Consultant for Capacity-Building Needs Assessment

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women (UNW) is an organization grounded in the vision of equality as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Established to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve equality between women and men, UN Women leads and coordinates efforts within the United Nations system to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action globally. The organization provides strong leadership in support of Member States’ priorities, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. UN Women operates with a unique capacity to support Member States in strengthening global norms for gender equality, promote coordination across the UN system, and undertake operational activities to translate global standards into local legislation and policies. Since its inception in 1997, UN Women has played a catalytic role in the State of Palestine, aligning its work with national priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework outcomes for 2023-2025.

Job Overview:
The position involves engaging a specialized consultant to design and conduct a capacity-building needs assessment and develop a capacity-building plan for governmental and non-governmental service providers in the West Bank and Gaza. The main objective is to strengthen the technical capacity of these service providers to effectively respond to, manage, and refer cases of violence against women, particularly focusing on marginalized groups such as women with disabilities, women sex workers, and women who use drugs. The consultant will be responsible for conducting a comprehensive assessment that identifies gaps in knowledge and skills required for delivering gender-responsive, inclusive, and survivor-centered services. This includes developing a methodology that aligns with international standards and is tailored to the specific needs of the service providers. The consultant will work closely with UN Women’s technical team and partners to ensure the assessment is context-specific and nuanced, ultimately leading to a capacity-building plan that addresses identified needs and priorities.

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

• Inception Phase: Develop an inception report detailing the work plan and methodology for the capacity-building needs assessment. This report must align with a competency framework that reflects international standards and is tailored to the specific needs of service providers working with marginalized women.
• Implementation Phase: Conduct a desk review of relevant national, regional, and international references, and review the mechanisms in targeted institutions to identify challenges and capacity gaps.
• Develop data collection tools, including questionnaires and structured questions for interviews and focus groups.
• Collect and categorize data to identify findings, and develop a capacity-building needs assessment report and a capacity-building plan.
• Present findings to partners in validation workshops and incorporate their feedback.
• Submit a final narrative report detailing the assignment, achievements, methodology, lessons learned, and recommendations, along with relevant annexes.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a master’s degree in public health, with a first-level university degree accepted in lieu of the advanced degree if combined with two additional years of qualifying experience. Candidates must have at least 5 years of experience in public health, women’s rights, and violence against women, with demonstrated experience in capacity assessments covering health and social service sectors. Experience with the social protection system and the UN system or International Organizations is desirable. A sample capacity assessment report focusing on violence against women must be included in the application.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a master’s degree in public health. Alternatively, a first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:
A minimum of 5 years’ experience in public health, women’s rights, and violence against women is required. Candidates should have demonstrated experience in conducting capacity assessments in both health and social service sectors, with additional experience in social protection systems being desirable. Familiarity with the UN system or International Organizations is also preferred.

Languages:
Fluency in Arabic is required, along with a working knowledge of English. These language skills are essential for effective communication and engagement with stakeholders in the region.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is home-based, with regular field visits to partner institutions in the West Bank and remote engagement with counterparts in Gaza. The consultant will report to UN Women’s Rule of Law and Protection Specialist and will be supported by the programme’s Women security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security and Inclusion Analyst, as well as the CSO support and Finance Associate for contract and payment issues. The deliverables include an inception report, a capacity-building needs assessment report, a capacity-building plan, and a final narrative report, with specific timelines for each deliverable.