Retainer Technical Consultant for Programme Quality Assurance and Oversight

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women, established in July 2010, is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It operates globally, with a specific focus on the Asia-Pacific region through its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). The organization addresses various challenges related to gender equality and women's empowerment, including discriminatory social norms and practices. UN Women works across 42 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, providing normative, coordination, and high-quality programming support. The organization employs a diverse workforce committed to its mission of eliminating discrimination against women and girls, empowering women, and achieving equality between genders.

Job Overview:
The Retainer Technical Consultant for Programme Quality Assurance and Oversight will play a crucial role in enhancing the quality assurance and oversight of UN Women's programs in the Asia-Pacific region. Reporting to the Regional Programme Management Specialist, the consultant will be responsible for providing technical support in assessing and strengthening program quality assurance mechanisms, ensuring compliance with UN Women standards. The consultant will work closely with regional program teams and country offices to ensure effective program quality assurance, including conducting capacity assessments and delivering targeted capacity-building initiatives. The role requires a proactive approach to support appraisal mechanisms and improve the quality of field documentation and reviews, ultimately contributing to the organization's mission of gender equality and women's empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Programme Quality Assurance and Appraisal Support: Provide technical support to assess and strengthen regional and country-level program quality assurance mechanisms, ensuring compliance with UN Women corporate standards. Deliver structured quality assurance feedback and recommendations to improve submissions. Develop an oversight strategy to detect delays and gaps in partner monitoring.
• Quality Assurance of Field Documentation and Reviews: Conduct systematic quality assurance reviews of field-level documentation and partner monitoring processes, identifying compliance gaps and proposing corrective actions. Collaborate with regional program teams to ensure alignment between program implementation and quality assurance requirements.
• Capacity Assessment for increasing DoA: Support the implementation of capacity assessment plans and formulate evidence-based recommendations for increasing Delegation of Authority (DoA) for country offices.
• Capacity Building and Technical Advisory Support: Design and deliver targeted capacity-building initiatives, including training and guidance materials, to enhance program quality assurance capacities. Provide hands-on advisory support to improve the quality of submissions.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Master's degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political/Development Studies, 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. Certifications such as PRINCE2® Practitioner, Project Management Professional (PMP®), or Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®) Practitioner are considered assets. Candidates must demonstrate strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work collaboratively in a diverse environment.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Master's degree or equivalent in relevant fields such as Business Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations, or Political/Development Studies. A first-level university degree may be accepted with additional qualifying experience. Relevant certifications in project management are advantageous.

Experience:
A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project and program management, quality assurance, and oversight is required. Candidates should have a proven track record in quality assurance of program design and reporting, performance monitoring, and partner oversight across multi-project or multi-country portfolios. Experience in risk monitoring and mitigation at national and international levels is essential, along with technical expertise in project management aspects such as planning, financial management, and stakeholder engagement.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, particularly in the context of the Asia-Pacific region.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is home-based and runs from July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, for a total of six months, with the possibility of extension. The consultant will be engaged on a retainer output-based/daily rate basis, with a maximum of 100 working days during the contract period. Payments will be made based on actual days worked and completion of agreed outputs. The consultant's profile will be published on the internal UN Women system, and all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.