UN Women National Consultant - Civil Engineer for Gender Responsive Small-Scale Infrastructure, Home-based Retainer

Background/Context

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.

In Cambodia, UN Women's work is guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024-2028, the Regional Strategic Note (2026-2029), and the Corporate Strategic Plan (2026-2029), These frameworks shape UN Women Cambodia's key priorities in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). UN Women Cambodia has worked closely with women machinery to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This connects to the Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) programme which UN Women has supported the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) via the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) in developing and implementing of the National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women (NAPVAW), particularly focusing on vulnerable groups such as women migrant workers. Additionally, the priority also supports the RGC to advance women peace security agenda which focuses on convening dialogues, with participation of wider stakeholder, including civil societies, government as well as academic institutions, situation analysis and study on gender barriers toward realization of the National Action Plan.

UN Women Cambodia has been a key advocate for gender-responsive policies in climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR). By building the capacity of national institutions and civil society organisations, the programme enables rural women and youth to actively participate in decision-making processes and apply gender analysis to issues like gender-based violence and climate resilience. UN Women continues to collaborate with key government ministries to scale up gender-responsive interventions, contributing to national efforts including as the National Action Plan on DRR (NAP on DRR), and Cambodia's climate commitments.

UN Women Cambodia launched a private-sector engagement initiative aimed at advancing women’s economic empowerment. As part of a regional programme, the initiatives seek to foster innovation, advance gender equality, and drive inclusive economic growth through partnerships, accelerators, and policy support. The initiative also focuses on generating evidence and data to guide investments and develop ecosystems that support gender-transformative innovations. Complimenting to private sector engagement, gender responsive procurement has been instrumental to women economic empowerment. By engaging businesses and other stakeholders, UN Women aims to create more opportunities for women to thrive in the Cambodian economy. This reflects the United Nations General Assembly adopted unanimously the Resolution 70/1 Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender equality and women’s empowerment is at the heart of the agenda, as numerous goals and targets address structural barriers to achieve equal rights and opportunities between women and men, girls and boys.

WE RISE Together 2.0 (WRT 2.0) – Advancing Gender-Responsive Procurement (GRP) in the Mekong sub-region is a four-year Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP) project developed by UN Women, started in March 2025. It is continuing of WE RISE Together 1.0 that was implemented in Thailand and Vietnam between March 2022 – February 2025. Cambodia office is a part of WRT 2.0 which sits under MAP’s Economic Resilience Fund (MAP-ERF) and addresses its four drivers of resilience (including macroeconomic, household, business, and government resilience), started the implementation in March 2025. The project responds to the prioritization of women’s economic empowerment by expanding market access for Women-owned Businesses (WOBs) and Gender Responsive Enterprises (GREs) through inclusive procurement opportunities. 

As part of UN Women’s Women Peace Security programme, and with support from the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF), UN Women Cambodia coordinated the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) Barrier Assessment, an unprecedented study conducted within Cambodia’s defence sector in close collaboration with the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces, Mines and Explosive Remnants of War Clearance (NPMEC). The assessment identified top three barriers to women’s meaningful participation in peace operations: deployment criteria, household constraints, and peace operations infrastructure. The findings provide critical evidence to inform institutional reform and targeted interventions aimed at advancing women’s participation and leadership in peacekeeping operations. In response to the MOWIP findings, UN Women and NPMEC are developing a project that includes targeted small scale infrastructure improvements to address key barriers to women’s participation in peace operations. This includes rebuilding the women’s toilets and upgrading the women’s counseling room at the training center in Kampong Speu Province. UN Women is therefore seeking a national engineer to provide technical support to the programme team and NPMEC in planning and implementing these small-scale infrastructure improvements, with a focus on gender-responsive and environmentally friendly approaches.

The consultant will be reporting to the WPS programme analyst, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues. 
 

In close collaboration with the WPS programme team and NPMEC team, the national consultant will provide technical expertise and advisory support on an intermittent, as-needed basis across various stages of infrastructure delivery, from the early identification and development of opportunities through to project implementation and monitoring.

