Oasis Programme Redesign 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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women Jordan Country Office leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action. As the Syrian conflict continues and its impact on neighboring countries and host communities deepens, there is an increasing recognition among all partners that the development and humanitarian challenges arising from the crisis must be met with accelerated action and enhanced capacity. In this respect, UN Women is contributing to the United Nations processes to support the Government of Jordan’s efforts and the UN humanitarian response to the Syrian refugee crisis and its impact on Jordanian host communities.

Since 2012, UN Women has been operating its Oasis programme in Jordan. Since launching in 2012 with one Oasis in Za’atari, UN Women has now expanded to four Oases in camp settings (three in Za’atari and one in Azraq) and eighteen centers in non-camp settings by end of 2022. The Oasis centers have evolved over time to become multi-sectoral service centers focusing on resilience and empowerment for women and girls, while also engaging men and boys in dialogue and mobilization for gender and social equality. The Oases have been recognized by partners as highly successful models and are conceptualized around three building blocks: 1) Secure livelihoods opportunities provided via cash for work that graduates into sustainable employment opportunities whether through job placement, entrepreneurship, or work permit applications, 2) Gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, protection and awareness raising services, 3) Education opportunities linked to the labor market, leadership, and civic engagement initiatives for women, while also engaging men on social issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Oasis model provides these three service streams in a holistic manner designed to empower vulnerable women in their personal lives; improve their self-esteem and dignity; translate into sustainable job placements and income generation; reduce their experiences of violence; and engage them in their communities. These efforts target the most vulnerable women in Jordan, both Syrian refugee and Jordanian women, through partnerships with UNHCR and the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) on vulnerability assessments.

The preliminary findings of the UN Women’s Jordan’s Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE) report (2022) and the analysis of the midline survey results through UN Women’s Gender Sensitive Resilience Capacity Index as of 2022, indicate that the Oasis model has had immediate positive influence on the lives of the most vulnerable women, strengthening their social networks, their sense of self-confidence, as well as their vocational skills, the most significant impact coming from the financial support that they were able to provide to their families through their participation in the Oasis cash-for-work income generation scheme. The Oasis Centers were also recognized as safe spaces where vulnerable women can safely and freely congregate, learn and build community. Coming to the Oases and being part of the livelihoods interventions also provided the participants with a sense of purpose, which positively affected their mental wellbeing and gave them the self-confidence to negotiate increased decision-making at home. Nonetheless, the preliminary findings of the CPE also hinted at the fact that there were limitations to the transformative impact of the Oasis interventions during the period reviewed and that the project should aim for more, including in terms of supporting increased decision-making power and leadership, as well as transforming gender norms, attitudes and practices in relation to gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence.

In order to maximize the transformative impact and sustainability of the Oasis programme, UN Women is in the process of redesigning the model with a focus on maximizing program synergies, enhancing the quality of interventions, and increasing investment in the capacity of national systems to integrate and take over some of the services, particularly in Host Communities. For this purpose, UN Women Jordan is looking for a consultant to lead the redesign exercise together with the key national stakeholders. 

Reporting to the Deputy Country Representative and under the overall guidance of the Country Representative, the consultant will work closely with the Ministry of Social Development, UN Women humanitarian and women economic empowerment teams, national partners, donors to prepare a redesign of the Oasis programme and propose a sustainability and exit strategy for the coming 4 years.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of this consultancy is to redesign the UN Women Oasis program in Jordan, placing a specific emphasis on transformative sustainable results and women’s economic empowerment. The consultant will develop a comprehensive strategy and action plan to enhance the program's effectiveness, sustainability, and its ability to generate economic opportunities for women, particularly in host communities.

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Prepare an in-depth situation analysis of the current UN Women Oasis program approach (with focus on host communities) through reviewing the country portfolio evaluation and conducting consultations with national stakeholders, partners and UN Women team.
2. Identify gaps and areas for improvement within the program, with a particular focus on economic empowerment and sustainability, proposing an exit strategy for the programme.
3. Develop an updated project document with a theory of change, a results framework and indicators, considering best practices, local context, and stakeholder consultations, with an emphasis on transformative approaches. taking into consideration host community contexts.
4. Undertake a value for money analysis of the programme and propose a costed model for the programme.
5. Develop a roadmap for the roll out of the redesign programme, in consultation with national stakeholders and donors.
6. Develop a communication strategy on the new proposed approach in consultation with MoSD.
7. Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

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:  

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Extensive experience in program design and development, preferably in the field of gender equality, women's empowerment, community development or equivalent field.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Jordanian socio-economic context, rural development challenges, and best practices in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to conduct gender analysis, needs assessments, SWOT analyses, and stakeholder consultations from a gender-responsive perspective.
• Excellent communication and report writing skills, with a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate complex ideas and recommendations to diverse stakeholders.
• The lead consultant could consider working with a local consultant to lead the consultations with national stakeholders. The team should consist of professionals with diverse expertise, including gender equality, women's empowerment, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation.

Required Skills and Experience

Evaluation and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economy, human rights, gender/ women’s studies, international development, or a 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: 

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in development, with focus on the design and implementation of women economic empowerment programs particularly in rural settings.
• Demonstrated experience in program design and management, programme costing, monitoring and evaluation, preferably in the field of gender equality, women's empowerment, community development or equivalent field.
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian and development context in Jordan is an asset.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with governmental stakeholders, UN agencies, partners.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Arabic in 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)

• Criteria 1: Education- 20 Points
• Criteria 2:  Relevant work experience- 40 Points
• Criteria 3:  Language- 10 Points

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

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

• 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.

Application:

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• A cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and link to portfolio of work;
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from 
• Personal CV; and Financial proposal; Proposed inclusive daily rate.

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to upload one file per application. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

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.)