I. Background and Context

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. The UN Women India Country Office works in collaboration with national and state governments, civil society partners, and development organizations to advance women's political participation, economic empowerment, and gender-based violence prevention.

After successfully hosting three national-level SheLeads workshops on building capacities of women leaders from across India on political participation and leadership, UN Women is leveraging state-level opportunities to expand the programme outreach. 

Tamil Nadu has long been recognised as one of India’s most forward-looking states on women’s empowerment, making significant strides in education, health, social welfare, and local governance. It was among the first to introduce 33% reservation for women in local bodies, later raising this to 50%, and in doing so set national standards for inclusive representation. With the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2023, political parties are at a critical inflection point to intentionally cultivate and support a new cadre of women leaders. The 2026 Assembly Elections in the state therefore present both an urgent and timely opportunity to reaffirm a strong commitment to women’s political inclusion.

In this context, UN Women is seeking a Consultant to lead the design and delivery of the "She Leads: Tamil Nadu" initiative, a pioneering state-level workshop for aspiring women political leaders. This first-of-its-kind programme in Tamil Nadu aims to fast-track a cohort of credible, capable, and confident women into politics. By doing so, it directly responds to increasing representation and participation of women in decision-making at national and sub-national levels. 

II. Objective of the Assignment 

The Consultant shall serve as a coordinator for the "She Leads: Tamil Nadu" workshop, providing end-to-end coordination and support in the planning, execution, and post-event activities. The role encompasses strategic programme coordination, stakeholder engagement, curriculum development support, logistics management, and documentation..

III. Roles and Responsibilities

1. Pre-Event Coordination and Planning (January’26)

 Participant Recruitment and Selection

• Mobilize participants, coordinate digital and offline outreach through social media, WhatsApp networks, professional platforms, and grassroots organisations.
• Facilitate backend identification and profiling of 100 potential women aspirants through social media using outreach, WhatsApp networks and broadcast groups, professional platforms and grassroots organisations, and through party outreach (DMK, AIADMK, BJP, INC, NTK, TVK
• Oversee multi-level shortlisting process using defined criteria: political engagement, leadership potential, communication skills, and diversity balancing across districts, parties, and communities.
• Coordinate and led structured interviews for shortlisted candidates in collaboration with UN Women team
• Finalize the list of 50 participants by mid-January 2026.
• Support with information on travel requirements, logistical preferences, and dietary information from confirmed participants.
• Prepare brief participant profiles including constituency, political affiliation, leadership history, and aspirations.

Research and Documentation (Curriculum Development, Coordination with the Speakers) ( by third week of January 2026)

• Develop Legislative Assembly Factsheets for the participants dossiers for elections to be held in Tamil Nadu in April–May 2026 for all 234 members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
• Draft first outline of workshop curriculum including session themes, structure, and learning objectives 
• Identify required resource materials, case studies, and content contributors (by ??
• Support finalization of the full workshop agenda and curriculum, including:
  • Plenary sessions featuring senior political leaders
  • Thematic and training sessions
  • Speaker order and timing
  • Preparation of training decks and learning materials
• Coordinate with proposed speakers and mentors and finalize the agenda (last week for January’26)

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of the two-day workshop, ensuring smooth implementation of all sessions in the agenda, including plenary and thematic segments on the workshop days

  2. Post-Event Activities (February 2026)

Documentation and Follow-up

• Compile and analyze participant feedback forms and data.
• Prepare comprehensive workshop documentation report including:
  • Attendance records
  • Participant profiles and key learnings
  • Speaker feedback and session evaluations
  • Develop a press release for distribution through local print outlets
  • Media coverage summary
  • Photographic and videographic documentation
• Support finalization of constituency dossiers for all participants.
• Facilitate mentorship matching and assignment of mentors to participants.
• Ensure dissemination of workshop fact sheets and advocacy reports to stakeholders.

Quality Assurance and Reporting

• Prepare detailed project completion report highlighting:
  • Key deliverables completed
  • Participant outcomes and learnings
  • Challenges encountered and solutions implemented
  • Recommendations for future iterations
  • Compile all workshop documentation for UN Women records and future reference.

IV. Deliverables and payment terms

• Complete the final selection of 50 participants for the SheLeads Tamil Nadu edition, ensuring all eligibility and screening criteria are met. (40% payment of the total contract value)
• Develop 234 Legislative Assembly factsheets—one for each constituency/member—to be included in participant dossiers for the Tamil Nadu elections scheduled for April–May 2026. (20% payment of the total contract value)
• Lead and execute the full end-to-end delivery of a two-day workshop, ensuring 100% implementation of all planned sessions, including plenary discussions and thematic segments, with seamless coordination across all agenda components. (20% payment of the total contract value)
• Compile full workshop documentation and ensure dissemination of all key workshop outputs to stakeholders. (20% payment of the total contract value)

V. Core Values:
•     Integrity
•     Professionalism
•     Respect for Diversity

VI. Core Competencies:
•     Respect for Diversity
•     Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
•     Creative Problem Solving
•     Effective Communication
•     Inclusive Collaboration
•     Stakeholder Engagement

VII. 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.
 

VIII. Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:    

•     Masters in Gender Studies, Social Sciences; or equivalent degrees from premier institutions.

Experience:   

 •     At least 8 years of professional work experience with research, data and policy analysis, to advance the global normative framework on gender equality and women’s rights 
•     Substantial knowledge and expertise in gender data and research.
•     Demonstrated experience in gender equality, women's empowerment, or women's political participation initiatives.
•     Strong knowledge of Tamil Nadu's political landscape, party structures, and state-level governance
 

Language Requirements:   

 •     Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, Tamil, and any other Indian language with the ability to communicate research findings to a variety of audiences.

IX. 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)

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

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.