National Consultant for Women's Economic Empowerment

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women, established in July 2010, is the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. It was created as part of the UN reform agenda to consolidate resources and mandates for greater impact on gender equality and women's empowerment. UN Women merges and builds on the work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system that focused on gender issues. The organization operates globally, with a mission to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security. UN Women has a diverse workforce and is committed to creating an inclusive environment that respects diversity and promotes equality.

Job Overview:
The National Consultant for Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) will play a crucial role in supporting the UN Women Iraq Country Office in advancing women's economic empowerment initiatives. The consultant will engage with national partners, including the National Directorate for Iraqi Women (NDIW) and other governmental bodies, to identify impactful collaboration areas. The consultant's work will involve conducting a scoping exercise to align with ongoing national employment initiatives and government policies. The consultant will be responsible for evidence gathering, policy mapping, data analysis, and stakeholder identification, which will directly inform the design of the WEE programme. This position requires a strong understanding of the Iraqi context and the ability to work closely with various stakeholders to ensure the programme's success.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will undertake several key responsibilities, including:

• Conducting comprehensive mapping of government strategies, plans, and sectoral priorities relevant to women's employment and economic empowerment across various sectors such as Labour, Planning, Social Protection, Agriculture, Industry, Youth, and Education.
• Mapping ongoing government programmes that focus on women's economic empowerment and identifying entry points for collaboration.
• Identifying donor-funded national initiatives relevant to WEE and mapping UN system support to employment programmes.
• Engaging with national women's machineries and governmental stakeholders to gather institutional priorities and review existing WEE-related documents.
• Compiling and synthesizing statistics on women's labour force participation, unemployment, and care economy gaps.
• Providing analytical inputs for the Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme Document and Concept Note.
• Supporting the organization of consultation meetings with various stakeholders and producing reports that synthesize findings and recommendations for the WEE programme.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Master's degree in economics, public policy, development studies, gender studies, or a related field. Alternatively, a first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. The consultant must possess strong analytical and research skills, excellent writing and organizational skills, and a commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment. Proficiency in computer office tools is essential, and experience working with government institutions in Iraq is desirable.

Educational Background:
Candidates must hold a Master's degree in a relevant field such as economics, public policy, development studies, or gender studies. A first-level university degree may be accepted if accompanied by additional qualifying experience. This educational background is crucial for understanding the complexities of women's economic empowerment and the policy implications involved.

Experience:
At least 5 years of relevant work experience in economic analysis, project design, policy design, or research focused on Women's Economic Empowerment is required. Experience with government institutions in Iraq is desirable, as is prior work on gender-responsive programming or donor-funded development programmes. The consultant should also have strong computer skills and be proficient in using MS Office applications.

Languages:
Proficiency in written and oral Arabic and English is required for this position. This bilingual capability is essential for effective communication with stakeholders and for producing reports and documentation in both languages.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is home-based, with no travel requirements. The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women Representative and report to the Programme Specialist. The position is expected to deliver several key outputs by specified deadlines, including an inception note, comprehensive mapping reports, and a final consolidated country chapter summarizing findings and recommendations. UN Women emphasizes a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims, including discrimination and harassment, and selected candidates will undergo rigorous background checks.