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. UN Women in Georgia supports state and non-state partners towards the achievement of substantive gender equality in Georgia. In line with national and international commitments, UN Women works on the levels of policies and legislation, institutions and grassroots, in order to achieve transformative results for increased gender equality and greater protection of the rights of women and girls.

UN Women Country Office in Georgia with the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is implementing the third phase of the “Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus” (WEESC) project. The project’s overarching goal is to ensure that women, particularly the poor and socially excluded, in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are economically empowered and participate in relevant decision-making. The WEESC project applies a holistic approach to reach this goal, enabling linked interventions at three levels: grassroots, policies and legislation, and institutions. The chosen approach and the implementation of the WEE agenda in the South Caucasus during Phase I (2018-2021) and Phase II (2021-2024) of the WEESC project served as a catalyst for action at all levels and supported the state and non-state partners towards the achievement of substantive gender equality in all three countries (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). WEESC Phase III aims to build upon the successful track record of UN Women and its partners in previous phases of the project. It will prioritize alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (2021-2025) in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to enhance compliance with international human rights commitments, particularly under CEDAW and other legal instruments. This alignment will focus on promoting equitable economic development and addressing women’s rights in all three countries.[1]

During WEESC Phase II, UN Women provided technical support to various state institutions, including the State Employment Support Agency (SESA), to strengthen gender mainstreaming within these entities through Participatory Gender Audits (PGA), gender mainstreaming assessments, and follow-up policy and capacity-building initiatives. As part of this work, UN Women collaborated intensively with SESA, producing a comprehensive PGA report with corresponding recommendations. In Phase III, UN Women plans to continue providing technical assistance to SESA to implement the recommended gender-responsive measures.

SESA, as the public employment service provider in Georgia, plays a critical role in assisting job seekers in securing employment and supporting employers in recruiting qualified workers. These services are provided by employment counsellors and guided by two key documents: 1. The Handbook of Employment Counseling and 2. The Practical Guide for Career Planning Specialists. To ensure the mentioned guiding documents integrate gender sensitivity, UN Women seeks to engage a national consultant to review and update both. The main goal of the assignment is to revise these documents to include gender considerations and address specific challenges women face in the labour market, such as unpaid care responsibilities, gender bias, employment stereotypes, and structural inequalities. The updated documents should reflect strategies and practices that promote inclusion and economic empowerment of women in the labour force. Once the review and updates are completed, the national consultant will be responsible for training SESA’s employment counsellors following the updated guiding documents, to ensure they are equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge to apply the gender-sensitive guidelines in their daily work.

The consultant will be reporting to the WEESC Programme Analyst and the WEESC Project Analyst and will be supported by the WEESC Project Assistant, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities/Scope of Work 

The national consultant will be responsible for performing:

1. Initial review and assessment of SESA’s employment counselling and career planning documents:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the following two documents provided by SESA: a) Handbook of Employment Counseling; b) Practical Guide for Career Planning Specialists.
• Identify gaps and areas where gender considerations are insufficiently addressed.

2. Revision and update of SESA’s Employment Counseling and Career Planning Documents:

• Update both, SESA’s Employment Counseling and Career Planning documents to ensure they are gender-sensitive, incorporate best practices and international standards of gender-sensitive career counselling guidelines, and address gender-based barriers in employment counselling and career planning.
• Incorporate recommendations and strategies that address the unique challenges faced by women in the labour force, including unpaid care responsibilities, gender bias, employment stereotypes, and structural inequalities.
• Align the revisions with existing national gender equality policies and international frameworks, ensuring consistency with gender-responsive approaches.

3, Consultation and validation of the updated guiding documents:

• Engage in consultations with relevant SESA staff to ensure the updated content is practical and actionable.
• Present the updated documents to SESA for validation and feedback.

4. Development of a training program for SESA counsellors based on updated guiding documents:

• Develop a comprehensive training program for SESA counselors, based on the updated Handbook of Employment Counseling and Practical Guide for Career Planning Specialists.
• Ensure the training program emphasizes gender-responsive counselling techniques, methods for addressing gender-based barriers,

5. Training delivery for SESA counsellors:

• Conduct training sessions for SESA counsellors to ensure they are equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge to implement the updated, gender-sensitive guidelines in their daily work.
• Provide training materials and resources that support continuous learning and practical application of the updated content.

6. Final Report and Recommendations:

• Submit a final report summarizing the changes made to the documents, the outcomes of the training sessions, and any further recommendations for sustaining gender-responsive employment counselling and career planning practices within SESA.

Deliverables

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This consultancy is primarily home-based. However, travel will be required as part of the assignment for the delivery of training sessions.

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:

• Technical credibility in policy research
• Technical credibility in legislative analysis
• Business acumen
• Negotiation
• Partnerships building

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Social Policy, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with seven (7) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of experience in case of master’s degree / seven (7) years with bachelor’s and record of accomplishment in policy development, emphasizing gender equality, women’s rights issues and gender mainstreaming in policy documents in Georgia.
• At least five (5) years of demonstrated experience in case of master’s degree / seven (7) years with bachelor’s in integrating gender considerations into policy or program development, particularly in employment counselling, career planning, or labour force participation contexts.
• Previous experience in reviewing and revising guiding documents, manuals, or handbooks to ensure they are gender-sensitive and aligned with best practices and international standards.
• Proven track record of developing and delivering training programs for professionals, particularly in employment services, and counselling, with a focus on gender equality and inclusivity.
• In-depth knowledge of the challenges and barriers women face in the labour market, including gender bias, stereotypes, unpaid care work, and structural inequalities.
• Expertise in aligning program and document revisions with national gender equality policies, as well as international standards and frameworks related to gender-responsive employment practices.
• Ability to engage with key stakeholders, gather feedback and ensure practical implementation of updated materials.

Languages:

• Fluency in Georgian and English is required.

How to Apply:

• Personal CV and P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) 

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.)