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. 

In partnership with the Government of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), UN Women launched the Gender Action Lab (GAL): Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia-Pacific, powered by the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). This initiative aims to catalyze transformative change in the private sector by fostering innovations and concrete actions that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment across the region. 

With a four-year commitment, GAL is designed as a dynamic, multi-stakeholder, and multi-donor platform that identifies, pilots, and scales innovative partnership initiatives—such as thematic innovation labs, hackathons, incubators, accelerators, policy labs, and applied research. It also generates new data and provides technical assistance to support policy, investment, and ecosystem development for gender-transformative innovations. The success of GAL’s first year of implementation has laid a strong foundation for scaling up efforts in the Philippines and across the region. Key milestones include the development of a draft challenge brief on women in leadership, increased stakeholder engagement, and strengthened awareness of gender-responsive business practices. These achievements have demonstrated the potential of GAL to drive meaningful change and have generated momentum for deeper collaboration with the private sector. GAL’s overarching goal is to enable more private sector companies in Asia-Pacific to implement gender-responsive business practices and policies, thereby empowering more women to equitably lead and participate in the world of work.

The programme is structured around three interrelated pillars:

• Awareness, Commitments, and Capacity Building based on the WEPs and stakeholder engagement;
• Multistakeholder Gender Innovation Labs, piloting solutions in thematic areas such as employer-supported care, disability inclusion, and transparency & reporting;
•  Documentation and Recognition, including best practices, recommendations, and the Asia-Pacific WEPs Awards and Forum.

With a regional focus on ASEAN and priority countries—Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Cambodia—GAL aims to close the private sector and government ‘Action Gap’ and foster inclusive economies. A regional component is also led by UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). For more details, see the Introductory Brief. 

UN Women seeks a National Consultant to identify key thematic areas aligned with the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and to establish a promising foundation and enabling environment for initiating additional WEPs Corporate Action Labs in the Philippines. This includes identifying strong partners, policy incentives, and demand-driven opportunities that can support the launch and sustainability of future innovation labs. 

Building on the success of GAL’s first year of implementation, the first WEPs Corporate Action Lab in the Philippines has already been established, demonstrating the viability of the model and its potential to drive transformative change. The consultant will contribute to this momentum by helping lay the groundwork for next WEPs Corporate Action Labs in the Philippines. 

The next Corporate Action Labs will be anchored on a specific thematic challenge and will include the outline below:

1. Background and problem statement – Key data points from desk research and references 

2. Previous and current action – Actions taken, key stakeholders, relevant policy or legislation 

3. Challenges and barriers to action – Reasons for limited action and specific barriers to accelerated and deepened action (e.g., women in leadership in the IT and technology sectors) 

4. Opportunities and entry points – Stakeholder mapping, relevant policies, and identification of potential partners 5. Challenge statement – A “How Might We” framing of the thematic challenge such as: 

•  How might the private sector in the Philippines work with innovators and social enterprises to include more women with disabilities in their workforce and supply chains?* 
• How can social innovation support Philippine companies to develop policies and implement practices for gender-responsive procurement and supplier diversity?

* *Guide questions are examples only and subject to change.

The National Consultant will work under the supervision of the Programme Analyst – GAL (Philippines) and in close collaboration with the UN Women ROAP programme team. The consultant may also engage with government officials, donors, civil society, private sector actors, and programmatic partners. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work 

The consultant will undertake the following tasks to further enhance the current challenge brief and develop 1–2 new challenge briefs, along with a one-page summary document for each, to be used in presenting the challenges to private sector partners and stakeholders: 

• Draft 1–2 challenge briefs that clearly articulate the thematic issue, background, stakeholder landscape, and a “How Might We” challenge framing, informed by desk research and stakeholder engagement. 
• Conduct and organize stakeholder consultations (minimum of 1) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with at least 5 identified key stakeholders. These engagements will assess gaps in action, explore envisioned outcomes, and ideate potential new actions or solutions related to the thematic area. The process should identify current constraints, new methods or actions needed to make progress, target beneficiaries, and the role of corporates and innovators in developing solutions. 
• Coordinate and engage with key stakeholders across the private sector (including MSMEs, large national corporates, MNCs, chambers of commerce, and business associations), public sector, civil society, and development actors (national and international). Assess their roles, influence, and progress in advancing gender equality in the Philippines. 
• Ensure that the developed challenge briefs reflect gender-responsive strategies and actions, incorporating insights from consultations and feedback from UN Women and stakeholders.
• Provide technical support to UN Women’s Women’s Economic Empowerment portfolio, including facilitating WEPs information sessions and supporting GAL-related events and innovation lab workshops, co-created with implementing partners.

Expected Output                                          

Upon approval of the following: 

• Proposed stakeholder mapping, campaigns, calendar of activities in the co-creation and implementation of WEPs Corporate Action Lab/s with identified partners
• Progress and status reports of the activities of WEPs, GAL, and WEE outlined in the scope of work, including minutes of the meeting, attendance sheets, photo and event documentation, presentation materials, etc.
• Other technical support needed for WEPs, GAL and WEE-related activities and events 

Target date of Completion    

• Every 30th of the month, from 28 February 2026 to 30 December 2026 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel 

The Consultant is expected to work remotely and report to the UN Women office as needed. Access to the UN Women office may be provided for printing relevant documents or for on-site work when required. UN Women will provide substantive inputs to ensure that deliverables are aligned with organizational objectives. As part of this assignment, the Consultant may be required to undertake a minimum of two (2) official travels outside the duty station. The Consultant will be entitled to reimbursement for transportation and official meeting-related costs incurred during stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews, and other official engagements, in accordance with UN Women’s policies.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent research and analytical skills
• Excellent knowledge of the private sector in Philippines
• Strong knowledge of the government, institutions and politics of Philippines
• Strong overall knowledge of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment
• Knowledge of the Women’s Empowerment Principles is an asset · Ability to analyse trends and synthesize data to actionable recommendations to inform management and strategic decision-making.

Required Qualifications:

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional year of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least one (1) year of progressively responsible work experience in Philippines in the space of private sector engagement or research, or gender equality or women’s economic empowerment
• Private sector experience in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability, or gender equality is required
• Experience in conducting research and analysis of private sector or policy trends relevant to women’s economic empowerment is required

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Filipino languages are required

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.