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.

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is providing technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental), including private sector, in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life. 

The work of UN Women in the Republic of Moldova is guided by its Country Strategic Note 2023 - 2027, aligned to the UN-Moldova Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2023-2027 and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan (SP) (2022-2025), and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The overarching vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is inclusive and sustainable growth with its promise to leave no one behind.  Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, target 5.5. calls to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of the decision-making in political, economic and public life”. Gender equality is mainstreamed throughout the SDGs, including SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”. Gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres. At its core, the economic empowerment of women depends on the quantity and quality of paid employment, the provision or absence of public services, the amount of unpaid care work borne by women, as well as coverage or lack thereof under core social and labor protections. 

The Country Strategic Note 2023 - 2027 focuses on four impact areas: 1. Governance & participation in Public Life 2. Economic Empowerment & Resilience, 3 Ending Violence against women & girls, 4 Peace& Security, Humanitarian Action & Disaster Risk Reduction. To achieve progress under these areas, UN Women works with variety of national and international partners and as part of different national and regional initiatives.

Within Outcome 2 of the UN Women Country Strategic Note on Economic Empowerment and Resilience, UN Women is implementing complementary initiatives that support women’s access to quality employment, family-friendly workplaces, and sustainable livelihoods. Current efforts also address climate resilience in rural areas by promoting sustainable management of natural resources and by strengthening the skills and employability of women and girls, especially those most vulnerable. Together, these initiatives aim to enhance women’s economic opportunities, reduce vulnerabilities, and contribute to more inclusive and resilient communities.

The projects support the key reforms and programmes under the MLSP, specifically the Reform on improving NEA services 2023-2026, by strengthening territorial offices' capacities to reach better quality, and effectiveness of employment opportunities for women with children, women with disabilities, and other categories of vulnerable groups, addressing significant gender and socioeconomic disparities.

While women’s participation in Moldova’s labour market is progressing, it is doing so at a slow pace with women from vulnerable groups facing meagre employment rates. Contributing factors include inadequate skill supply, limited career choices, and insufficient job availability, particularly in rural areas for women with children and women with disabilities. These factors are further compounded that women are over-represented in lower-paid sectors such as education, health, and social work and under-represented in higher-paid sectors such as technology and engineering. On top of this and given their care responsibilities, women are more likely to work part-time compared to men. This current context affects women’s overall job opportunities and long-term career progression, contributing to the current gender pay gap in the Republic of Moldova.

There are further elements which exacerbate the above trends such as poor working conditions, employer attitudes, societal stereotypes about women’s roles and responsibilities and scarce family-friendly opportunities and childcare facilities. The Moldovan economy as a whole also faces challenges that affect women such as an aging population, high emigration rates leading to “brain drain”, and the lowest employment rates in the region.

Currently, under Outcome 2 of the Country Strategic Note, UN Women is implementing two complementary initiatives. One focuses on strengthening women’s resilience through skills development, inclusive employment measures for vulnerable groups (including NEET women, women with children, and the elderly), and promoting family-friendly infrastructure in partnership with local authorities, VET institutions, and the private sector. The second addresses rural development challenges by supporting women’s access to climate-smart agriculture, leadership, and business opportunities, while also tackling barriers to education and finance and promoting evidence-based, gender-responsive policymaking. 

Together, these initiatives promote inclusive governance, strengthen sex-disaggregated data collection, and foster evidence-based, gender-responsive policymaking. By building resilient communities and addressing gender disparities in both economic and environmental sectors, they contribute to women’s economic empowerment, inclusive growth, and climate resilience in Moldova.

An important precondition for active labour market policies to improve overall labour market functioning is that they are effectively implemented at the local level, with a clear focus on groups most at risk of exclusion. Strengthening the institutional capacities of local government institutions is therefore critical, as they are on the frontline of delivering employment services, coordinating with VET providers, and engaging with the private sector. This includes enhancing their ability to deliver inclusive, data-driven, gender-sensitive, and family-friendly employment services, which require improvements in knowledge, skills, and practices, particularly around the use of disaggregated data to inform policies and programs.

