Background:

UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on fulfilling their needs, 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. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women seeks to contract a consultant (hereinafter “the Consultant”) to provide expert support/technical services in refurbishing and renovation works of RSLAF female billets and other facilities within their barracks.  The objective of this consultancy service is to assist the UN Women Sierra Leone team to support the refurbishment works, support with the evaluation of the technical offers, coordination of works, monitoring and commissioning of the renovation works in the assigned project areas. 

Part of the project designed is to enhance the participation and leadership opportunities of women within the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). Its primary objective is to expand the pool of qualified female personnel eligible for peacekeeping deployments by improving the facilities at the Peacekeeping Training Centre (PMTC) to build their capacity and institutional readiness for female officers during deployment.

By modernizing these facilities, the project seeks to encourage greater engagement of female RSLAF officers in peacekeeping training programs, thereby strengthening their readiness and motivation to serve in international missions. Ultimately, this initiative contributes to gender inclusivity, leadership development, and operational effectiveness within the RSLAF.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

To achieve objectives, the Consultant will provide:

1. Inspect and evaluate locations to determine the physical and technical conditions of the premises and recommend the list of works to improve the conditions, including review of existing documents. 
2. Review the detailed technical specifications and Bill of Quantities (BoQ) for the (selected) spaces intended for the refurbishment /upgrades.
3. Follow-up with contractors and national engineers overseeing the rehabilitation civil works at site, where/when possible, ensuring that the preparation and execution of the works are in accordance with the approved bill(s) of quantities and within the established time frame.
4. Participate in the technical evaluation processes of bids, prepare technical evaluation re-ports and respond to technical clarifications from procurement review committees 
5. Participate in the opening/evaluation of received technical/financial offers and support with evaluation of offers resulted from the tendering processes; provide expert opinion in written form to substantiate the evaluation decisions
6. Supervise and report progress in the implementation of the upgrades; supervision will be conducted throughout the complete duration of the project.
7. Provide written confirmations to the project team that milestones under design/upgrades are achieved, including submission of the final Confirmation of Completion of works 
8. Undertake site visits to project sites as and when required and conduct data collection, technical assessments of buildings according to specific requirements as and when needed and needs case by case defined. 
9. Support the development of project feasibilities studies, analyze pros and cons, benefits, budgets, risks and constraints, recommending the best options and solutions
10. Timely reporting to UN Women Project Manager
11. Perform any other assignment related tasks

Duties and Responsibilities

• Refurbishment of female billets to provide safe and comfortable accommodation.
• Upgrading lecture hall facilities to support effective training and learning.
• Improvement of other relevant infrastructure used by female personnel during peacekeeping training and readiness activities.

4. Deliverables and Timeline

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:

1. Strong knowledge of supervising and managing rehabilitation and construction works. 
2. Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with security sector institutions.
3.  Proven networking skills, and ability to effectively provide oversight and monitoring during construction/upgrade. Strong writing and communication skills. 
4. Knowledge and understanding of the UN system 
5. Familiarity of government of Sierra Leone policy environment, especially with security sector institutions infrastructure, and including branding and quality management 
6. Strong IT skills, including databases, extranet and office software packages.
7. Strong analytical and interpersonal skills Fear influence and strong stakeholder management skills

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education 

Degree in  civil engineering and / or architecture, with technical - professional certification on providing supervision of civil constructions, specialized works and installations related to constructions and development of Bills of Quantities. 

Experience 

1. At least five (5) years of work experience in supervising construction (general reconstruction works, water and sanitation or within a technical design company). 
2. Activity experience within community development programs with a focus on providing socially responsive solutions (accessible/inclusive/gender-friendly spaces) will be an advantage 
3. Work experience with UN Agencies and/or international organizations is a strong advantage 

Languages: 

Fluency in 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.