National Consultant for Gender Analysis of Circular Economy in Serbia

Background/Context

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.

Within Serbia, UN Women provides technical assistance to national partners to implement international and national gender equality commitments, strengthen institutional mechanisms, and foster inclusive policy development.

Under the Gender Equality Facility – Phase III, UN Women is supporting national partners to integrate gender equality, non-discrimination, and accessibility standards in policymaking and EU fund management processes. Based on the request from the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia, UN Women seeks a consultant to conduct a comprehensive gender analysis of the circular economy in Serbia, identifying opportunities, barriers and policy recommendations to advance women's participation and leadership across circular economy sectors and value chains.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under the overall supervision of UN Women Serbia's Programme Analyst – Governance, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Conduct a desk review of relevant policies, legislation, studies and available data related to gender equality and the circular economy in Serbia.
• Analyze gender dimensions of employment, entrepreneurship, business ownership, skills development and access to financing in selected circular economy sectors.
• Conduct qualitative research (interviews and/or focus group discussions) with women engaged in circular economy sectors to assess their experiences, opportunities and challenges.
• Assess barriers and enabling factors affecting women's participation in circular economy activities, including recycling, repair and reuse services, waste management, and circular entrepreneurship.
• Identify key gender gaps, barriers and good practices.
• Develop recommendations for promoting women's participation and economic empowerment within the transition towards a circular economy.
• Prepare a comprehensive Gender Analysis of the Circular Economy in Serbia.

Deliverables

Deliverable	Expected completion time (due day)	Approximate number of working days
Inception Report including methodology, analytical framework and data collection plan.	20.11.2026	5 days
Draft Gender Analysis of the Circular Economy in Serbia incorporating findings from desk review, data analysis, interviews and focus groups	12.2.2027	20 days
Final Gender Analysis of the Circular Economy in Serbia incorporating comments received from UN Women	26.2.2027	5 days

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example
• Ability to work independently and proactively solve problem;
• Capacity to plan, priorities and deliver tasks on time.
• Capacity to engage with stakeholders to receive inputs for analysis and reporting;
• Strong interpersonal, teamwork and communication skills.

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 Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional comeptencies:

• Ability to work independently and proactively solve problem;
• Capacity to plan, priorities and deliver tasks on time.
• Capacity to engage with stakeholders to receive inputs for analysis and reporting;
• Strong interpersonal, teamwork and communication skills.
• Ability to research, analyse, compare and present complex information.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in economics, gender studies, social sciences, social policy, public administration, environmental sciences, law, or a related field.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of professional experience in gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, socio-economic research, policy analysis, sustainable development and/or environmental sustainability.
• At least 5 years of experience in conducting gender-related assessments, analyses and research.
• At least 5 years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including interviews and focus group discussions.
• Past cooperation and familiarity with UN Women’s work in Serbia.

Languages:

Fluency in English and Serbian is required, both written and spoken.

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 Unit-ed 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.)