The assignment will involve providing technical advice, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, supporting project operations and implementation, contributing to stakeholder engagement, advising on financial and resource considerations, and preparing technical inputs and reports. 

As a retainer, the incumbent will be engaged on an as-needed basis to address specific technical challenges, provide timely expert advice, and support key project milestones and deliverables.

The consultant will work closely with WPS programme team and NPMEC’s focal persons to perform the following tasks: 

Technical Support on Infrastructure Planning, Implementation and Monitoring

• →Provide engineering and construction technical guidance for the planning and design process of the project. This includes conducting site assessments, designing document, drawings, technical specifications, cost estimation and timeline to ensure quality, constructability and compliance with UN Women’s infrastructure review committee.
• →Provide technical advice and guidance for implementation of small-scale infrastructure activities ensuring compliance  quality, health, safety, social and environmental standards of the UN.
• →Lead in developing a tender’s terms of reference and other related documents.
• →Oversee and provide supervision to the selected construction contractors to ensure adherence to the approved designs, contracts and technical specifications. This will be conducted through a regular site visit/field supervision. 
• →Monitor progress against construction schedules and budgets, proactively identifying risks, delays and potential cost overruns and implementing approved corrective measures.

• Site assessment report, outlining a clear scope of work, technical specifications, the cost estimates, and timeline for the proposed small scale infrastructure activities
• Periodic site supervision reports documenting progress, quality compliance and issues identified, risk mitigation and recommendation for corrective actions where needed. 
• Bi-monthly progress reports detailing implementation status agreed timelines and budgets 
• Final inspection report confirming compliance with approved designs, technical standards, health and safety requirements and environmental standards. 
• Documentation of completed infrastructure works, including photos and handover recommendations. 

This is a home-based consultancy for a period from 01 November 2026 to 15 December 2027. As part of this assignment, the consultant may be required to travel. All travel will be arranged by UN Women following UN Women’s Travel Policy. 

The service will be rendered on “on call” basis with a maximum of 40 working days of assignment period. UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of contract amount will be purchased during the term of the Agreement.

The expected number of workdays for each deliverable will be discussed between the consultant and UN Women on a case-by-case basis. Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of a deliverable or as agreed between the consultant and UN Women. 

With UN Women’s guidance, the consultant might also engage with government officials, multi and bilateral donors, and the identified construction company. A workstation will be provided to the consultant to ensure effective consultation and support. The Consultant will bring his/her own personal computer to conduct this assignment. With the facilitation of the programme team, the consultant will also be expected to engage with external stakeholders. 

Payment will be made monthly, 10 days after the submission of monthly claim. The amount paid will be based on the number of days within the month that the consultant has done the assignment.
Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity 
• Integrity 
• Professionalism 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues 
• Accountability 
• Creative Problem Solving 
• Effective Communication 
• Inclusive Collaboration 
• Stakeholder Engagement 
• Leading by Example 
• Strong knowledge and technical expertise in construction management, civil engineering, site assessment and infrastructure project implementation. 
• Sound knowledge of gender-responsive infrastructure planning, design, and delivery, with the ability to integrate gender considerations into infrastructure projects to enhance accessibility, safety, and inclusivity.
• Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office and with stakeholders through leadership and personal example.
• The capacity to liaise with a range of stakeholders, especially government officials, to build rapport, working relationships, and exchange information in order to mobilize support and collaborative action.

• Strong knowledge and technical expertise in construction management, civil engineering, site assessment and infrastructure project implementation. 
• Sound knowledge of gender-responsive infrastructure planning, design, and delivery, with the ability to integrate gender considerations into infrastructure projects to enhance accessibility, safety, and inclusivity.
• Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office and with stakeholders through leadership and personal example.
• The capacity to liaise with a range of stakeholders, especially government officials, to build rapport, working relationships, and exchange information in order to mobilize support and collaborative action.

• Strong written and face-to-face communication skills in a cross-cultural context.

• Fluency in Khmer and English is required.

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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)