Consultant

Job Summary

The Consultant conducts a comprehensive gender-sensitive disaster risk assessment and builds a national-level roadmap for inclusive early warning systems. Core duties include analyzing national DRR frameworks; examining how women and youth access climate-resilient livelihoods; executing field evaluations in four Western Province districts; engaging high-level government bodies, women's organizations, and civil society actors; and delivering validation workshops to secure final stakeholder alignment.

Foundational Capabilities & Prerequisites

• Academic Foundation: Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Environmental Studies, or related fields. A first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience is acceptable in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Professional Longevity: Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated experience operating in gender analysis, disaster risk reduction, climate resilience programming, and policy analysis.
• Evaluative Footprint: Proven track record conducting gender-sensitive assessments, community-based research, field focus groups, and multi-stakeholder consultations.
• Systemic Knowledge: In-depth understanding of Rwanda’s DRR policy landscape, national gender equality frameworks, and decentralized local governance systems.
• Partnership Synergy: Past experience collaborating directly with Government institutions, UN agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, and rural communities.
• Linguistic Command: Complete professional verbal and written fluency in English is strictly required. Professional knowledge of Kinyarwanda is considered a distinct asset.

Technical Workflow Architecture

The Consultant's deliverables are tied directly to an incremental payment and review schedule:

• Milestone 1: Inception Report (7 Days Lifecycle / 20% Financial Release) — Outlining the detailed assessment methodology, localized research tools, and field work plan for review.
• Milestone 2: Data Collection & Consultations (7 Days Lifecycle) — Conducting qualitative field assessments and tracking key indicators across the target districts.
• Milestone 3: Draft Report & Roadmap (12 Days Lifecycle / 30% Financial Release) — Compiling the first-draft Assessment Report and early warning systems framework for joint review by UN Women and MINEMA.
• Milestone 4: Stakeholder Validation Workshop (2 Days Lifecycle) — Presenting initial findings to collect stakeholder inputs and cooperative revisions.
• Milestone 5: Final Report & Roadmap Submission (2 Days Lifecycle / 50% Financial Release) — Supplying the finalized, print-ready data package and roadmap strategy.

Key Responsibilities

1. Gender-Sensitive Field Assessments & Livelihood Analysis

• Conduct a comprehensive gender-sensitive disaster risk assessment across Rwanda, managing localized field research inside Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro, and Ngororero districts as core case studies.
• Analyze exactly how rural women, youth, and persons with disabilities access and benefit from climate-resilient livelihood opportunities, agricultural cooperatives, and financial services.
• Map specific local barriers and structural gaps affecting women and girls in real-time disaster preparedness, emergency response, and long-term community recovery.

2. Policy Analysis & Systems Auditing

• Evaluate national-level policy documents, institutional coordination mechanisms, data systems, and public accountability frameworks regarding gender-responsive DRR.
• Assess current local early warning system channels to determine if emergency alerts effectively reach vulnerable women and marginalized groups during climate shocks.
• Synthesize findings into clear, evidence-based recommendations to assist MINEMA and partners in strengthening gender-inclusive governance planning.

3. Stakeholder Engagement & Strategic Co-Design

• Facilitate focus groups and interviews with government institutions, local authorities, women’s organizations, youth networks, community leaders, and private sector actors.
• Formulate an actionable, multi-year national Roadmap for Strengthening Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Warning Systems.
• Organize and lead a national-level validation workshop to present findings, gather partner inputs, and build consensus among development agencies and civil society.

Core Competencies & Values

Institutional Values

• Integrity: Demonstrates consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and expert knowledge of core gender equality and disaster risk management concepts.
• Respect for Diversity: Demonstrates an appreciation of the multi-cultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff and local communities.

Core Institutional Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability & Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication & Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement & Leading by Example.

Functional Competencies

• Proven capability in programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation alongside Results-Based Management (RBM).
• Strong analytical, budget, and finance interpretation skills.
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions, and present recommendations clearly.
• Working knowledge of UN agency programme management systems.

Skills Required:

• Environmental / Natural / Resource
• Social / Science / Project / Management / Development