Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Technical Expert

Position description

Deadline to Submit Questions: September 25, 2023, 5 pm EST to [email protected]

Deadline to Submit Proposals: October 4, 2023, 5 pm EST to [email protected]

Location: Remote

Timeframe: October 23, 2023 – November 22, 2023, with potential for ongoing support

Background

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the global trade association and development platform for credit unions. WOCCU promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. Our technical assistance programs focus on an array of key areas, including digital solutions to expand financial inclusion, increasing access to finance for agricultural producers and small and medium enterprises, strengthening new and existing entrepreneurs, facilitating access to employment, and promoting legal and regulatory reform.

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) was recently awarded the Accelerating Growth and Inclusion in Lending for Credit Unions (AGIL4CU) project. AGIL4CU will advance credit unions’ ability to provide value to their members and contribute to the economic development of their communities, while extending business financing to underserved market segments, including women and youth entrepreneurs. AGIL4CU will 1) improve credit union leaders’ strategic and technical capacity; 2) increase the value of digital, cybersecure services; 3) expand and iterate on streamlined MSME lending processes for economic growth; 4) implement youth and women specific loan products; and 5) expand climate adaptive financing.

Position Summary

WOCCU is currently seeking a Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Technical consultant with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) experience to assist with the development of an initial Gender Analysis and Action Plan and provide ongoing expertise and support for gender mainstreaming across programs.

Scope of Work

A Gender Analysis and Action Plan is due no later than 90 days after the AGIL4CU award date. In accordance with USAID's Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, AGIL4CU, which is implemented in 4 countries, must identify and address any gender gaps relevant to the implementation of the activity. WOCCU is recruiting for a consultant to conduct a comprehensive gender analysis for the specific development activities to be implemented under AGIL4CU and to develop a comprehensive Gender Action Plan. The Gender Action Plan will outline how WOCCU is integrating attention to gender equality and prevention of harm into the work plan and performance monitoring and evaluation plan based on the gender analysis. In addition, WOCCU seeks to promote gender balance in their staffing plans and strives to ensure sufficient gender expertise to identify and address gender issues. Specific services required but are not limited to:

Comprehensive Gender Analysis

AGIL4CU gender analysis objectives include:  

• Analyze gender roles in the project design.
• Identify root causes of existing gender inequalities in the AGIL4CU context so that they can be addressed in the project design and implementation.
• Identify different needs and priorities of men and women in both the near and long term.
• Collect sex‐disaggregated baseline data as available.
• Validate and refine the project’s gender equity goals and targets.
• Validate and refine gender lens utilization in the project’s planned learning and evaluation questions.
• Avoid perpetuating traditional power imbalances.
• Enhance the likelihood of strong and sustainable project or activity results.
• Comply with USAID’s policy directives and required procedures.

Questions to be answered:

1. How will the different roles and status of women and men within the community, political sphere, workplace, and household (for example, roles in decision making and different access to and control over resources and services) affect AGIL4CU’s implementation?
2. How will the anticipated AGIL4CU results affect women and men differently?
3. Are gender issues reflected in performance indicators including information collected from samples of beneficiaries using qualitative or quantitative methodologies?

Specific tasks:

1. Develop comprehensive data collection tool in collaboration with the designated WOCCU staff.
2. Identify data sources and key stakeholders to be contacted.
3. Conduct interviews.

AGIL4CU Gender Action Plan

The Gender Action Plan forms the basis for operationalizing the results and recommendations of the gender analysis. It should contain specific gender elements to be considered during AGIL4CU’s implementation. The Gender Action Plan should ensure effective gender mainstreaming and integration in activities to maximize economic, social, climate and development benefits. The aim is to promote opportunities, drivers of change and positive gender dynamics as well as to manage and mitigate potential adverse risks over the duration of the project.

Based on the Gender Analysis, determine if there are issues with the project design by considering the following questions:

• Have any key gender issues been identified that will impact the ability of the AGIL4CU to achieve its goals or prevent women and men from benefitting equally?
• If yes, then how can AGIL4CU be amended to ensure that men and women benefit equally?
• How can AGIL4CU ensure targeted participation rates for women?
• What types of data should be collected to track the gender‐related project impacts?
• Have any potential, unintended consequences been identified? If yes, how should AGIL4CU counteract the unintended consequences?

Specific tasks:

1. Based on the gender analysis and using the AGIL4CU objectives, targets, and performance indicators, design a gender action plan matrix.
2. Conduct a collaborative development discussion to identify key actions in response to gender equity issues and to achieve gender performance targets.
3. Present the result of the collaborative session in a comprehensive AGIL4CU Gender Action Plan.

Deliverables

1. Gender analysis methodology including data collection tools.
2. Gender analysis reports: preliminary and final.
3. Gender action plan document: preliminary and final.

Final documents are to be submitted no later than 10 days after correction and comments received on preliminary versions.

Ongoing Support

Following completion of the Gender Analysis and Action Plan, there may be the potential for ongoing support for implementation of gender programming on an as-need basis.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in gender, development studies or social sciences, or related area of study, or equivalent combination of study and experience.

• At least ten (10) years’ experience and skills in gender inclusive integrated programming, women’s economic empowerment through women’s leadership and financial inclusion, and/or conducting gender audits, and writing high-quality gender assessment reports.
• Proven experience developing Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plans within USAID guidelines.
• Solid understanding of USAID’s new 2023 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy
• Familiarity with financial services industry, economic growth/financial inclusion, and familiarity with credit unions or financial cooperatives preferred.
• Strong stakeholder management, interpersonal communication, and collaboration skills.
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills in English required; Spanish and/or French preferred.

Application instructions

Qualified candidates must submit the following information. Only complete applications will be considered:

1. Executive summary detailing relevant work experience and qualifications for this assignment, including CV(s) of proposed key personnel.
2. Proposed approach and schedule/timeline of services for the Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan (level of effort for the assignment is approximately 20 business days, pending work plan developed in coordination with the selected consultant).
3. English language writing sample.
4. Budget for Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan, disaggregated by categories, and including proposed rate indicated in daily format.
5. Proposed daily rate for ongoing support.
6. Contact information for 2-3 references.

Both firms and individual consultants are welcome to apply; the final selection will be based on the best value proposition.

Submission Instructions

Application materials should be submitted via email with the subject line “Gender Consultant” to [email protected]. Bidders must include all relevant materials within your proposal. Failure to do so may result in the disqualification of your proposal. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact [email protected].

Deadline to Submit Application: October 4, 2023; 5:00 PM EST.

Disclaimer

This bid solicitation in no way obligates World Council of Credit Unions to award a contract, nor does it commit World Council of Credit Unions to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the application. World Council of Credit Unions reserves the right to vary any part of this bid solicitation at the time of award, if it becomes necessary. World Council of Credit Unions may cancel this solicitation or may reject any and all responses received. The issuance of this solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by the World Council of Credit Unions.