme Specialist, Women Political Participation. UN Women is committed to diversity and inclusion in its workforce and adheres to a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims and objectives.