UN Women Hiring WHRD Window Protection Assessment Specialist for Home-Based Consultancy|Deadline 27 Aug 2026
UN Women is inviting applications for a WHRD Window Protection Assessment Specialist to undertake a home-based individual consultancy focused on strengthening protection support for women human rights defenders (WHRDs). The consultancy offers an opportunity for a highly experienced professional to contribute to the review and improvement of protection, verification, safeguarding, and operational processes supporting women human rights defenders working in conflict and crisis settings.
The position is based remotely from home and has an initial contract duration of 30 working days. The consultancy is classified under Audit and Evaluation, making it particularly relevant to professionals with extensive experience in humanitarian protection, programme evaluation, grant management, safeguarding, gender equality, and Women, Peace and Security.
About UN Women and the Assignment
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. The organization works globally to advance women’s rights and support initiatives addressing gender equality, women’s leadership, peace, security, humanitarian action, and economic empowerment.
The consultancy is connected to the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), which was launched in 2016 as a multi-partner trust fund. The fund supports initiatives that strengthen women’s participation, leadership, protection, and influence in peace and humanitarian contexts.
In 2022, the WPHF Global Steering Committee established a dedicated funding window for the protection and advocacy of women human rights defenders. Through this window, support is provided to WHRDs facing risks in crisis and conflict settings.
The specialist will conduct an internal review of the verification and protection approaches used by eight international non-governmental organization partners delivering urgent protection support through the WHRD Window’s Safety Net Stream.
Key Responsibilities
The selected consultant will review the process from the transfer of applications by WPHF to partner organizations through verification, approval, protection support, financial transfers, and case closure.
One of the first responsibilities will be to prepare an inception report and review plan. This will outline the methodology, objectives, workplan, timeline, interview guides, data collection tools, ethical considerations, and do-no-harm approaches.
The consultant will then undertake a comprehensive document and process review. This will include examining WPHF project documents, annual reports, financial and narrative reports from INGO partners, application systems, and procedures used to transfer assistance.
Another major component will involve mapping the entire process from application referral through verification and protection assistance to final case closure. The review will identify strengths, bottlenecks, inconsistencies, operational risks, and opportunities for improvement.
Working With INGO Partners
The consultant will consult with all eight participating INGO partners to understand how they receive, assess, approve, or reject applications from WHRDs.
The assessment will examine areas such as application validation, protection risk assessments, safeguarding, confidentiality, processing times, financial transfers, monitoring, follow-up, and the partners’ capacity to handle increased application volumes.
The consultant will also review a sample of cases processed between 2022 and 2025 to assess the consistency of eligibility decisions, verification procedures, and approval or rejection processes.
An important part of the work will be ensuring that do-no-harm principles, research ethics, safeguarding, and confidentiality are appropriately incorporated throughout the process.
Developing Protection Guidelines
The successful consultant will also help finalize an assessment tool that UN Women can use when assessing existing and potential INGO partners.
In addition, the specialist will develop practical protection guidelines for partners participating in the Safety Net Stream. These guidelines will cover the process from receiving proposals through individual grant closure and will be used for capacity-strengthening sessions with INGO partners and WPHF staff.
The consultant will ultimately prepare a summary paper of no more than 10 pages containing key findings and recommendations. These recommendations will focus on improving protection practices, strengthening partner capacity, improving efficiency, and enhancing the value for money of the WPHF partnership model.
Qualifications and Experience
This is a senior-level consultancy with substantial professional requirements.
Applicants must have a Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender or women’s studies, international development, or a related discipline. A first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted instead.
Candidates must have at least 10 years of relevant professional experience working with multi-trust funds, global funds, funds supporting WHRDs, or organizations financing protected groups.
Applicants also need experience providing protection support to women human rights defenders and activists, along with experience in the Women, Peace and Security agenda and conflict or crisis environments.
Experience coordinating with civil society organizations and INGOs, conducting operational reviews, and working within humanitarian or protection settings is also required.
Knowledge of feminist assessments, evaluations involving vulnerable populations, do-no-harm principles, and research ethics would be an advantage.
Language Requirements
Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of additional UN languages is considered an advantage.
This requirement is particularly important because the consultancy involves engagement with international partners and stakeholders and requires effective communication throughout the assessment process.
Application Requirements
Interested candidates must submit several documents as part of the application.
These include a one-page cover letter summarizing relevant experience and competencies, a 5–8 page proposal outlining experience, methodology, consultation questions, potential limitations, and ethical considerations, a relevant sample of previous work, and a personal CV or UN Women P11 form.
Applicants should ensure that all sections of the application, including education and employment history, are fully completed.
Deadline and Location
The consultancy is home-based, with no regular office location specified. The position was posted on 20 August 2026, and applications must be submitted by 27 August 2026 at 5:59 AM.
This opportunity is best suited to experienced humanitarian, protection, gender, evaluation, and Women, Peace and Security professionals with a strong background in international development and civil society partnerships.
For qualified candidates, the consultancy provides an opportunity to contribute directly to improving protection systems for women human rights defenders facing risks in conflict and crisis settings while supporting UN Women’s broader gender equality and humanitarian objectives.
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