National Consultant to Implement Complex Risk Analytics Fund (CRAF’d) Project Activities

Background:

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system’s efforts to ensure that commitments to gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action worldwide. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Three years ago on April 15, 2023, a deadly armed conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Khartoum and later spread speedily to most parts of the country. The conflict has plunged Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. It has increased political fragmentation, deepened ethnic and tribal divisions, and claimed over 50,000 lives, including civilians (ACLED). According to 2026 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), 33.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, more than half of those in need are women and girls. Sudan has remained one of the world’s largest displacement crises with over 9 million people internally displaced. Additionally, over 4 million people have fled to neighboring countries (IOM, 2025). More than eight million people—mainly women and girls—are at increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).

The conflict has had devastating consequences on the lives of women and girls, further exacerbating pre-existing gender inequalities. According to available data, women and girls make up approximately 53% of the displaced population. They are disproportionately affected by loss of livelihoods, limited access to services, and heightened exposure to violence and exploitation. Available reports indicate a sharp rise in conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, early and forced marriages, economic marginalization, acute food insecurity faced by female-headed households, and the intense burden of unpaid care and survival labor. While there have been commendable efforts to capture the statistical impact of the crisis on the population, especially the most vulnerable, there is a persistent demand for timely, reliable gender data, which is often missing. Rapid assessments lack gender expertise and capacity, limiting their effectiveness. Where available, gender data are usually incomplete, inadequate, irregularly collected, and often fail to reflect diversity and intersectionality. Local women also face barriers in engaging with the gender data ecosystem, limiting their influence and access.

 In view of the challenges mentioned above, UN Women seeks to increase the availability and accessibility of gender data on the crisis and conflict in Sudan to inform evidence-based policies and programmes, improve planning and decision-making, drive investment, and build capacity of women in data collection and management aspects. 

Aim of Complex Risk Analytics Fund (CRAF’d) Project

To ensure that accurate, consistent, and timely gender focused data is available for the prioritization and planning of an effective and cost-efficient humanitarian response and sustained peacebuilding. The provision of such evidence and information will prove crucial to the humanitarian system and peacebuilders and peace-negotiations - these will include the UN system, government, intergovernmental bodies, and civil society advocates, in line with UNSCR 1325 and subsequent WPS resolutions, and ensure that peacebuilding efforts are gender-sensitive, inclusive, and sustainable. The project will align with the UN Sudan Interim Cooperation Framework (2026–2028) and draw on ongoing WPS initiatives in the country and the broader region.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical and programmatic implementation support to the Complex Risk Analytics Fund (CRAF’d) project in Sudan. The national consultant will, under the supervision of the project coordinator, ensure the following:

• Timely and quality gender data and analysis are produced to inform humanitarian, planning, implementation, and monitoring (MEL) in Sudan.
• Enhanced open access to gender data and analysis in crises and conflict for use by humanitarian and peace and security actors for more effective, tailored, and gender responsive humanitarian action, and peace and security priorities.
• Identify gendered impacts and risks, assessing how the conflict differentially affects individuals based on gender and other intersecting factors, including refugees and displaced populations.
• Analyze power relations, inequalities, and gender norms that contribute to or are reinforced by the conflict.
• Map formal and informal actors, assessing how gender shapes their roles, influence, and access to decision-making.
• Examine barriers and opportunities for women and marginalized groups to participate in peacebuilding, governance, and recovery processes meaningfully.
• Analyze gender roles in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and resistance, recognizing both vulnerabilities and agency.
• Address intersectionality, exploring how gender interacts with factors such as ethnicity, age, displacement, disability, and socioeconomic status.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations to inform gender-responsive policy and programming in Sudan.

Scope of Work

The consultant will:

• Support the contextualization and application of the GSCA methodology and data collection tools to the Sudan context. 
• Conduct and support national-level data collection, including Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), literature/desk review and stakeholder consultations, ensuring inclusion of diverse and marginalized groups. 
• Provide Sudan-specific contextual analysis and inputs on gendered impacts of the conflict, power relations, inequalities, gender norms, women's participation, and intersectional vulnerabilities.
•  Support stakeholder and actor mapping, particularly WLOs/WROs and relevant national actors involved in the production and use of gender data. 
• Support the planning and delivery of validation and capacity-building workshops, including stakeholder engagement, facilitation support and documentation. 
• Provide substantive national inputs to the Gender Alerts, snapshots and final Gender-Sensitive Conflict Analysis, including findings, recommendations and review of draft outputs.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the assignment are:

• Provide technical and programmatic implementation support to enhance gender data collection and production and utilization for women’s organizations and humanitarian/WPS actors (Capacity building and knowledge sharing).
• Ensure the timely generation and analysis of gender-specific data to support better decision-making in humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts. 
• By providing accurate, up-to-date information, ensure that both planning and operational efforts in UN Women are informed by gendered insights, improving overall response effectiveness.
• Ensure the analysis of gendered drivers of conflict, including political exclusion, economic inequalities, social norms, and militarized masculinities.
• Identify and map key actors (state, non-state, political, military, civil society) and assess how gender shapes their roles, strategies, and influence.
• Assess gender-differentiated impacts of the conflict, particularly regarding protection, livelihoods, and coping mechanisms, and understand how gender roles have shifted.

Methodology

The National Consultant, in close coordination with the International Consultant and identified UN Women staff and partners, will apply UN Women’s Gender and Conflict Sensitivity Analysis (GSCA) methodology, with emphasis on Sudan-specific contextualization, participation, intersectionality and conflict sensitivity. The methodology will include:

• Inception and planning: Provide national inputs to the methodology, workplan, data collection tools and ethical safeguards developed in coordination with the International Consultant. 
• Data collection: Conduct and support national-level Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and desk review, ensuring inclusion of diverse and marginalized groups. 
• Contextual analysis: Provide national evidence and analysis on gendered impacts, power relations, gender norms, inequalities and intersectional vulnerabilities. 
• Stakeholder engagement and validation: Support stakeholder consultations, validation workshops and documentation of feedback to strengthen the Gender Alerts and snapshots. 
• Capacity building: Support the delivery of capacity-building workshops for WLOs/WROs and relevant stakeholders on the production and use of gender data. 
• Quality and ethical standards: Apply conflict sensitivity, Do No Harm, safeguarding and PSEA principles throughout data collection and engagement.

Key Deliverables

• Inception Report: National inputs to the methodology, workplan, data collection tools and ethical safeguards. 
• National technical inputs to two quarterly Gender Alerts and snapshots (Q4 2026 and Q1 2027), including data collection, contextual analysis, findings and recommendations. 
• Support to two validation workshops, including stakeholder engagement, documentation of feedback and recommendations. 
• Support to two capacity-building workshops for WLOs/WROs and relevant stakeholders on producing and using gender data. 
• Monthly progress reports documenting activities, findings, challenges and emerging issues. 
• Final implementation report/contribution: National-level inputs to the consolidated Gender-Sensitive Conflict Analysis and project implementation report, including findings, recommendations and relevant annexes.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

Location: The consultancy will be home-based

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

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

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCES

• Proficiency in statistical software packages and data analysis tools (e.g., STATA, SPSS, Excel among others);
• Efficiency in data analytics, including statistical modeling and handling large or non-conventional datasets;
• Data management, cleaning, and visualization;
• Advanced research skills;
• Strong understanding of WPS agenda and UNSCR 1325;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex data findings to non-skilled audiences;
• Ability to work effectively in a team and collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including the UN, government agencies, and international organizations; 

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Development Economics, Demography or Population Studies, Social Sciences and Public Policy, Information Management or a related field is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage. 

Experience 

• At least 3 years of progressively responsible work experience in statistics, analytics, and data management, with a specific focus on gender statistics;
• Experience in conducting gender-sensitive and intersectional analyses in fragile or conflict-affected settings;
• Experience in developing methodologies and tools for gender data collection and monitoring, as well as conducting gender analyses, including survey design and implementation, microdata analysis, and data quality assessment;
• Experience in drafting research and producing gender-sensitive reports, data visualization, and preparing communication materials like factsheets and infographics;
• Experience working with the humanitarian context in conflict-affected settings with specific challenges faced by women and girls;

• Capacity building and training experience, including developing and delivering training programs on gender statistics for various stakeholders.

  Languages:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
• Knowledge of any other UN official language is an asset. 

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.