National Consultant - Consultant To Support Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Business Formalization, VSLA Strengthening, And Financial Inclusion Freetown, Sierra Leone Posting Date06/09/2026 BE THE FIRST TO APPLY

Organizational Context

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. Phase I contributed significantly to strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality at the local level, including the establishment and operationalization of gender units, provision of essential tools, and increased awareness of gender-related laws among over 15,000 community members. Capacity-building efforts also targeted journalists, gender focal persons, and councilors to promote gender-responsive governance and reporting. A key output of Phase I was the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) mapping exercise, which highli

Job Purpose

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. Phase I contributed significantly to strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality at the local level, including the establishment and operationalization of gender units, provision of essential tools, and increased awareness of gender-related laws among over 15,000 community members. Capacity-building efforts also targeted journalists, gender focal persons, and councilors to promote gender-responsive governance and reporting. A key output of Phase I was the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) mapping exercise, which highlighted persistent systemic constraints affecting both communities and local councils. These include weak local economic systems, limited financial inclusion, restricted market access-particularly for women and youth-alongside institutional capacity gaps, weak revenue bases, and fragmented governance structures. The findings underscored that women, youth, and marginalized groups face significant barriers to formal economic participation, including informality of businesses, limited access to financial services, and weak linkages to markets. At the same time, local councils face challenges in effectively supporting inclusive economic development due to capacity limitations, outdated systems, and inadequate integration of gender-responsive economic strategies. Phase II responds to these challenges through an integrated, evidence-based approach aimed at strengthening institutional capacity,

Responsibilities

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. Phase I contributed significantly to strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality at the local level, including the establishment and operationalization of gender units, provision of essential tools, and increased awareness of gender-related laws among over 15,000 community members. Capacity-building efforts also targeted journalists, gender focal persons, and councilors to promote gender-responsive governance and reporting. A key output of Phase I was the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) mapping exercise, which highlighted persistent systemic constraints affecting both communities and local councils. These include weak local economic systems, limited financial inclusion, restricted market access-particularly for women and youth-alongside institutional capacity gaps, weak revenue bases, and fragmented governance structures. The findings underscored that women, youth, and marginalized groups face significant barriers to formal economic participation, including informality of businesses, limited access to financial services, and weak linkages to markets. At the same time, local councils face challenges in effectively supporting inclusive economic development due to capacity limitations, outdated systems, and inadequate integration of gender-responsive economic strategies. Phase II responds to these challenges through an integrated, evidence-based approach aimed at strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing service delivery, and expanding economic opportunities. This consultancy directly contributes to Output 2.3: Women and youth, particularly persons with disabilities, economically empowered through formalization and business enhancement for improved access to financial services and market opportunities in targeted districts. Within this framework, business formalization, strengthening o

Work Experience

- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in: Women’s economic empowerment, Enterprise development and business formalization, VSLA programming and financial inclusion - Proven experience of relevant work in the field of gender equality and women’s rights including proven experience in women’s CSOs or gender-based violence - Proven experience working with local councils, MDAs, and community structures - Strong understanding of gender-transformative programming - Experience engaging with financial institutions and market systems - Strong facilitation, training, and report-writing skills - Extensive Substantive Experience in conducting VSLAs training and business development trainings evaluations - Experience in programme design and results-based management. - Experience in working in a multicultural environment. - Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women’s rights and related instruments. - Experience working with multi-stakeholder organizations is essen

Skills

Not informed

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