Lead Researcher - National Consultant

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace, and security.

As already recognized by the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) working group prior to August 2021, Afghan female humanitarian workers face multiple gender-specific barriers to full participation in the workforce and travel to field sites. A lack of female humanitarian workers was resulting in diminished response quality and effectiveness in dealing with female beneficiaries, even prior to August. Since August 2021 humanitarian agencies have rightly been concerned to preserve female humanitarian workers’ access to work. Additional measures will be needed to ensure that appropriate numbers of female humanitarian staff are being recruited and deployed. As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan worsens, the need for female humanitarian workers will also increase. It is therefore timely to examine ways to promote the recruitment, deployment, and retention of female humanitarian workers in Afghanistan, considering the broader constraints that Afghan women face in working in this sector.

Against this background, UN Women Afghanistan Country Office is recruiting, on behalf of the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) working group and under the supervision of its co-leads, a research consultant to develop a guidance note aimed to promote the recruitment, participation, and retention of female humanitarian field staff in Afghanistan. Using a qualitative methodology, the scope of work would be focused on:

Documenting barriers to recruitment, participation and retention of female humanitarian workers, and;
Identifying methods for promoting recruitment, participation and retention of female humanitarian staff.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Gender in Humanitarian Specialist and in close collaboration with the GiHA WG co-leads, the lead researcher will be responsible for the following functions:

Develop a detailed work plan including the proposed methodology within a 1-month period.
Conduct a desk review, using available literature on this topic in the Afghan context and similar contexts (e.g., complex emergency, high conflict, conservative social norms).
Develop survey tools/questionnaires based on the research questions provided by the GiHA Task Team for Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD).
Conduct FGDs with female humanitarian workers.
Conduct KIIs with: (i) HR specialists and hiring managers active in the recruitment of female humanitarian workers before and after August 2021, (ii) relevant Afghan women’s networks and organizations.
Draft a guidance note and tip sheet as per guidance provided by the GiHA WG Task Team.

Deliverables

Estimated number of days

Workplan

1 day
Literature review

4 days
Data collection tools developed incorporating feedback from GiHA Task Team

2 days
Data collection conducted – agreed as per approved work plan

15 days
Draft short Guidance Note of findings from the consultations and literature review, including best practices and a ‘tip sheet’ for recruitment retention of female humanitarian staff, for organizations to adapt.

7 days
Presentations of the Guidance Note conducted to interagency working groups

2 days
Total Duration

31 days

The assignment will be based in Kabul. The contract will be day-based, with a final payment made based on satisfactory deliverables.

Competencies

Core Values:

Respect for Diversity
Integrity
Professionalism

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
Accountability
Creative Problem Solving
Effective Communication
Inclusive Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement
Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender is required.
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the area of data and research, with an emphasis on gender in humanitarian action.
Proven 3 to 5 years of experience in conducting qualitative research/surveys, developing tools for primary data collection, conducting secondary data collection, analysis and reporting.
Direct experience working on gender in humanitarian action in the context of Afghanistan;
Demonstrated ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Dari, and/or Pashto is required
Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria Weight Technical: 70% (70 points)

A Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender is required. (20 Points)
At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the area of data and research, with an emphasis on gender in humanitarian action. (20 points)
Proven 3 to 5 years of experience in conducting qualitative research/surveys, developing tools for primary data collection, conducting secondary data collection, analysis, and reporting. (15 points)
Direct experience working on gender in humanitarian action in the context of Afghanistan. (15 points)

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

The contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation