UN Women: Private Sector Engagement Consultant, Home-based, Beijing

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality are translated into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts while building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In China, UN Women China Office is committed to delivering on its Strategic Note (2026-2030), which outlines its obligations, commitments, and actions under the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for the People’s Republic of China (2026-2030). The office’s work contributes to UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan (2026-2029) and is closely aligned with national priorities of the People’s Republic of China and other international conventions and commitments including The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Through UN Women’s unique triple mandate, the UN Women China Country Office supports and carries out work on (i) women's economic empowerment (including gender and climate); (ii) high-quality social services and social protection (including ending violence against women); and (iii) global partnerships and sustainable financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The office’s work is further supported and catalysed through policy analysis, strategic partnerships – including with private sector partners, strategic communications, and operations.

To support the achievement of the Strategic Note and UNSDCF, the office will continue engaging private sector organizations – including international and domestic companies, business associations and networks, philanthropic organizations, family offices, and high-net worth individuals in China.

Aligned with UN Women’s Private Sector Engagement Strategy (2023-2025), the office has a history of partnering with private sector organizations on several fronts, including:

• UN Women global private sector flagship initiatives such as the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) – a set of principles and global platform established by UN women and UN Global Compact to offer guidance and resources to business on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.
• Resource mobilization efforts.
• Strategic convenings, communications and advocacy.
• Policy / industry research and analysis support.
• Programme design and implementation – including in areas related to gender-responsive workplaces, sustainable finance for gender equality, and others.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Partnerships, the Consultant is responsible for implementing the office’s private sector engagement strategy. This includes collaborating with programme teams and functional teams to advance private sector engagement and partnership building, as well as resource mobilization efforts. Importantly, the Consultant will play a key role in securing priority resource mobilization initiatives, as well as advancing WEPs engagement with the over 500 WEPs signatories in China.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The Consultant will work under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Partners to implement the office’s private sector engagement strategy, aligned with UN Women China’s Strategic Note (2026-2030) and UN Women’s Global Private Sector Engagement Strategy. In addition to the specific deliverables, the Consultant may support on other tasks and activities that contribute to the achievement of these deliverables.

Deliverables

In particular, the consultant is expected to undertake the following functions and activities:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy, with possibility to present at the UN Women Office in China for meetings and consultations (schedule to be agreed later with supervisor). The Consultant is required to undertake regular update meetings with the Head of Partnerships. Broader meetings with the China Country Office programme team and other team members as well as other UN agencies will be required as well.

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:

• Great knowledge of the private sector context in China.
• Strong people and networking skills, especially among private sector stakeholders.
• Strong conceptual and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong analytical, writing and presentation skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
• Ability to provide advice, coordination, and support across multiple workstream / pillars.
• Strong planning and organization skills.
• Good knowledge and understanding of international commitments on gender equality and SDGs.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Business or Business Administration (finance, marketing, international business, etc.), Economics, Public Policy, 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:

• At least2 years of work experience in or with private sector entities, preferred working in the areas of strategy consulting, fundraising, marketing, public relations, resource mobilization, business development and/or partnerships is required.
• At least2 years of work experience in fundraising and resource mobilization as well as partnership building, especially with the private sector in China and through innovative funding models is required.
• At least 2 years of work experience in designing, planning, coordinating and/or executing high-level events, engagements and convenings with private sector entities required/desired.
• Experience working in the fields of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is an advantage.
• Experience in managing senior private sector relationships in China is an advantage.
• Good analytical and writing skills in English are required.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Chinese are required.

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.

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.

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.