Consultant for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) Training Manuals

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a leading agency within the United Nations system that focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Established in 1969, UNFPA operates in over 150 countries and has a mission to ensure that every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The organization works towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, particularly in areas related to family planning, maternal health, gender-based violence, and demographic change. UNFPA emphasizes the importance of principled and ethical staff who embody international norms and standards, and who are committed to delivering high-impact results in a rapidly changing development landscape.

Job Overview:
The consultancy role is centered around conducting a situational analysis and technical review of existing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) training manuals in Malawi. The consultant will be responsible for revising these manuals to align with the International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out-of-School CSE and the Gender & Social Norms Toolkit. The goal is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of out-of-school CSE, ensuring that it is gender-transformative and addresses the needs of diverse groups, including adolescents and youth living with HIV and disabilities. The consultant will work closely with UNFPA and government counterparts to affirm the consultancy scope and ensure that the revised manuals are practical and usable for facilitators in real delivery settings.

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

• Inception and Design: Conduct inception meetings with stakeholders, submit an inception report detailing methodology, sampling plan, tools, ethics plan, and work plan.
• Data Collection and Situation Analysis: Prepare documentation for ethical review, conduct literature reviews, surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions to collect data on relevant indicators. Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to inform future programming.
• Review and Alignment: Perform a gap analysis between current manuals and ITPG requirements, revise manuals to strengthen rights-based and gender-transformative content, and update examples and activities to be context-appropriate.
• Validation, Pre-test, and Finalization: Facilitate validation workshops, pre-test revised manuals with facilitators and youth, finalize the situational analysis report, and develop data visualization materials.
• Translation: Translate the revised manual into Chichewa, ensuring cultural appropriateness and clarity, and conduct quality assurance for the translation process.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Master’s degree or equivalent in international relations, gender studies, sexual and reproductive health, international development, or a related field. A minimum of 5 years of experience in gender equality within international development is required, along with the ability to connect gender equality with broader sexual and reproductive health issues. Familiarity with UNFPA work at the country level and experience in UN programming is advantageous. Excellent analytical and writing skills are essential for this role.

Educational Background:
The educational requirement for this position is a Master’s degree or equivalent in fields such as international relations, gender studies, sexual and reproductive health, or international development. This educational background should directly relate to the substantive areas of work involved in the consultancy.

Experience:
The consultant should have at least 5 years of relevant experience working in gender equality within the context of international development. This experience should include a demonstrated ability to connect gender equality with wider sexual and reproductive health issues, including gender-based violence and comprehensive sexuality education. Exposure to UNFPA programming and experience in writing for UN development programs will be considered an asset.

Languages:
Fluency in English and Chichewa is mandatory for this position. Knowledge of additional local languages, such as Tumbuka or Tonga, is considered an advantage, as it may enhance communication with diverse stakeholders and facilitate the delivery of training materials.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy will be compensated according to UNFPA's consultancy payment guidelines. The work environment at UNFPA reflects values of gender equality, diversity, integrity, and a healthy work-life balance. The organization encourages applications from women, individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations may be provided for applicants with disabilities to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation, and selection for all candidates, regardless of personal characteristics.