National Consultant – Assessment on Gender Statistics production, analysis, dissemination, and use at the national and regional level and identification of gaps

About the Organization

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. Guided by the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women operates under a triple mandate—coordination, normative, and operational—which together define its unique role within the UN system. Through its coordination mandate, UN Women leads and harmonizes the UN system’s efforts to promote gender equality, ensuring coherence across agencies, programs, and country-level interventions. Its normative mandate focuses on supporting global standard setting by helping Member States develop, adopt, and monitor international norms and policies on gender equality and women’s rights, including contributing to processes such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Complementing these, the operational mandate enables UN Women to implement programs on the ground, working directly with governments, civil society, and communities to advance women’s empowerment, end gender-based violence, and promote economic and political participation. Together, these three dimensions reinforce UN Women’s comprehensive approach to driving transformative change for women and girls worldwide.

UN Women is committed to eliminating discrimination against women and girls, empowering women, and achieving substantive equality between women and men across all spheres of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. A central pillar of this mission is the strengthening of gender-responsive statistical systems that accurately reflect the lived realities and diverse experiences of all genders. Such systems are essential for evidence-based policymaking, effective program design, and institutional accountability.

Traditional statistical systems often fail to capture gender-specific data and statistics, resulting in significant data gaps that obscure the lived experiences of women, men, girls, and boys. These gaps hinder the ability of policymakers and institutions to identify inequalities and design targeted, evidence-based interventions. Integrating gender perspectives across the entire statistical cycle including data collection, analysis, dissemination, and utilization enables the production of gender responsive, inclusive, reliable, and representative datasets. Beyond generating evidence, gender statistics serve as an essential resource for policymakers and legal drafters, illuminating the realities of women and men and informing the development of laws and policies that promote equity across all sectors such as health, education, agriculture, employment, and political participation and decision making.

The Joint Programme “Strengthening Institutional Capacity of Gender Machineries in Ethiopia” implemented by UN Women and UNFPA Ethiopia Country Offices with financial support from the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Development aims to strengthen gender mainstreaming systems, institutional capacity, gender statistics, coordination, and accountability mechanisms at the Federal and Regional level. One of the result areas for the joint programme is “strengthened mechanisms for Production, analysis and use gender-related data.” As part of this effort, a national assessment will be conducted to assess the current landscape of Ethiopia’s gender statistics system.

The assessment will review existing initiatives, achievements, and institutional practices, while identifying persistent gaps and challenges. It will also examine how available gender statistics are utilized by policymakers and legal drafters to drive tangible improvements in the lives of women and vulnerable populations. To this end, UN Women is planning to bring on board a qualified national consultant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the National statistics system and, analysis, dissemination, and use of gender statistics at both national and in Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Somali and Gambella regions.

The consultant will work under the overall guidance and supervision of UN Women National Programme Coordinator and UNFPA Ethiopia Programme Specialist, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs Ethiopian Statistical Services (ESS) and relevant federal institutions. A technical task team may be established to provide guidance, review data collection tools, facilitate access to institutions and documents, and ensure quality assurance throughout the process.

Job Summary

The national consultant will conduct a comprehensive assessment of Ethiopia’s gender statistics system, focusing on production, analysis, dissemination, and use at national and regional levels (Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Somali, and Gambella). The consultant will work under the overall guidance of UN Women and UNFPA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and the Ethiopian Statistical Services.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct a comprehensive situational analysis of Ethiopia’s gender statistics system, including institutional frameworks, legal provisions, key stakeholders, and coordination mechanisms at national and in Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Somali and Gambella regions.
• Assess the production and quality of gender statistics by reviewing data sources, methodologies, standards compliance, and the availability of disaggregated data.
• Evaluate current systems for dissemination and accessibility of sex disaggregated data, and gender statistics, including platforms, communication tools, and user-friendliness for diverse audiences.
• Analyze how gender statistics are used by policymakers and legal drafters to inform policies, programs, and legislation, and identify barriers to effective utilization.
• Assess the technical and institutional capacities of relevant agencies involved in gender data production, analysis, management and utilization.
• Identify key gaps and challenges within the gender statistics ecosystem and develop practical, prioritized recommendations for improvement.
• Facilitate the collection of data at the regional level in Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Somali and Tigray regions including onboarding and managing data collectors.
• Prepare and deliver key outputs, including an inception report, stakeholder consultations, validation of findings, and a comprehensive final assessment report.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Statistics, Demography, Gender Studies, Development Economics, International Development or any other relevant field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in gender statistics, research, and data analysis, with a strong understanding of gender equality and women’s right principles.
• Proven track record in conducting similar national or regional assessments, including stakeholder consultations and field data collection, preferably within the Ethiopian context.
• Ability to produce high-quality analytical reports and facilitate stakeholder workshops, with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies is an asset.
• Knowledge of gender issues and women´s empowerment.
• Work experience within UN Women and or the UN system is an asset.
• Experience in drafting quality and timely research reports, policy briefs, and position papers.
• Fluency in English and Amharic is required.
• Knowledge of any other UN official language is an asset.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Integrity.
• Professionalism.
• Respect for Diversity.
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues.
• Accountability.
• Creative Problem Solving.
• Effective Communication.
• Inclusive Collaboration.
• Stakeholder Engagement.
• Leading by Example.
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct policy and institutional analysis.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are requested to apply through the provided application link. 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.

Note: 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.

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