Gender Officer, Freetown

General

Description of assignment title
Gender Officer

Assignment country
Sierra Leone

Duty stations
Freetown

Work location
On UN premises

Expected start date
12/01/2026

Duration
12 months (with possibility of extension)

Sustainable Development Goal
5. Gender equality

Host entity
UNDP

Modality
Onsite

Type
National

Volunteer category
Associate UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule
Full-time

Number of Assignments
1

Details

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sierra Leone supports the United Nations system through its integrated offer, using a people-first approach centred on the ‘leave no one behind’ principle, and a human rights- and area-based development strategy.

In alignment with the 2030 Agenda, National Development Plan, United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the African Union Agenda 2063, the programme seeks to reduce multidimensional poverty and enhance justice, peace, social cohesion, and resilience with its focus on two pillars: (a) People-centred sustainable development and resilience, prioritising people’s well-being and planetary health and (b) Inclusive governance, peace, and prosperity, embodying harmonious development, effective resource management, and equitable governance.

Furthermore, the UNDP comparative advantage includes leveraging global and regional partnerships, working across economic, social, and environmental goals, strengthening good governance, and providing technical and policy-oriented support, all while ensuring national ownership for sustainable outcomes.

Context

The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the European Union and the United Nations aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). In Sierra Leone, the Initiative is implemented through a multi-sectoral and multi-partner approach involving UN agencies, government institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners. The programme is coordinated through a central Project Officer (or coordination function), who is responsible for overall programme oversight, strategic coordination, results delivery, stakeholder engagement, and reporting.

The Project Officer leads the day-to-day management of the Spotlight Initiative, including coordinating implementing partners, ensuring alignment with the programme results framework, overseeing monitoring and reporting processes, facilitating high-level engagement with government and donors, and driving the achievement of programme targets across all outcome areas. Given the breadth and complexity of these responsibilities, there is a critical need for dedicated support to strengthen knowledge management, partner follow-up, results tracking, and administrative processes.

While significant progress is being made, gaps remain in the systematic documentation and consolidation of knowledge products, real-time tracking of partner deliverables, and effective sharing of results and lessons learned to inform decision-making and visibility. In addition, the Project Officer requires strengthened operational support to ensure efficient coordination, timely reporting, and smooth implementation of programme activities.

To address these needs, the UN Volunteer (UNV) will be deployed to work under the guidance of the Project Officer and closely support the Spotlight Initiative coordination team. The UNV will contribute to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of programme implementation by supporting knowledge generation and management, facilitating internal and external learning and communication, strengthening follow-up with implementing partners, and providing monitoring and administrative support.

In close collaboration with the Project Officer, the UNV will help ensure that:

• Knowledge and evidence generated across partners are systematically captured, analyzed, and transformed into high-quality knowledge products;
• Results and lessons learned from the field are effectively communicated to stakeholders and used to inform programme improvement and policy engagement;
• Implementing partners are regularly engaged and supported to deliver outputs on time, with clear tracking of progress against agreed workplans;
• Monitoring, reporting, and administrative processes are streamlined to support timely decision-making and accountability.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Gender Analyst, the National UN Volunteer Associate – Gender Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Gather, select, and analyze information contained in communications, reports, and publications received from diverse sources, including the press, UN agencies, government ministries, civil society organizations, and community-based networks across Sierra Leone.
• Participate in the analysis and development of gender-responsive operational tools and guidance, including the review and analysis of gender equality issues and trends at the national, regional, and global levels, with particular attention to the implementation of the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) Act (2022) and the Abolition of Child Marriage Act (2024) in Sierra Leone.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of events relating to political and gender issues, specifically as they affect Sierra Leone and the thematic mandates of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, including progress on the National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325.
• Keep abreast of the latest trends and developments in Women, Peace and Security, and provide regular written and oral inputs on emerging issues to senior officials, UN colleagues in field missions, and other entities within the UN Secretariat.
• Monitor national and regional-level political developments and gender-related issues, particularly those affecting the WPS agenda, and provide technical advice and substantive support to UNDP field missions and UN agencies active on the ground in Sierra Leone.
• Maintain and strengthen contacts with other UN entities (UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA), international organizations (European Union, African Union), government ministries (particularly the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs), and non-governmental organizations on coordination and policy matters related to gender equality and WPS.
• Monitor, document, and report on gender-responsive actions taken by intergovernmental groups, UN organizations, government bodies, and non-governmental organizations, identifying successes, challenges, and lessons learned for application in the Sierra Leone context.
• Select, classify, and store in computerized databases sex- and age-disaggregated information and gender-related data relating to potential disputes, conflicts, and early warning signs involving assigned regions or chiefdoms within Sierra Leone.
• Participate in fact-finding and assessment missions on gender and Women, Peace and Security to districts within Sierra Leone, providing on-the-ground analysis, stakeholder consultations, and actionable recommendations.
• Collect and analyze data to identify trends or patterns in gender and political affairs, and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables, and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation, and reporting for UNDP Sierra Leone programming.
• Facilitate linkages between national-level policy discussions and community-level realities by maintaining regular communication with women-focused CSOs, traditional leaders, Paramount Chiefs, and community-based structures such as Chiefdom Coordination Groups and Village Development Committees.
• Ensure gender programming is inclusive of persons with disabilities by liaising with organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) such as the National Commission for Persons with Disability, and by advocating for accessible and inclusive approaches to WPS interventions.
• Contribute to the preparation of regular progress reports, donor reports, situation analyses, policy briefs, and other documentation as required by UNDP, the UN Peacebuilding Fund, and other development partners, ensuring gender-responsive language and analysis.
• Assist the Gender Analyst in designing and delivering capacity-building sessions, workshops, and training activities for government counterparts, CSO partners, and UN colleagues on gender analysis, WPS, gender-responsive budgeting, and related topics.

