Business Consultant to provide support to build economic security for GBV/DV survivors and women at risk

Hiring Office:

UNFPA Ukraine

Title:

Business Consultant to provide support to build economic security for GBV/DV survivors and women at risk.

Purpose of consultancy:

UNFPA Ukraine is implementing the EMBRACE project (Enhancing National and Regional Mechanisms to Build Responsive, Accountable & Cost-Effective System of GBV Response and Prevention) with financial support of the Government of UK. The EMBRACE project is aimed at strengthening national GBV/DV prevention and response system at the national and regional levels to ensure that majority of gender-based violence survivors seek and have access to good quality survivor-centred services, and Ukrainian society has zero tolerance to GBV/DV.

Women’s economic empowerment is a factor of utmost significance in the process of breaking the cycle of violence and preventing the domestic violence in general. Since November 2020, GBV Prevention and Response Programme implements a strand on economic empowerment of GBV survivors (hereinafter the component) within the EMBRACE project framework. It piloted the initiative Women Career Hub https://vonahub.org.ua/, focusing on increasing women’s economic autonomy and resilience by offering employability support, career guidance, professional development and connecting survivors to employment opportunities. The following models of support were provided under the framework of Women Career Hub (WCH): 

• Support from career counsellors (consultations on professional skills acquiring and individual support in job search); 

• Support from business counsellors (consultations on the possibility of opening/restarting  own entrepreneurship/business);
• Organization of professional courses for women seeking support in difficult life circumstances, including ones suffered from domestic violence, with aim to expand the employment opportunities or promote the profit-generating initiatives – sustainable and demanded;
• Provision of seed funding to launch social entrepreneurship initiatives for GBV survivors;
• Organization of training sessions for employment centres to build their capacity regarding GBV/DV knowledge, GBV/DV response and prevention for comprehensive employability support to GBV/DV survivors;
• Organization of training sessions for social services to build their capacity regarding effective employability support to GBV/DV survivors;
• Organization of tailored training sessions for business companies on Workplace GBV response and prevention mechanisms.

As part of nationwide humanitarian response plan to support Ukrainian women and girls affected by the war, UNFPA scales up the delivery of life-saving programmes to women and girls in need across the country. The priority remains to ensure that the health, rights and dignity of women and girls affected by the conflict are safeguarded. Millions of women and girls are living in the shadow of war in Ukraine, which has taken a devastating toll on their well-being and further exposed them to violence and abuse. To enhance the work of online Hub, and assist vulnerable women who don’t have means to receive online support, UNFPA sets up 7 offline Women Career Hubs. Each hub has two career counsellors and one psychologist who have received training from UNFPA on effective employability support to survivors. They will provide in-person guidance and tailor-made programmes on entrepreneurship and economic and financial independence to survivors of gender-based violence, including domestic violence survivors, and to women at risk of violence, like IDPs, women with disability, and other vulnerable women.

The overall purpose of the consultancy is to provide support to build economic security for GBV/DV survivors and women at risk.

The consultancy will contribute to the Output of the EMBRACE project: Economic resilience of GBV/DV survivors and women at risk of GBV/DV strengthened.

Scope of work:

(Description of services, activities, or outputs)

The consultant will implement a set of tasks, including, but not limited to:

1. Provide tailored, individual, expert, confidential online or/and offline business counselling, and group training sessions, supporting WCH clients (women survivors or at risk of GBV/DV) in gaining and retaining employment or starting their own business that will facilitate re-building of their lives.
2. Conducting group trainings for women on the development of entrepreneurship on the following topics: Social entrepreneurship; Financial management; Business model; Marketing and pricing; Risk management; Legal aspects; Enterprise team; Involvement of resources; Business development and its sustainability; Access to markets; Logistics; Innovative activities and implementation of digital technologies, etc.
3. Support for the development of the enterprises of WCH clients, including all stages of business: from start-up to scaling.
4. Develop and implement Individual Economic Security Plans (IESP).
5. Develop and implement Business Organizational Design (BOD): contains business models (analysis of selected) and marketing strategies (brand attributes, sales and communication channels), business plans (financing/budgeting) for WCH clients (women survivors of domestic/gender-based violence or women at risk) in order to start/restart their own business.
6. Support identification and engagement of women and girls into the WCH educational projects (IT courses, Entrepreneurship academy, vocational courses etc.):

