National Consultant: Gender, Economy, and Value Chain Analysis, NOB level

Project Title: Women Architects of Recovery: Sudan Women's Economic Potential and Investment Opportunity Assessment

Partnership/Framework: Joint initiative under the Advisory Office for Women and Children and UNFPA Sudan Country Office, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) unit.

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the International Lead Consultant and guidance of the UNFPA GBV Team Lead. An Advisory Board may be created.

UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff who embody these international norms and standards and will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact sustained results, ensuring effective external relations, communications, partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results

Sudan is entering a critical recovery and reconstruction phase that will rely heavily on evidence and data to inform rights-based policies. Traditionally, assessments focusing on women in conflict-affected settings concentrate on humanitarian vulnerabilities and protection risks. While vital, this overlooks women’s active contributions to local economies, agricultural production, and informal entrepreneurship; and how strategic investments can accelerate recovery, resilience and peace. This joint assessment introduces a paradigm shift by analyzing women as proactive economic actors, producers, and entrepreneurs—positioning them as "Architects of Recovery". The assessment will combine economic analysis, market mapping, value chain assessments, enterprise surveys, and community perspectives to identify investment-ready opportunities for women-led economic recovery across target states. Findings will provide evidence-based portfolios to guide government policies, development finance institutions, and private sector investments. The National Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Team Lead (international) Consultant and in close cooperation with the Advisory Office for Women and Children in Sudan, and be responsible for: 1. Support quantification of women’s contribution to local and national economies in target states. 2. Carrying out market mapping and gender-responsive value chain analyses for high-potential sectors. 3. Support formulating evidence-based recovery financing recommendations and developing a pipeline of investment-ready opportunities. 4. Support the design of the assessment methodology with the qualitative inputs and substantial inputs about the women and economy in Sudan. 5. Implementation of the assessment’s overall methodology. 6. Support in evaluation of the role of young women and youth-led enterprises in the economy, and identifying opportunities to harness the demographic dividend (through direct engagement).

The National Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Lead International Consultant, in close cooperation with UNFPA Sudan and the designated Focal Point from the Advisory Office for Women and Children. Serving as the primary field person responsible for local execution, field-level data collection, and stakeholder coordination across target states, the consultant will execute the following key duties: 

Methodology Design: Provide local inputs and context-specific adaptations to the overall assessment methodology combining quantitative economic analysis, qualitative community insights, and market mapping. Assist in reviewing, field-testing, and contextualizing data collection tools and analytical frameworks developed by the international team to ensure suitability for target states in Sudan. 

Value Chain & Market Analysis:  Conduct field-level mapping of women-led productive sectors and collect primary data on prioritized high-potential value chains (such as Agriculture, Livestock, Food Processing, Manufacturing, Creative Industries, and the Care/Green Economy). Gather ground-level data on local structural, social, financial, and logistical barriers limiting women's economic activity across target states, providing empirical inputs to support investment return estimations.

 Stakeholder Coordination: Lead field-level stakeholder engagement across target states with local government bodies (including MHRSW institutional staff), Advisory Office for Women and Children, IOM/DTM field units, local business networks, financial institutions, and community leadership. In consultations with the Lead Consultant and UNFPA, organize and coordinate (and conduct when feasible given the possible access constraints) structured qualitative field interviews, key informant discussions, and focus group sessions with women entrepreneurs and community actors. 

Report Production & Deliverables: Compile, clean, and synthesize field data, qualitative transcripts, and state-level profiles into structured field progress reports to feed directly into the main assessment narrative led by the International Consultant.  Provide ground-level data inputs and local context validation to support the formulation of the Women's Economic Recovery Index (WERI) framework, Women's Recovery Investment Atlas, and investment pipeline. Organize and co-facilitate local stakeholder validation workshops in Sudan and assist in reviewing localized documentation.

Duration: 120 days over a period of approximately 12 months.

The Consultant will work in a team with the International (Lead) Consultant, is expected to align the deliverables and organize the contracted time as follows:

 Deliverable 1 (Month 2): Inputs to Comprehensive Inception Report, including localized methodology adaptations, field data collection frameworks, target state profiles, and desk review of national secondary literature.

 Deliverable 2 (Month 6): Support drafting the field Progress Report containing preliminary local value chain maps, field data on women’s economic contributions, and identified barriers across target states. 

Deliverable 3 (Month 9): Inputs to Draft Assessment Report and draft Policy Framework recommendations; co-facilitation of the Stakeholder Validation Workshop in Sudan. 

Deliverable 4 (Month 12): Finalized national data inputs for the Sudan Women’s Economic Potential Assessment report, Women's Recovery Investment Atlas, and Women Architects of Recovery Investment Portfolio pipeline. Co-presentation to stakeholders and media.
 

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Development Economics, Agricultural Economics, Gender and Development, Business Administration, Public Policy, International Development, or another closely related field. ● A PhD in a relevant field will be considered an advantage.

Professional Experience: 

Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience in economic research, market systems development, value chain analysis, or women's economic empowerment in Sudan.

 Proven expertise in conducting gender-responsive market and value chain analyses, including identifying barriers, growth opportunities, and investment potential for women-led enterprises. 

Proven track record in research design, field data collection, and collaborative work with UN institutions, government ministries, and national stakeholders. 

Strong understanding of post-conflict recovery dynamics and women’s economic empowerment frameworks. 

Strong understanding of ethics of data collection and working with vulnerable groups. 

Strong knowledge of Sudan’s economic context, including informal economies, agriculture, livestock, food processing, manufacturing, care work, green economy, renewable energy, digital economy, circular economy, and women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises. 

Excellent analytical, drafting, facilitation and communication skills. Demonstrated knowledge of international gender equality and human rights standards.

• Written and verbal communication skills in both Arabic and English, both at professional level.

• Exemplifying integrity, 
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 
• Embracing cultural diversity, 
• Embracing change

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed timelines. 
•  Inclusive Collaboration;
•  Stakeholder Engagement; 
•  Commitment to gender equality, inclusion, confidentiality, ethical research, and conflict-sensitive approaches.

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.