International Consultant to design, develop and operationalize the AU Gender Observatory website aligned with the current AUC Communication and Branding Guidelines and aiming at facilitating the dissemination of gender-related reports

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination and violence 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.

The Spotlight Initiative is a partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations which seeks to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP), and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (SRH&RR) in Africa. The Spotlight Initiative includes an African Regional Programme (SIARP) that complements the different country programmes. Stream 1 of the regional programme for Africa, led by UN Women –focuses on three pillars: (1) Legislation and policies, (5) Quality and reliable data and (6) Strengthening the women’s movement in its relations with the African Union and other regional players.

The African Union Commission (AUC) Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) provides strategic and technical leadership for the implementation of Stream I of the Spotlight Regional Programme for Africa. As part of the implementation of the SIARP and the operationalization of the African Union Strategy for Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment, the AUC’s WGYD received support from UN Women and UNECA to finalise the development of the AU Gender Observatory (AUGO). The AU Gender Observatory is an online knowledge management platform to monitor the implementation of regional and international instruments on gender equality and women’s empowerment. While the AUGO platform architecture has been finalised and relevant stakeholders trained on its functionality, the AUC still needs a website to present the project as well as the findings which may emanate from various data collection exercises to be conducted.

To this end, UN Women Ethiopia is seeking to engage the services of an International Consultant to design, develop and operationalize the AU Gender Observatory website aligned with the current AUC communication and branding guidelines and aiming at facilitating the dissemination of data and gender-related information and reports. The consultant will be responsible for the design, development and initial content proposal (including menu, images, text, etc.) of the AU Gender Observatory website, coordinating arrangements around the AUC-based web server, its configuration as well as the linking to an AUC-based subdomain and finally the operationalization of the whole platform with proper clearance from the various AUC Directorates involved. The consultant will mainly work from home.

Duties and Responsibilities

With guidance and overall supervision of the Director of Women, Gender & Youth Directorate (AUC) and the Coordinator of SIARP (UN Women), the consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

Review and familiarize with the AUC communication and branding guidelines;
Design the main and sub-pages of the AU Gender Observatory website and submit them to AUC for review and comments to be integrated before development;
Make arrangements for an AUC-based web server to be configured and link with an AUC-based subdomain for the new website to be deployed on;
Propose pertinent content for each webpage and seek clearance before they are inputted into the website;
Develop the website and deploy it on the AUC-based web server and make sure it is reachable through the configured AUC-based subdomain;
Test the system and incorporate AUC comments;
Develop the user guide and perform a proper handover of the source code and credentials.

Deliverables:

Implementation work plan to be approved by AUC and UN Women;
Design and development of the new AU Gender Observatory presentation website aligned with AUC communication guidelines (in close collaboration with AUC-Information and Communication Directorate (ICD));
Clearance of the newly produced AU Gender Observatory presentation website by AUC-ICD regarding its functionalities, design, look-n-feel and content;
Configuration of a Web server within AUC Datacenter (in close collaboration with AUC-MIS);
Upload of the new website on the webserver and operationalization through an AUC subdomain (in close collaboration with AUC/ICD-MIS);
Production of the user guide, the final report and transmission of the source file of the project as well as the various passwords.

Competencies

Core Values / Guiding Principles:
Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of AUC in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct;
Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work;
Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.
Core Competencies:
Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative;
Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others;
Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution;
Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge;
Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.
Functional Competencies:
Expert knowledge in web design, computer programing and networking;
Proven ability to advocate and provide policy, substantive and strategic advice in web design and computer programming;
Ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships;
Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
Excellent analytical and communication skills required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or above) in Computer Science, with specialization in web design and computer programming;

Experience

Be a senior-level professional with a minimum of 05 years’ proven experience in web design, computer programing and networking;
Be familiar with the computer systems and the analysis and modelling of ICT and web infrastructure;
Have considerable knowledge of website design, data presentation and web server configuration and management.
A good knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the AU Agenda 2063 and the AU Gender Strategy 2018-2028 will be an added advantage;

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required
Working knowledge of French, Arabic or Portuguese languages is an asset