Local Consultant for Capacity Assessment

In the Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Montenegro (CEDAW/C/MNE/CO/2, 2017), Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) recommends to “strengthen accountability mechanisms for achieving gender equality and ensure the conduct of systematic gender impact assessments“. The evaluation of the national Action Plan for Achieving Gender Equality (APAGE) 2017-2021 revealed capacity gaps among the public administration staff at all levels to assess the implications of planned actions, legislation, policies or programmes on women and men, boys and girls. The OSCE Mission to Montenegro in partnership with the Department for Gender Equality (DGE) of the Ministry for Justice and Human and Minority Rights (MJHMR) of Montenegro supports structured and systemic gender mainstreaming in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies and programmes, in all areas and at all levels of public administration. 

The Democratization Programme therefore invites applications from highly qualified, energetic and experienced local professionals for the temporary consultancy post of Local Consultant for Capacity Assessment, who will be working jointly with second consultant to assess the extent to which the previous capacity-building efforts on gender equality targeted at public administration staff and officials, were synchronized, how knowledge was utilized, shared and measured. It is also expected to propose optimization of capacity development through structured inter-sectoral and inter-ministerial cooperation. The two consultants will provide a joint report on the findings and recommendations. 

The objective of this consultancy is to create Capacity Assessment Report assessing existing knowledge of gender concepts (gender equality, women’s empowerment, gender mainstreaming), international and national legislation, policies and procedures dealing with gender equality, as well as attitudes on gender equality and respective practices among public administration staff at all levels. Findings will serve as basis for a comprehensive Capacity Development Plan, which would represent a structured approach towards capacity development of the public administration staff. The overall aim of the assignment is to contribute to institutional transformation and provision of fair and gender-sensitive policies, programmes and services for citizens – men and women, girls and boys.

Under the supervision of Democratization Programme Manager of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, and in close cooperation with Local Consultant for Inter-sectoral Cooperation, the consultant will be required to perform the following tasks:

1. Prepare and submit the Inception Report of minimum 5 pages, in English, by July 5 2021, working from home (1 working day in total);
   An Inception Report should contain:
   – List of respondents – representative sample of public officials and civil servants from all levels (minimum 100 participants);
   – Methodology and questionnaires for the capacity development assessment;
   – Work Plan with tentative timeline;
   – Table of Contents for the Capacity Assessment Report and Capacity Development Plan;
2. Conduct assessment according to the agreed Work Plan and using the tools agreed in the Inception Report (including, but not limited to: focus group interviews, individual interviews, questionnaires, meetings, observation of work processes) with respect to the List of respondents, in Podgorica and submit a brief Overview of findings along with the final list of participants, in English language, of min. 5 pages by August 3, 2021 (20 working days in total);
3. Prepare Draft Capacity Assessment Report with the Capacity Development Plan 2022-2024, of minimum 40 pages, in local language (except for the Executive summary, in both English and local language) and submit by August 10 2021, working from home (4 working days in total);
   The Draft Capacity Assessment Report with the Capacity Development Plan 2022-2024 should address the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee. The Report should include Executive summary, in both English and local language, about the process, major findings and recommendations for future activities (minimum 5 pages). Specifically, Capacity Assessment Report will serve as a baseline, whereas the Capacity Development Plan should include appropriate tactics (training, mentoring, coaching, creation of matrix teams), levels (introductory, basic, intermediate, advanced) and suggest options (mandatory, optional) for the period 2022-2024.
4. Based on the feedback provided by the Mission, finalize the Capacity Assessment Report with the Capacity Development Plan 2022-2024, of a minimum 45 pages in total in local language, and submit by August 15, 2021, working from home (1 working day in total).

Deliverables:

1. Inception report, in line with details set out in the Task No 1, of minimum 5 pages in English submitted by July 5 2021;
2. Assessment in line with details set out in the Task No 2 conducted , in Podgorica and brief Overview of findings, along with the final list of participants, of min. 5 pages in English language submitted by August 3, 2021;
3. The Draft Capacity Assessment Report with the Capacity Development Plan 2022-2024, in line with details set out in the Task No 3, of minimum 40 pages, in local language (except for the Executive summary, in both English and local language) submitted by August 10 2021;
4. Final Capacity Assessment Report with the Capacity Development Plan 2022-2024, of a minimum 45 pages in local language (except for the Executive summary, in both English and local language), submitted by August 15 2021.

• University degree in Political Science, International relations, Social Science, or other relevant field;
• Minimum 6 years of professional experience in the area of gender equality or within gender equality/social inclusion projects/programs/policies;
• Experience in conducting focus groups interviews in a multisector and multi-stakeholder setting;
• Excellent negotiation, organizational and co-ordination skills;
• Very good interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work in teams and with groups composed of individuals of different cultural and political backgrounds, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Professional level of English as well as local language, both spoken and written;
• Previous experience working with international organizations would be considered as an asset.

The Expert/Consultant will be remunerated commensurate with his/her experience and qualifications in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE’s online application link found under http://www.osce.org/employment. All qualified applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online, using the OSCE online application link.
Please note that applications received after the deadline, submitted in different formats than the OSCE Application Form or in other languages than the English language will not be considered.
The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, or to offer an appointment with modified Terms of Reference or for a different duration.
The OSCE is committed to achieving a better balance of women and men within the Organization.
Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.