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.
Part of the Strategic Partnerships Division, the Private Sector Partnerships (PSP) Section leads UN Women’s engagement with the private sector, corporations, philanthropy, foundations, and individuals - both in terms of a substantive components and resource mobilization - and it drives a wide range of UN Women’s global initiatives: HeForShe, Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and Unstereotype Alliance (UA). It also leads the work with all UN Women National Committees, and on the development of the individual/digital giving business line for private sector. PSP’s main aims are to ensure that UN Women develops and sustains high quality and impact focused partnerships to achieve maximum results for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Barbershop Toolkit is a HeForShe participatory program, rooted in the Transforming Patriarchal Masculinities (TPM) approach, and designed to engage men and boys in exploring equitable masculinities, gender equality, and social norms change. To scale the initiative across multiple countries and languages, UN Women seeks to establish a roster of qualified facilitators who can deliver Barbershop sessions and support local adaptation processes. The Consultant Roster is a deployment mechanism maintaining pre-vetted experts within an area of specialization and related sub-specializations. The roster is established to meet the organization’s growing need for access to expertise and to accelerate delivery. The roster provides HQ, Regional and Country Offices access to a large pool of pre-vetted candidates to be able to kickstart new programmes, accelerate delivery of existing programmes and/or respond to emergency situations/urgent assignments requiring rapid deployments of qualified expertise.
The consultant will report to the Partnerships Engagement and Special Initiatives Advisor, and Global Head of HeForShe who will serve as the focal point for all contractual and payment-related matters. The consultant will otherwise be expected to work independently to prepare and deliver contextualized Barbershop sessions in accordance with Barbershop methodology, facilitation standards and implementation protocols, including M&E framework. Consultants will also be required to participate in mandatory onboarding and knowledge exchange webinars (up to 10 hours per year); however, time spent attending these sessions will not be compensated. The Barbershop Toolkit Sessions themselves are expected to be delivered starting in Q4 2026.
Deliverables
Deliverable
Activity
Timeline
Completion of mandatory onboarding Barbershop Toolkit webinars
- Attend at least 80% of mandatory Barbershop Orientation and Coordination Webinars, organized by UN Women, to ensure alignment with Barbershop methodology, facilitation standards, and implementation protocols.
- Review facilitation toolkit, safeguarding guidance, and implementation framework.
- Confirm understanding of curriculum objectives and reporting requirements.
The first six months from roster onboarding, not paid activity. These webinars are envisioned to take place in 2026.
Adapted Barbershop session preparation package delivered
- Review standard Barbershop curriculum and session objectives.
- Adapt content to local language, specific setting, socio-cultural context, and participant profile.
- Align facilitation approach with partner needs and logistics.
- Coordinate with UN Women or implementing partner on session design and readiness.
Submit finalized adapted materials at least 7 working days prior to workshop delivery
Barbershop session(s) delivered in line with standardized methodology and agreed schedule
- Conduct Barbershop session(s) for groups of men and boys according to standardized curriculum and guidelines.
- Facilitate dialogue on gender equality and equitable masculinities using approved curriculum.
- Maintain safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment.
- Adapt facilitation techniques to group dynamics while maintaining core learning objectives.
Post-Workshop Monitoring and Evaluation Report submitted
- Deliver structured M&E aligned with the Barbershop M&E Framework report summarizing delivery, participation, outcomes, and learning insights.
- Document participant attendance, engagement, and profile.
- Summarize key discussion themes and outcomes
- Record facilitation observations, challenges, and lessons learned.
- Provide recommendations for future sessions and improvements.
Submit report within 5 working days after workshop completion
Community of Practice and knowledge contribution package delivered
- Share facilitation insights, lessons learned, and good practices through Barbershop community of practice platforms or debrief sessions.
- Contribute written inputs to strengthen guidance notes and supplementary facilitation materials.
- Provide recommendations to improve future Barbershop sessions and implementation approaches.
Submit facilitator testimonials and reflective statements for use in UN Women communications and advocacy materials on the Barbershop initiative.
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Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy under the UN Women Consultants Roster modality. The assignment is part of a pre-vetted expert roster mechanism, designed to enable rapid and flexible deployment of facilitators to support Barbershop programming across HQ, Regional, and Country Office levels, depending on demand from UN Women and implementing partners. Inclusion in the roster does not guarantee assignment/employment, as engagements are contingent on programme needs, partner requests, and available resources.
As such, consultants will primarily work remotely and are engaged on an as-needed basis, with assignments varying in duration, frequency, and geographic scope depending on implementation requirements. Where required, the consultancy may involve short-term in-person facilitation assignments or field missions to support Barbershop sessions. Travel requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may include national or international locations depending on programme needs.
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:
- Strong understanding of gender equality concepts, equitable masculinities, and social norm change approaches.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills, including conflict resolution and group management.
- Cultural sensitivity and experience working in diverse contexts and with diverse populations.
- Ability to adapt content to different languages, literacy levels, and socio-cultural contexts.
- Experience in monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of training or community engagement programs is an asset.
- Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes is an asset.
Familiarity with the HeForShe Initiative and Barbershop Toolkit is an asset.
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Required Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Social Sciences, Human Rights, Gender/ Women’s studies, International Development, 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.
Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years of work experience
Experience facilitating trainings, workshops, or dialogue-based programmes on gender equality, male allyship and equitable masculinities is required.
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Languages:
- Fluency in oral and written English is required.
Fluency in an additional language is highly desirable, particularly if it will assist in adapting the Barbershop toolkit and materials to regional or local contexts.
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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 .
