National Consultant

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women, established in July 2010, is dedicated to 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. UN Women merges the work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system focused on gender equality and women's empowerment. The organization operates globally, with a mission to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve equality between women and men in various sectors including development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security. UN Women Papua New Guinea is actively involved in implementing programs aimed at enhancing women's political participation and leadership, particularly through initiatives like Women Make the Change (WMC) Phase II, which addresses structural and cultural barriers to women's leadership in the country.

Job Overview:
The National Consultant will play a crucial role in supporting the implementation of the Women Make the Change (WMC) Phase II program, specifically focusing on enhancing women's political leadership and participation in decision-making processes. This position involves designing and facilitating community dialogues aimed at shifting societal attitudes towards women's leadership and fostering grassroots support for women's political participation. The consultant will work closely with UN Women and local civil society organizations (CSOs) to ensure that community dialogues are inclusive and effective in promoting women's leadership. The consultant's work will directly contribute to the program's objectives, particularly in preparation for the upcoming 2027 National Elections, by addressing discriminatory social norms and building a supportive environment for women candidates.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will be responsible for several key tasks, including:

• Developing a community dialogue methodology that aligns with UN Women’s rights-based and gender-transformative approaches, ensuring the inclusion of diverse community members such as women, men, youth, traditional leaders, and local authorities.
• Submitting an Inception Report that outlines the dialogue objectives, needs assessment, design and facilitation tools, identification of community facilitators, risk analysis, and a detailed workplan.
• Planning and facilitating a Training of Trainers (TOT) with selected community facilitators, conducting four community dialogues in selected sites based on previous election results or needs assessments, and organizing a national dialogue to present findings to UN Women and stakeholders.
• Ensuring balanced and inclusive participation in dialogues, with at least 50% participation by women and active engagement of youth and male allies.
• Documenting key discussion themes, community attitudes, barriers to women's leadership, and generating actionable recommendations through separate dialogue reports.
• Providing regular progress updates to UN Women and participating in program review meetings to ensure alignment with quality standards and reporting requirements.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a strong understanding of development issues in Papua New Guinea, excellent communication skills, and the ability to foster effective relationships with stakeholders. They should have demonstrated experience in facilitating community dialogues and possess a sound knowledge of gender-transformative programming. The consultant should also have proven experience in results-based management and the ability to work independently while driving results. A community facilitation certification and project/program management certification would be advantageous.

Educational Background:
The position requires an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communications, journalism, business or public administration, sustainable development, social sciences, education, or a related field. Alternatively, a first-level university degree combined with five additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Additional certifications in community facilitation or project management are considered beneficial.

Experience:
A minimum of five years of relevant work experience is required, particularly in facilitating community dialogues and participatory methodologies. Candidates should have experience in gender-transformative programming within Papua New Guinea or similar contexts, as well as a background in designing communication strategies focused on gender equality and governance. Established relationships with local stakeholders, including CSOs and government authorities, are essential, along with previous experience working on gender equality initiatives in Papua New Guinea. UN experience is a plus.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, and proficiency in Tok Pidgin is also required. Knowledge of additional local languages would be beneficial but is not mandatory.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy is based in Port Moresby, with required travel to selected locations outside the city. UN Women will cover travel costs and daily subsistence allowances (DSA) for travel outside Port Moresby. The consultant is expected to work in the UN Women office three days a week and will have access to necessary resources, including office space, printing facilities, and Wi-Fi. The contract duration is for seven months, and all materials produced during the consultancy will remain the intellectual property of UN Women. The consultant must adhere to UN Women’s safeguarding policies and ensure that all dialogues are conducted in a culturally respectful and conflict-sensitive manner.