Job Description

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.

Under its Africa Strategy and Strategic Plan, UN Women supports Member States and regional institutions to advance women’s social, economic, and political rights, and to eliminate violence against women and girls, including harmful practices. Particular attention is given to marginalized and underserved groups, including rural women, women with disabilities, women living with or affected by HIV, survivors of violence, migrant women, and older women.

UN Women’s work on gender statistics in Africa is primarily delivered through the global Making Every Woman and Girl Count (Women Count) programme. Phases I (2018–2021) and II have focused on three core pillars:

• Strengthening enabling environments for gender statistics
• Increasing the production of gender data
• Enhancing accessibility, analysis, and use of gender data

Gender data and statistics are recognized as a key Gender Equality Accelerator and are critical to monitoring progress towards Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063. Globally, UN Women and UNSD produce the annual Gender Snapshot, which tracks progress on gender-related SDG indicators. However, for Africa, current reporting remains highly aggregated (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa), limiting visibility of regional and country-level disparities. To address these gaps, UN Women seeks to produce a continental Africa Gender Snapshot, providing disaggregated analysis of progress, data availability, and gaps across African countries and sub-regions.

The consultant will be reporting to the Regional Statistics Specialist Gender. This work will be undertaken in collaboration with key continental and regional partners, including:

• African Union Commission (AUC)
• UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
• African Development Bank (AfDB)
• National Statistical Offices (NSOs)

Scope of Work and Responsibilities

Objective of the Consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to produce a continental report on progress towards gender equality under the SDGs in Africa, with a focus on:

• Assessing progress on gender-related SDG indicators
• Identifying data gaps and availability across countries and sub-regions
• Strengthening country validation and ownership of gender data

The consultant will develop a report titled: “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: A Gender Snapshot”

Data Compilation and Validation:

• Compile and harmonize gender-related SDG indicator data from UN agency databases and other agreed sources provided by UN Women;
• Develop country data profiles (data sheets) for all African countries;
• Facilitate validation with National Statistical Offices (NSOs), incorporating feedback and updated national data where available and make recommendations on alignment if there is divergence;
• Engage with regional and continental partners to ensure data consistency and alignment with existing frameworks.

Data Availability and Gap Assessment:

• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of data availability and quality for gender-related SDG indicators across Africa;
• Identify key gaps in:
  • Indicator coverage
  • Disaggregation (e.g., sex, age, location, disability, migration status where available)
  • Timeliness and comparability
• Analyze disparities across sub-regions (e.g., East, West, Central, North, Southern Africa).

Analysis of Progress on SDGs:

• Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of progress towards gender equality under Agenda 2030;
• Identify trends, inequalities, and areas of stagnation or regression;
• Highlight priority thematic areas (e.g., poverty, education, health, economic empowerment, GBV, political participation).

Report Development:

• Produce a high-quality analytical report based on:
  • Desk review
  • Data analysis and aggregation
  • Stakeholder consultations (as required)
• Integrate feedback from UN Women (Africa and HQ) and partners;
• Ensure alignment with:
  • SDG indicator framework
  • Agenda 2063 indicators (where relevant)
  • Women Count reporting standards

Data Visualization and Dissemination Support:

• Support development of clear, policy-relevant data visualizations;
• Collaborate with UN Women communications teams on:
  • Editing
  • Layout
  • Production of publication-ready outputs

Deliverables

Deliverables Timelines/Due Date Allocated Percentage

Inception Report

Methodology, workplan, data sources, and analytical framework.

5 days 13%

Data compilation and gap assessment

Technical note, country data sheets and excel file with key indicator values per country for countries in Africa with data availability.

15 days 37%

Draft Africa Gender Snapshot Report

Snapshot like analytical report which showcases continental and sub-regional values compiled and submitted for review.

10 days 25%

Final Report

Work closely with the designer and the project partners to refine messaging and prepare a publication ready report, accompanied by visualizations and summary messaging.

10 days 25%

Competencies:

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrable technical expertise in Gender related research in Africa;
• Demonstrable statistical analysis experience in the Africa region;
• Excellent writing skills.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender, statistics, economics, or related field 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:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in doing gender equality and women’s empowerment research;
• Experience in analyzing data and working with regional data sets and reports for international agencies;
• Experience in Agenda 2030 and SDG indicators related work.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process