The projects will be implemented in eight selected regions of the Republic of Moldova (Chisinau, Balti, Hincesti, Straseni, Cimislia, Cahul, Stefan Voda and ATU Gagazia) where innovative approaches will be developed to support women’s access to the labor market. The selection and implementation process will be evidence-based and representative, ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable beneficiaries are fully addressed.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work 

The scope of work aims to contract a consultant that will work in close collaboration with NEA, TEOs, local social services, and other relevant institutions to enhance knowledge, skills, and practices related to gender disaggregated data collection, monitoring, and analysis in the context of active labor market policies and employment initiatives.

The main objective of this assignment is to provide integrated capacity building for the National Employment Agency (NEA)/Territorial Employment Offices (TEOs), social services, and other key stakeholders to strengthen their ability to deliver inclusive, data-driven, gender-sensitive, and family-friendly employment services.

Based on the needs and gaps identified during the recently conducted assessment of the women’s labor market, the consultant will provide integrated capacity building for NEA/TEOs, social services, and other main stakeholders from the selected 8 rayons, on data collection and monitoring. Participants will be trained in techniques for collecting and analysing disaggregated data, focusing on statistical methods and tools to design effective, evidence-based policies for diverse demographic groups. Best practices in data management, including validation, storage, and security, will be addressed to maintain integrity and confidentiality while enabling accessibility for analysis and reporting.  Additionally, practical sessions will demonstrate the use of innovative tools (including AI) for efficient data collection, transformation, and analysis, enabling participants to identify patterns that inform decision-making processes.

The consultant will actively engage with institutions and other stakeholders from the selected rayons, ensuring full and clear input that will inform the final capacity building report. All activities will be implemented in close coordination with, MLSP, NEA, UN Women and other stakeholders, ensuring synergies with ongoing initiatives and a holistic approach to advancing gender equality in Moldova.

The contracted consultant will provide specialized expertise to carry out the following tasks and deliverables: 

Methodology and deliverables 

The consultant is expected to build upon the existing methodology of the National Employment Agency and enhance it to effectively carry out the tasks described above, including, but not limiting to: 

• Engage key resources, experienced industry experts and other stakeholders that can bring added value to the assignment.
• Use a combination of techniques and tools, and innovative approaches, including qualitative and quantitative instruments for the effective realization of activities.
• Consider the best practices and, at the same time, rely on its own acumen and practical experience to strengthen and improve the methodology.     

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:

• Proven ability to review and analyze quantitative and qualitative data collection methodologies, assess their quality, and identify strengths and gaps in monitoring systems.
• Strong understanding of data management processes (storage, security, confidentiality) and experience in working with disaggregated data (by sex, age, disability, ethnicity, vulnerability, etc.) to inform gender-sensitive analysis and planning.
• Capacity to integrate gender perspectives into data analysis, ensuring that training needs and gaps reflect the realities of women and men in different contexts, including vulnerable groups.
• Ability to synthesize complex information and produce clear, evidence-based findings and practical recommendations for strengthening data collection and monitoring systems.
• Excellent verbal communication skills.  

Required Qualifications 

Education and Certification: 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Sociology, Data Analysis, or a related field to this assignment. 
• 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: 

• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience in conducting both qualitative and quantitative data collection and research
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in conducting capacity building, training, or advisory work related to data, gender equality, social inclusion, and/or employment is required.  
• Documented examples of gender-disaggregated data analysis. 
• Advanced knowledge of data analysis tools and statistical applications for processing, organizing, and presenting both quantitative and qualitative information, including visualization and graphical presentations.   
• Experience working with government institutions, UN agencies, and/or civil society organizations in Moldova is an asset. 
• Experience working with NEET, women with children and persons with disabilities will be an asset. 

Languages: 

Fluency in Romanian and English is required.  

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.)

Note: 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.