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’s India Country Office works towards promoting women’s leadership in governance and participation in intergovernmental processes, UN interagency coordination, women’s economic empowerment and ending violence against women and girls.

Under its comprehensive and unique mandate of normative support and coordination, UN Women is expected to provide strong and coherent leadership in support of countries’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society, the nodal government agency, private sector and other relevant actors.

The Intergovernmental Processes & Inter-Agency Coordination division in UN Women India Country Office (ICO) plays a central role to deliver on the Entity’s normative support functions and strengthens linkages between normative work and operational activities. It contributes to the Entity’s support for the development and strengthening of a comprehensive set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment that is dynamic, responds to new and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities and is applied through action by Governments and other stakeholders at all levels. The Unit also has special responsibility for the coordination of substantive servicing of intergovernmental and expert bodies as mandated in relevant legislative documents.

The Intergovernmental Processes and Coordination Division is UN Women’s interface with intergovernmental bodies, including the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly, the G20, as well as with other intergovernmental processes and events.

UN Women is supporting National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in providing research, technical policy and overall support to the Centre for Sustainable Urban livelihoods (CSUL).

The Centre for Sustainable Urban Livelihoods (CSUL) will serve as a Centre of excellence under DAY-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) and PM SVANidhi to provide technical support in effective implementation of urban livelihood component of the mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). It will also act as a learning partner for the national and state units of the mission and will facilitate cross learning and knowledge dissemination. In addition, it will promote the creation of a sustainable framework for cities and local bodies to support the urban poor, women, and vulnerable groups through the improvements in livelihoods and facilitating entrepreneurship using and intersectional and gender inclusive lens.

The Technical Consultant will support the CSUL in overall planning and research related to gender urban livelihoods, and provide substantive inputs to evidence generation, policy strategy, and action plans, under the overall framework of Women-led Development and global normative commitments such as CEDAW, Sustainable Development Goals and World Urban Forum.

The Technical Consultant will also support CSUL’s engagement with other national Ministries and State Department. She/he will work closely with NIUA, MoHUA and UN Women to ensure successful implementation of jointly identified programmes under CSUL. For this, the Technical Consultant will directly report to NIUA leadership, under the overall supervision of the UN Women.

About the project:

The Research and Innovation Unit is an integral part of the Centre for Sustainable Urban Livelihoods (CSUL) and is responsible for supporting all ongoing research initiatives of the mission, support the development, and design of new initiatives with a focus on gender equality, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, the unit will conduct research studies to identify challenges in urban livelihoods, explore successful models that can be upscaled and replicated, thereby increasing access to financial resources, social security and promoting new livelihood opportunities. The unit will provide high quality research support to state and city level units under DAY-NULM. A Team lead will head this unit who will develop and execute CSUL’s Research and Knowledge building on urban poverty alleviation and urban livelihoods for cities and states.

The Technical Consultant will work with The Research and Innovation Unit which is an integral part of the Centre for Sustainable Urban Livelihoods (CSUL) and is responsible for supporting all ongoing research initiatives of the mission, support the development, and design of new initiatives with a focus on gender equality, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, the unit will conduct research studies to identify challenges in urban livelihoods, explore successful models that can be upscaled and replicated, thereby increasing access to financial resources, social security and promoting new livelihood opportunities. The unit will provide high quality research support to state and city level units under DAY-NULM. A Team lead will head this unit who will develop and execute CSUL’s Research and Knowledge building on urban poverty alleviation and urban livelihoods for cities and states.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Technical Consultant will be responsible for the development and management of end-to-end research activities under the Centre for Sustainable Urban Livelihoods (CSUL). This role includes the drafting of research strategies, the design and implementation of research methodologies, and the analysis and dissemination of research outcomes.

Key responsibilities include:

The Technical Consultant will contribute to CSUL’s mission of promoting inclusive, sustainable urban development, with a special focus on empowering the urban poor, women, and vulnerable groups through evidence-based, action-oriented research.