• Conduct outreach activities to identify and engage eligible participants;
• Organize and conduct screening interviews;
• Provide the list of selected participants for course/training programme;
• Support women during their studies;
• Provide consulting support for at least three months after course completion;
• Provide regular support to the users of the WCH platform https://vonahub.org.ua/, answer questions, provide consultations, invite the eligible users to the career support program (to become WCH clients);
• Develop and implement methodologies to engage GBV survivors, and other vulnerable women, including but not limited to people with disabilities, LGBT+, and IDPs, for innovation and entrepreneurship activities;

7. Establishing stable partnerships with business campaigns for mentoring support for WCH project participants.
8. Organize free sessions with WCH psychologists upon clients’ request.
9. Ensure visibility of the WCH project implementation through public relations, advocacy, working with the mass media and other communications activities.
10. Contribute to creation and sharing of knowledge by synthesizing and documenting findings and lessons learned, success stories and best practices, strategies and approaches, and drafting relevant materials for dissemination.
11. Coordinate project activities with local authorities and stakeholders, ensure access to available technical expertise, good practices and knowledge and contribute to the development and implementation of UNFPA projects related to economic empowerment of GBV/DV survivors and women at risk.
12. Coordinate organization of events such as conferences, trainings, hackathons

                 events, operational updates, regarding economic empowerment of GBV/DV survivors

                 and women at risk.

13. Elaborate guidance documents on aspects of career counselling support of WCH clients, produce high quality, reader-friendly materials for Women Career Hub site.
14. Conduct monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness of employability support to GBV/DV survivors and women at risk:

• Provide timely data collection using tools for evaluation of effectiveness of employability support to GBV/DV survivors provided by UNFPA CO;
• Conduct and supports frequent surveys for monitoring and evaluation activities;
• Ensure regular collection of confidential feedback from WCH clients regarding their experience using the form provided by UNFPA CO;
• Maintain statistical data and generate reports for GBV Programme Coordinator;
• Respond to internal and external requests for information.

Perform other job-related duties as assigned by UNFPA country office management.

Duration and working schedule:

Starting date: December 1, 2022 (tentatively);

Duration: till March 31, 2023.

Place where services are to be delivered:

Ukraine (online)

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

Work Plan of IC performances and deliverables based on scope of work will be agreed additionally on monthly basis and in line with agreed work plan of the consultant.

Reporting of deliverables (based on approved work plan)

1. Monthly time-sheets and brief progress reports about implemented activities and achieved results with attached monitoring documents submitted

Deadlines: Monthly, by 5th of the next month

2. Final report about the progress and achievements, lessons learnt and recommendations submitted

Deadline: By the end of the contract

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

Monitoring and progress control will be done by Anna Tsytsak, GBV Programme Coordinator through regular communication and working meetings.

Supervisory arrangements:

This consultancy will be directly supervised by Anna Tsytsak, GBV Programme Coordinator

Expected travel:

Travel to locations where consultant’s support will be needed

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, business administration, HR, social sciences or related fields;

• At least 3 years of experience in business development and/or experience running a successful own business;

• Knowledge and understanding of labor legislation, knowledge and skills in the field of business economics; financial management;
• Expertise and knowledge of social entrepreneurship and innovation methodologies in Ukraine;
• Knowledge of Ukrainian and international best practices of women economic empowerment,  support of entrepreneurial/social-entrepreneurial activities of women who have suffered from domestic/gender violence, will be a significant advantage;

• Excellent analytical and writing skills;
• Language: Excellent command of written and spoken Ukrainian.

Knowledge of English will be an advantage

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

Additional services could be provided upon UNFPA request and authorization.

The Consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer. UNFPA will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment.

The consultant is responsible for his/her travel and accommodation arrangements during the missions and should include relevant costs to the fee.

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:

Consultancy fees will be paid in Ukrainian Hryvnias through equal monthly instalments deposited in the consultant’s bank account, after acceptance by UNFPA of the progress and summary reports on the services delivered by the consultant.

Any remarks, proposals, complaints or claims to the consultant regarding services being provided in line with these terms of reference should be submitted to the consultant in writing within 10 days of submission of consultancy deliverables or reports by the consultant.

The scope of works to be performed by the consultant under these terms of reference, as well as other conditions of the consultancy, could be modified, if required, through a written agreement between the consultant and UNFPA.

Application Process

The consultant will be identified via open-call competitive selection process.

To be considered for the role, one needs to submit to ukraine.office@unfpa.org by 25 November 2022 an application comprised of the following documents:

• Professional CV;
• Motivation letter;
• Brief outline (up to 1 page) of the structure of the Individual Economic Security Plan (IESP) for women in difficult circumstances, including GBV/DV survivors, women with disabilities, etc.;

Only complete applications received by the deadline will be evaluated.

In the subject of the letter, please state: Application for Business Consultant.