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.

Mainstreaming gender and application of gender responsive policy making and budgeting to the sector of agriculture and rural development implies recognizing that women and men have different needs and play different roles in agriculture and traditional gender norms can condition women in performing their roles. That conditioning is largely reflected in food security and food availability for rural households, agricultural production, securing additional sources of income for the household, social life of the rural community, etc.

Based on that, gender analysis in the field of agriculture requires thorough assessment of the quality of life of women in rural areas, specifically: the availability of basic infrastructure (water, electricity, roads, transport, telecommunications, housing quality, street lighting, garbage collection, etc.), access to public services (schools, kindergarten, clinic, a gynecologist, a social institution, pharmacy, shops, etc.), access to income, etc. It is particularly important in that context to identify the specific needs of women in less favorable areas: areas at higher altitudes, economically distressed areas, areas with specific natural obstacles for organizing economic activity, etc.

Another critical issue to consider is the unpaid work which largely determines women’s position in rural areas. This issue gets even more important in the agricultural sector, based on the role of women in: production to maintain their own needs, Informal employment in the sector (women are active in agricultural production and as a member of the household usually receive no compensation for their work, and that they are not active in the market as men usually do not have equal access to the household budget); reproduction within the household (applies to maintenance work on the house, cooking, dressing, care of family members etc). 

Agriculture can be an important engine of growth and poverty reduction. However, women, who are often a crucial resource in agriculture and the rural economy, face constraints that reduce their productivity and hinder their competitiveness in the sector. 

The Agricultural Census of 2011 showed that women owned just a third of the agricultural holdings in Moldova[1]. Data from the FAO Country Gender Assessment[2] shows that the poverty rate in rural areas is higher (29.3%) when the head of a household is a woman than when the head of a household is a man (25.6%). On top of this, women reported that they mainly relied on informal networks and the internet for information gathering and sharing. Overall, the Country Gender Assessment found notable gender disparities within the agricultural sector that need to be explored further and in more detail. 

In July 2025, UN Women and UNDP launched the project “Advancing Climate Resilience and Women’s Empowerment in Moldova” with financial support from the Government of Canada. The initiative aims to tackle systemic barriers faced by women working in agriculture and forestry and to promote equitable access to knowledge, economic resources, and decision‑making processes. In this context, UN Women is initiating an in-depth assessment of women’s empowerment and inclusion in the agricultural sector, based on the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index, including identification of the key causes for low competitiveness of women in agriculture, and devising tailored programme and policy recommendations for empowerment of women in rural areas, with specific focus on the agricultural sector. 

The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) is an aggregate index based on individual-level data collected from both men and women within the same household, offering an innovative method to measuring women’s empowerment.

WEAI is comprised of two sub-indices: one measures five domains of empowerment for women (production, resources, income, leadership and time), and the other measures gender parity in empowerment within the household. The tool also measures women’s empowerment relative to men within their households. These sub-indices can be used to track the change in women’s empowerment levels that occurs as a direct or indirect result of interventions.

The abbreviated WEAI (A-WEAI) is a shortened version of the WEAI adapted for population-based surveys. The project-level WEAI (pro-WEAI) is designed for project-specific contexts and includes optional modules specific to health, nutrition and livestock and qualitative protocols for mixed method studies. Additionally, the pro-WEAI’s novelty lies in its inclusion of intrinsic, instrumental and collective agency—aspects of empowerment that are crucial for the successful execution of projects.

As a result, a set of policy recommendations will be devised for improving the gender responsiveness of Government policies and budgets and for adoption of measures specific to the needs and priorities of women in rural areas.  The proposed intervention should be closely coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and feed into the Ministry’s policy making and budgeting processes, by introducing policy measures that would directly empower women in the agricultural sector.  Research institutions are encouraged to participate, and collaboration with them is considered important within this assignment.

In this context, UN Women is seeking to hire an international consultant that will extend technical expertise and guidance to the organization/company responsible to conduct the assessment.

The consultant will be reporting to Programme Coordination Analyst, and will be supported by Programme Associate, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Task 1: Provide Technical Oversight and Validation of the AWEAI Methodology

• Guide, review and validate the contractor’s proposed methodology, ensuring compliance with WEAI/A WEAI and pro WEAI international standards.
• Support the contractor in devising a sampling strategy which will ensure socio economic indicators, and selection criteria for municipalities fully correspond to Moldova’s agricultural realities and gender disparities.
• Verify the adequacy of both quantitative and qualitative instruments (survey tools, FGD guides, interview protocols) and ethical procedures.
• Provide guidance to the contractor implementing the assessment to ensure methodological alignment with other national data frameworks (MAFI, NBS, FAO Country Gender Assessment, EU policy requirements, climate resilience indicators).

