Date of Issue: 12/10/2026
Closing Date: 22/10/2026 (Apply before 9.30AM)
SSA Announcement No. UNWOMEN/SSA/2026/017
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I. Contract Overview
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Consultancy Title
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UN Women National Consultant – Gender Coordinator
(Local Post for Indian Nationals and Applicants with Valid Work Permit)
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Organization
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United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
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Contract Supervision
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State Lead and Policy Specialist, Madhya Pradesh
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Duty Station
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Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India, with local field travel as required
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Contract Type
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SSA
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Number of Positions
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One
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Contract Duration
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One year (20 Working Days per Month), renewable subject to programme requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance
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II. Consultancy Assignment
Background/Context
UN Women promotes integrated approaches to ensure that all women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence. Gender-based violence (GBV) exists in various settings, including domestic, public, private, online, and workplaces and affects all genders, women and marginalised genders bear a disproportionate burden of its impact. Violence against women (VAW) is a grave violation of human rights with far-reaching consequences for women, their families and communities worldwide. It has tremendous costs from greater strains on health care to legal expenses and losses in productivity. The violence cuts across boundaries of age, class, caste, sexuality, sexual expression, education, marital status, race, culture, and geography, among others.
UN Women in India has played a pivotal role in supporting governments in eliminating violence and discrimination against women by demonstrating models of that work to prevent and respond to violence. Efforts towards promoting gender equality are multiplied through partnerships with governments, women’s organisations, civil society, academia, private sector, and the larger UN ecosystem. Initiatives range from strengthening legal frameworks and specific national and sub-national actions, including enhancing service provisioning for survivors of violence, and supporting prevention at the grassroots level. UN Women India supports strengthening data collection and knowledge generation on VAW, facilitating new learning on the issue. Through advocacy and communication campaigns, UN Women India works to transform gender norms, behaviours and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality.
UN Women’s Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces approach addresses sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women and girls in public spaces through locally owned, evidence-based and multisectoral action. In Madhya Pradesh, UN Women works with state and city institutions to strengthen gender-responsive urban governance by linking women’s lived experiences and safety evidence with coordinated planning, budgeting, infrastructure and service improvements, institutional capacity, community participation, and stronger prevention and response systems. Within this broader state-level focus, Jabalpur provides an important city-level platform to translate these principles into sustained institutional practice and a model that can inform learning and replication across Madhya Pradesh.Jabalpur launched its Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces initiative in July 2025, building on the Bhopal Declaration and city leadership. The first year established the foundation for city-level action through institutional coordination, safety assessments, public-space improvements, capacity development, community engagement and public awareness.
The next phase will focus on consolidation and institutionalization rather than expansion of standalone activities. This includes strengthening monitoring, evaluation and learning systems; embedding gender-responsive approaches within the routine functioning of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation, Police, Women and Child Development, Transport, Railways, Education, Tourism, Health and allied departments; and ensuring that women’s safety, accessibility and inclusion are reflected in planning, budgeting, maintenance, service delivery and review mechanisms.
By the end of the assignment, the consultant is expected to help UN Women and city partners achieve a clearer institutional model for safe and enabling public spaces in Jabalpur: validated evidence and trackers in use; costed and owned departmental action plans; visible and monitored improvements in priority locations; strengthened referral and response linkages; and practical documentation that supports sustainability and replication in other cities of Madhya Pradesh.
Within this context, UN Women seeks a Gender Coordinator to support the State Lead and Policy Specialist, Madhya Pradesh, in providing city-levelclose coordination, technical assistance, monitoring with the State Lead on, documentation and learning support for the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces initiative in Jabalpur. The role will prioritize consolidation of existing work, institutionalization of gender-responsive approaches across relevant departments, and evidence-based planning for sustained improvements in public spaces.
2. Roles and Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the State Lead and Policy Specialist, Madhya Pradesh, with technical guidance from UN Women’s EVAW team, the consultant will support implementation of a focused annual workplan for Jabalpur. The role will emphasize coordination, evidence consolidation, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), institutionalization, documentation and follow-up on agreed city priorities, aligned with UN Women’s safe cities and safe public spaces framework. The consultant will work in close coordination with designated government nodal officers and relevant departments.
3. Priority Areas of Work
3.1 Institutional Coordination and Gender-Responsive Governance
- A functional city coordination mechanism operates with clear roles for key government departments, civil society, academia and community institutions.
- City priorities, departmental commitments, bottlenecks and follow-up actions are tracked and reviewed.
- Women’s safety, accessibility and inclusion are integrated into departmental plans, budgets, inspections, services and maintenance systems.
- Departmental focal points, ownership arrangements and review mechanisms support sustainability.
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IV. Required Qualifications
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Education
- Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Social Work, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Development Studies or a related field.
- A first-level university degree with two additional years of relevant qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
Experience
- At least five years of relevant professional experience in gender equality, EVAW/GBV, urban governance, public-space safety, community development or related fields.
- Demonstrated experience working with government, preferably urban local bodies, district administration, police, transport or other public-service institutions.
- Experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder programmes, undertaking participatory assessments, facilitating capacity development, and monitoring implementation.
- Experience in results-based reporting, analysis and development of practical tools, guidance notes or knowledge products.
- Experience in Madhya Pradesh or comparable state and city contexts is desirable.
Language and Digital Skills
- Professional proficiency in English and Hindi is required.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications is required. Familiarity with mobile data tools, data visualization, GIS or digital safety-audit platforms is desirable.
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VII. APPLICATION
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Interested applicants should apply to this announcement through UN Women jobs site:
Evaluation and Selection Criteria:
The evaluation process for selection of the candidate will be based on the following assessment:
- Writing Samples Assessment (30%)
- Interview (70%)
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For detailed information, please check the complete version of the advert attached below.