1). Research Design and Implementation:

• Develop new research concepts, methodologies, and studies focused on sustainable urban livelihoods, integrating knowledge from interdisciplinary studies and diverse practices.
• Design innovative research interventions to address emerging trends and challenges in the urban ecosystem, particularly within diversified areas of livelihood development.

2). Management of Knowledge Systems:

• Oversee current knowledge systems related to livelihood development, identifying gaps and areas for new studies and interventions.
• Ensure all research aligns with the objectives of CSUL and supports broader programme activities.

3). Research Process Oversight:

• Lead and manage the research process from initial strategy development to the preparation of reports and manuscripts for dissemination.
• Ensure the timely presentation of research findings at relevant conferences, workshops, and events.

4). Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination:

• Maintain regular communication with the CSUL research team, UN Women, MoHUA and other units, ensuring alignment with all study developments.
• Liaise with diverse stakeholders, including institutions and field teams, ensuring adherence to established research protocols and project management standards.

5). Technical Guidance and Capacity Building:

• Provide technical guidance across CSUL’s verticals in areas such as policy, partnerships, data management, and Monitoring & Evaluation.
• Support the development and enhancement of research methodologies, monitoring tools, and conceptual frameworks with a focus on intersectional and gender-inclusive approaches.

6). Database Development:

• Develop and maintain a robust database on the urban livelihood ecosystem to facilitate action-based research and ensure its effective use by stakeholders.

7). Support to Research Team:

• Support in setting research priorities, mitigating risks, ensuring resource availability, and aligning the research team with partners.
• Provide mentorship and support to junior research fellows in activities such as data cleaning and survey planning.

8). Representation and Advocacy:

• Represent CSUL and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) at national and international conferences, workshops, and events, promoting the Centre’s research and its findings.

Expected Deliverables:

1. Substantive positioning of gender principles within urban development within the framework of CSUL’s outcomes and outputs.
2. Background papers, speeches and fact sheets, as required.
3. Monthly detailed and comprehensive narrative report of all activities undertaken (as part of the report include templates & plans developed, anecdotes that capture the process, partnerships, best practices and lessons learnt, photographs, press coverage, questionnaires, human interest stories, lists of participants, key strategies and recommendations) in soft copy will be submitted to UN Women.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Respect for Diversity
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with demonstrated experience of researching or working on gender issues.
• Strong research and writing skills, with strong analytical skills and creative thinking.
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail.
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

1. Masters in Gender Studies, urban planning, Sustainable Livelihoods, Urban Management/Studies, Social Sciences; or equivalent degrees from premier institutions.

Knowledge and Experience:

1. At least 8 years of professional work experience with at least 5 years in working on urban centric projects with cities and states, work with State/Central programs, and CPSEs on livelihood projects will be desirable.
2. Proven professional experience working with multiple stakeholders at various levels of government, ministries and inter agencies.
3. Authorship of publications and/or management of large-scale research communications in the relevant area of expertise or in multidisciplinary research is highly desirable.
4. At least Two years of relevant experience at the national or international level in supporting knowledge creation services and hands-on experience in communications and coordination.
5. Demonstrated expertise in interdisciplinary approaches, with hands on experience at both policy and field level on action-based research.
6. Understanding of models of urban poverty alleviation, gender mainstreaming, vulnerability assessment, sustainable livelihood framework, business competencies, business problems using root cause analysis, hypothesis generation, graduation approach, SWOT analysis and other problem-solving techniques for building robust research vertical.
7. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, Hindi, and any other Indian language with the ability to communicate research findings to a variety of audiences.
8. Ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments showcasing strong teamwork and collaboration and adjust to a variety of complex and evolving tasks to meet deadlines.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria:

Criteria for shortlisting of CVs will be based on the following assessment:

• Required Qualification (5 points);
• Minimum Experience relevant to the assignment (5 points);
• Experience working on urban centric projects with cities and states, state/central programs (5 points).

The evaluation process for selection of the candidate will be based on the following assessment:

• Interview (80 points)
• Presentation (20 points)

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.)

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements