UN Women: International Consultant - Editor, Home-Based, International Consultant, Retainer - 3 Positions

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. Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. The consultant will be reporting to Title, and will be supported by Title, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Integrated Programming and Localization, (2) Women’s movement building through core grant making; 3) Policy and Research; 4) Economic Resilience and Private Sector and 5) Coordination, Access and Humanitarian Response. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces of Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar. 

UN Women country programme is delivered through generous support from several donors. Timely submission of results focused reports is essential for maintaining good relations with the donors. UN Women Afghanistan is seeking to recruit international consultants - Editors with expertise in copy-editing, synthesizing and rewriting reports, knowledge products and communication materials for dissemination to donors and public audiences. The consultant should have a strong background in gender equality and women’s human rights, with a good understanding of Results Based Reporting skills. The consultant will support the UN Women Afghanistan Country office on a retainer basis when needed. 

Scope of Work

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Monitoring and Reporting Specialist and overall guidance of the Programme Management Support Unit Manager to ensure delivery of following tasks:

1. Review and revise UN Women reports:

• Ensure correctness of language, including grammar, spelling, and use of politically appropriate terminology.
• Strengthen results-based reporting: activities must be accompanied by clear results statements, aligned with the logic model. Outputs are reported at the output level, and outcomes at the outcome level, consistent with RBM principles.
• Maintain consistency with previous reports submitted under the same subject. The consultant will proactively request and review past reports provided by ACO.
• Apply a consistent style and format across the document, eliminating repetition and inconsistencies.
• Ensure proper positioning and numbering of boxes, figures, and tables.
• Standardize fonts for headings and text and apply italics/bold appropriately.
• Verify all footnotes, sources, and references are complete and consistent.
• Conduct a thorough review of annexes (e.g., people consulted, bibliography), highlighting incomplete areas and ensuring alignment with UN Women publication guidelines.
• Review and refine the Table of Contents and Acronym List.

1. Copy-editing, Synthesizing, and Rewriting

• Edit and refine ACO reports, knowledge products, and communication materials.
• Recast content into concise, accessible formats that align with UN Women’s reporting style manual and publication guidance.
• Synthesize information from multiple sources into coherent, results-focused narratives.

1. Provide Feedback for Quality Improvement: Prepare specific, actionable feedback to UN Women ACO teams to strengthen reporting quality and adherence to standards.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This consultancy is home-based assignment and will provide remote services as stipulated in the Scope of Work.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Language and Style Proficiency: Ability to ensure grammatical accuracy, clarity, inclusive language, and adherence to organizational style guidelines.
• Results-Based Reporting Expertise: Skilled in aligning reports with RBM principles, ensuring outputs and outcomes are reported at the correct level with clear results statements.
• Analytical and Synthesizing Skills: Capacity to merge information from multiple sources into coherent, concise, and results‑focused narratives.
• Attention to Detail: Strong ability to identify and correct inconsistencies, ensure completeness of annexes, references, and formatting, and maintain consistency across documents.
• Collaboration and Feedback: Proactive engagement with staff to provide constructive editorial feedback and strengthen overall reporting quality.

IV. Required Qualifications

Education:

• Master degree in communications, journalism, international development, gender studies, or related field is required.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive relevant editorial expertise is required.
• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women’s human rights, with proven ability to integrate these perspectives into reporting and publications is required.
• Demonstrated expertise in results‑based reporting (RBM), including familiarity with logic models, indicators, and donor reporting requirements is required.
• Prior relevant work experience with UN Women is desirable.
• Knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural and political context of Afghanistan and women’s rights situation and work in the country will be desirable.

Language:

• English is required.
• Knowledge of local language, Dari and/or Pashto, will be considered desirable. 

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.