National Consultant for Integrating Social Expertise in University Curriculum

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. It merges the work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, focusing on gender equality and women's empowerment. UN Women 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. The organization is guided by various strategic frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova (2023-2027) and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan, and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UN Women has a significant presence in Moldova, focusing on areas such as ending violence against women, women's leadership and governance, women's economic empowerment, and humanitarian and peace development nexus.

Job Overview:
The National Consultant will play a crucial role in integrating and updating disciplines related to the prevention and response to violence against women and domestic violence into university curricula in Moldova. This position requires a deep understanding of social issues, particularly those affecting women, and the ability to collaborate with various stakeholders, including university representatives and other national consultants providing legal and medical expertise. The consultant will assess existing university programs, develop new curricula, facilitate consultations, and deliver training sessions to ensure that the educational content aligns with international standards and national legislation. The consultant's work will contribute to the broader goal of enhancing the capacity of higher education institutions to address gender-based violence effectively and to prepare future professionals in the field.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assess current university disciplines/modules addressing violence against women and domestic violence, focusing on the social field, and provide evidence-based recommendations for improvement.
• Develop or revise curricula/modules/learning units on the prevention and response to violence against women and domestic violence for higher education institutions, ensuring alignment with international standards and national legislation.
• Facilitate consultations with stakeholders, including university representatives and institutional partners, to validate findings and incorporate feedback into the curricula.
• Finalize and present updated/new curricula/modules/learning units and supporting materials in a structured format suitable for institutional adoption.
• Deliver a Training of Trainers (TOT) session for representatives from universities to build capacity for applying the revised curricula.
• Develop pre-and post-training questionnaires to assess participant knowledge and evaluate the training's effectiveness.
• Compile a Final Report summarizing lessons learned, challenges faced, and recommendations for future capacity-building opportunities.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in social sciences or a related field. A first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Additional training and certification in human rights, ending violence against women/domestic violence, or related fields is advantageous.
• Proven professional experience in areas related to ending violence against women/domestic violence, particularly in social protection or related fields, is required.
• Experience in curriculum development or revision, drafting legislative frameworks, or conducting research that contributes to public policy or programs in social protection and women's rights is required.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and consultation processes, particularly with universities and state authorities, is an advantage.
• Experience working with international organizations is also beneficial.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Master’s degree in social sciences or a related field. A first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Additional training and certification in relevant fields such as human rights or violence against women is considered an advantage.

Experience:
The position requires at least 7 years of proven professional experience in areas related to ending violence against women and domestic violence, particularly in connection with social protection or related fields. Additionally, at least 5 years of experience in curriculum development or revision, drafting legislative frameworks, or conducting impactful research in social protection and women's rights is required. Experience in stakeholder engagement, particularly with universities and state authorities, is advantageous, as is experience working with international organizations.

Languages:
Fluency in written and oral English and Romanian is required for this position. A working knowledge of Russian is considered an advantage, as it may facilitate communication with a broader range of stakeholders in Moldova.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is home-based and is expected to be completed within a period of 7 months. The consultant will report to the Program Officer, EVAW, and will work closely with other National Consultants providing legal and medical expertise. The deliverables will include various reports and curricula, with specific deadlines for each. The consultant will also be responsible for conducting a Training of Trainers session and developing a Final Report summarizing the assignment's outcomes. All written deliverables must be agreed upon with UN Women, UNICEF, and ANPCV, and provided in Romanian.