Task 2: Provide Quality Assurance During Data Collection and Analysis

• Monitor data collection implementation: adherence to sampling strategy, accuracy of field protocols, enumerator training quality, and data integrity.
• Conduct spot checks, troubleshooting sessions, and methodological adjustments if issues arise (e.g., low response groups, minority populations, high altitude vulnerable zones).
• Oversee data cleaning, coding, processing, and quality checks of the entire dataset.
• Guide through the analytical framework to ensure the Baseline Report captures empowerment, agency, gender parity, time use constraints, climate resilience practices, and structural barriers.

Task 3: Ensure Analytical Rigor and Coherence of Policy Recommendations

• Transform findings into clear structural and policy recommendations relevant to MAFI, UN Women, and the Canada-funded initiative.
  Ensure the contractor identifies concrete gaps in agricultural policies, subsidy schemes, extension services, rural infrastructure, and women’s access to finance and technology.
• Validate that recommendations are actionable, cost-conscious, gender responsive, and aligned with EU reforms, CAP principles, Moldova’s national gender equality strategy, and climate resilience needs.
• Ensure the contractor integrates intersectional factors (age, ethnicity, remoteness, left bank/Gagauzia considerations).

Task 4: Provide Scientific Review of the Final Report and Support Communication of the Findings

• Lead the scientific review of the final comprehensive study, ensuring methodological integrity, evidence-based conclusions, and accurate interpretation of WEAI dimensions.
• Ensure the integration of qualitative materials (FGDs, interviews, and multimedia evidence) in a methodologically consistent narrative.
• Review visualizations, annexes, maps, and datasets for accuracy and usability.
• Support UN Women and MAFI in preparing the presentation for the launch event, ensuring that messaging is precise, accessible, and politically appropriate.
• Take part in launch, result presentations and other relevant public events/engagements. 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. No travel is required, however in such a case, the consultant will be paid DSA as per rules and procedures of UN Women applicable to the country of travel.  

Financial Arrangements

Full payment for the services performed by the Consultant under the conditions of the Contract, per day worked. UN Women shall pay the Consultant upon certification by UN Women that the services have been satisfactorily performed, and upon submission and approval of corresponding deliverables and timesheets. The fee may be payable in installments and the number of days worked is to be determined solely by UN Women. The Consultant agrees and acknowledges that acceptance of the Contract does not guarantee any minimum fee to be paid to the Consultant.

Performance Evaluation

The consultant’s performance will be evaluated against performance criteria such as timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered, emphasizing the effective integration of gender considerations throughout the assignment. 

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:

• Sound knowledge on working with groups vulnerable to discrimination. 
• Deep understanding of A‑WAEI domains, indicators, and scoring logic, Empowerment measurement theory in agriculture
• Ability to adapt A‑WAEI tools to local contexts without compromising comparability, design gender‑sensitive survey instruments
• Strong command of quantitative and mixed‑methods research designs, sampling strategies for rural and agricultural population
• Ability to guide and mentor a multidisciplinary research team
• Provide hands‑on technical supervision during tool finalization, Enumerator training, Pilot testing and Data collection
• Strong capacity to identify and mitigate measurement bias, ensure data reliability and internal consistency
• Experience leading peer review of survey instruments
• Technical validation of datasets and indices
• Advanced ability to integrate gender analysis across all stages of research and address intra‑household dynamics and power relations
• Strong understanding of women’s agency, access, control, and decision‑making in agriculture
• Ability to calculate and interpret A‑WAEI indicators and composite scores
• Conduct checks of robustness and subgroup analysis

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s level minimum) in one of the following or closely related fields: Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Rural Sociology, Public Policy (with agriculture/gender focus) or Statistics / Applied Economics.
• At least one of the following:

- Formal training or certification on: WEAI or A‑WAEI methodology (World Bank, IFPRI, FAO, or partner institutions)

- Documented experience applying: WEAI, A‑WAEI, or pro‑WEAI modules in previous studies

- Participation in: IFPRI / World Bank / FAO gender and agriculture measurement workshops

• At least one recognized certification or long‑term training course in:

- Gender Analysis in Agriculture

- Gender‑Responsive Research Design

- Gender‑Transformative Approaches

- Intersectionality and social inclusion

Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible work experience in designing and implementing assessments, survey design and analysis is requested. 
• Prior experience in promoting women’s empowerment and/or women financial inclusion programs is requested (at least one similar program implemented).
• Experience supporting vulnerable and/or underrepresented groups, refugees, migrants, will be considered an advantage.
• Experience supporting economic development programmed in the agriculture sector will be considered an advantage. 
• Previous collaborations with international organizations, particularly UN agencies, would be an advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Romanian or Russian or any other UN official language is an asset.

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.