Key End-Results

Inputs Required:

By the end of the assignment, the National UN Volunteer Associate – Gender Officer will have delivered the following five key end-results:

1. Timely and Actionable Gender Analysis Produced: Regular gender-responsive political analysis, reports, policy briefs, and operational tools are developed and shared with senior UNDP officials, UN colleagues, and partners, directly informing programmatic decisions and strategic engagement on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gender equality in Sierra Leone.
2. Strengthened WPS implementation and coordination: Effective technical backstopping is provided to the implementation of WPS mandates, including the localization of Sierra Leone's National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325, with strong coordination maintained among government ministries (especially Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs), UN agencies (UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA), civil society organizations, and international partners.
3. Systematic gender data management and visualization: Sex- and age-disaggregated data on political and gender-related trends, conflicts, and early warning signs are systematically collected, classified, stored in computerized databases, and presented through graphs, charts, tables, and reports, enabling evidence-driven planning, decision-making, and reporting for UNDP Sierra Leone programming.

Eligibility criteria

Age

18 - 80

Required experience

1 month

Nationality

Candidate must be a national, legal resident or hold refugee status in the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience

3 years

Languages

• English, Level: Fluent, Required
• Krio, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level

Bachelor's degree in Gender Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Law, Sociology, Public Administration, Development Studies, Human Rights, or a related field

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Building Trust
• Commitment and Motivation
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Communication
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Judgement and Decision-making
• Knowledge Sharing
• Managing Performance
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Self-Management
• Technological Awareness
• Working in Teams

Skills and experience

• Ability to build cross-sectoral or cross-organizational partnerships with government ministries, UN agencies, civil society organizations, traditional leaders, and international partners to advance gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Sierra Leone.
• Gender analysis and data visualization expertise – proven ability to conduct gender-responsive analysis, collect and manage sex- and age-disaggregated data, and present insights using graphs, charts, and tables for evidence-driven decision-making and reporting.
• Experience working in a developing country (an advantage) and relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization (an asset), including familiarity with UN policies, procedures, and inter-agency coordination frameworks.
• Strong writing and field mission support skills – ability to produce high-quality analytical reports, policy briefs, and briefing notes, with willingness to travel to districts within Sierra Leone for fact-finding and assessment missions.

Area(s) of expertise

Communication, advocacy, public information, Gender, women's rights, Knowledge management, research, reporting

Driving license

Other information

Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Living conditions and remarks

Freetown is a vibrant, hilly city, with a population of just over one million. Set on a peninsula, you can see the sea from almost any point in the city and you are never far away from some spectacular beaches for swimming and surfing. There are good supermarkets and restaurants, and mobile and internet services are available for a fair price. The number of international flight connections to Sierra Leone is increasing, with more airlines flying to Europe and within Africa. The general security situation is peaceful, and the overall Security Level in Sierra Leone is classified as Low (Level 2) as per the UN security management system. Crime is classified as moderate, with incidents primarily related to property thefts, house break-ins and robberies. Housing in Freetown ranges from independent houses to apartments - available furnished and un-furnished. Most long-stay accommodation are rented by the year or the half-year. Most staff stay in apartments, which come equipped with generators, a water supply, and security guards. The housing situation is constantly improving, with new apartment complexes being built to an increasingly high standard. There are a limited number of international schools in Freetown, with options including American and British international schools, as well as a few smaller independent schools which follow either American or British curricula. UN staff children attend a variety of schools. Staff can access a limited number of healthcare facilities.

Access to healthcare in Sierra Leone can be limited, particularly in rural areas. It is essential to have adequate health insurance coverage before moving to the country. Local clinics and hospitals are available but may not offer the same standard of care as in developed countries. Take preventative measures, such as vaccinations and regular check-ups, to maintain your health.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

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