National Consultant – Baseline Profiling and Capacity Needs Assessment

Job Vacancy at UN Women – National Consultant, Baseline Profiling and Capacity Needs Assessment (October 2026)

Organisation: UN Women
Job Title: National Consultant – Baseline Profiling and Capacity Needs Assessment
Job Identification: 37526
Location: Tanzania
Job Category: Consultancies
Job Function: Governance and National Planning
Contract Duration: 40 Working Days
Job Schedule: Full-Time
Grade: ADM
Date Posted: 26 October 2026
Application Deadline: 6 November 2026, at 7:59 a.m. Tanzania time

About UN Women

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. The organisation works to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and promote equality between women and men in development, human rights, humanitarian action, peace and security.

In Tanzania, UN Women collaborates with the Government, civil society organisations, development partners and communities to advance women’s leadership and participation, economic empowerment, prevention of violence against women and girls, gender-responsive governance and women’s meaningful participation in peace and security processes.

Background and Context

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, established through United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions, recognises the critical role of women in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, humanitarian action and recovery.

Tanzania’s first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (TNAP-WPS) for 2025–2029 was officially launched in August 2025. The plan establishes national priorities under four pillars:

• Prevention
• Participation
• Protection
• Relief and Recovery

Implementation will initially focus on eight priority regions:

1. Kigoma
2. Mtwara
3. Lindi
4. Arusha
5. Mara
6. Tanga
7. Unguja Mjini
8. Pemba Kusini

The initiative seeks to strengthen institutional capacity, gender-responsive systems, coordination mechanisms and collaboration between national and local actors. It also aims to identify opportunities to integrate WPS priorities into regional and local development planning.

The assessment is funded by the Embassy of Ireland through the Joint Initiative to Strengthen National and Development Partners’ Gender Equality Coordination Mechanisms.

UN Women, in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups on Mainland Tanzania and the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children in Zanzibar, intends to engage a qualified consultant to conduct an integrated baseline profiling and capacity needs assessment across the eight priority regions.

Purpose of the Assignment

The consultant will conduct a combined baseline profiling and capacity needs assessment of institutions, actors, systems and community structures responsible for implementing the TNAP-WPS.

The assignment will generate evidence on the current WPS landscape, institutional readiness, community structures, gender-responsive systems and coordination mechanisms. It will also identify capacity gaps and propose practical recommendations and a capacity-strengthening plan to support effective implementation of the WPS agenda.

Specific Objectives

1. Baseline Profiling

• Establish baseline data on WPS-related structures, systems, actors and interventions in the eight priority regions.
• Document existing peacebuilding, protection, humanitarian and gender-equality mechanisms at regional, district, ward, village and shehia levels.
• Map WPS actors, networks, committees, peace clubs, security organs and community structures.
• Identify contextual factors, conflict drivers, protection risks and gender-specific vulnerabilities relevant to TNAP-WPS implementation.

2. Capacity Needs Assessment

• Assess institutional, technical, human-resource, coordination and operational capacities of WPS-related structures.
• Identify gaps in knowledge, skills, systems, tools and resources required to implement TNAP-WPS activities.
• Assess gender-mainstreaming capacity within security organs, local government authorities (LGAs), humanitarian response structures and community protection mechanisms.
• Develop a capacity-building plan covering training modules, institutional strengthening measures, coordination mechanisms and resource requirements.
• Recommend ways to integrate WPS priorities into local development plans, sectoral strategies and LGA operational systems, aligned with FYDP IV and DIRA 2050.

Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities

The consultant will work closely with UN Women, the WPS National Steering Committee, regional authorities and local government structures across the eight priority regions.

1. Document Review

Review relevant documents, including:

• TNAP-WPS and its One-Year Implementation Plan.
• Regional security profiles.
• LGA development plans.
• Gender policies and guidelines.
• Existing WPS initiatives.
• Regional development blueprints and relevant sectoral plans.
• Training curricula, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and tools used by peace and security structures.

2. Baseline Profiling

• Map WPS actors, networks, committees, peace clubs, security organs, humanitarian actors and community structures.
• Document existing systems, coordination mechanisms, gender desks, peace committees and protection services.
• Profile contextual risks, conflict dynamics, cross-border issues, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) trends and humanitarian pressures.
• Establish baseline indicators aligned with the TNAP-WPS results framework.

3. Institutional Capacity Assessment

• Assess the capacity of regional and district security committees to coordinate and implement WPS interventions, including their structures, mandates and mechanisms for conflict prevention, early warning and response.
• Examine the functionality of gender desks within the police and LGAs, focusing on case management, survivor-centred approaches, referral pathways and links with justice and protection systems.
• Review the establishment, activities and sustainability of school peace clubs and their contribution to peace education, youth engagement, early warning and community cohesion.
• Assess the institutional strength, outreach and coordination capacity of women’s networks, including AWLN, TPF-NET, SHIVYAWATA, NACOPHA, Sisters Without Borders and other relevant networks.
• Evaluate the roles of religious and traditional leaders, civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations, refugee-hosting institutions in Kigoma, disaster management committees, and border management and migration centres in promoting gender-responsive peacebuilding, conflict mediation, humanitarian response and protection of women and girls.
• Review regional development plans and relevant district and local government plans to assess the integration of WPS priorities into subnational development planning.

4. Stakeholder Consultations

• Conduct key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs) and technical consultations with Regional Commissioners and local government authorities.
• Engage security organs, including the police, Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF), prisons and immigration services, to examine their mandates, operational roles and gender-responsive capacities.
• Consult community leaders on local conflict drivers, protection risks, social norms and community-based peacebuilding mechanisms.
• Engage women’s rights organisations and youth groups to document their contributions, challenges and opportunities for strengthening inclusive participation, early warning, peacebuilding and community resilience.
• Consult humanitarian actors and peacebuilding committees to assess coordination mechanisms, protection services, gender-responsive humanitarian capacities and operational gaps.

5. Skills and Knowledge Gap Analysis

• Assess gender-mainstreaming gaps in institutional planning, budgeting, analysis and service delivery.
• Identify weaknesses in conflict prevention, early-warning systems, mediation, negotiation and community-based conflict resolution.
• Examine gaps in SGBV response, including survivor-centred approaches, referral pathways, case management and coordination with justice and health systems.
• Assess knowledge and skills gaps in peacebuilding, humanitarian response, leadership and WPS coordination.
• Examine capacities for inclusive dialogue, social cohesion, protection-focused humanitarian action, women’s leadership, monitoring, reporting and alignment with TNAP-WPS priorities.

6. Capacity-Building Strategy Development

• Develop training modules aligned with TNAP-WPS priorities, addressing identified gaps in gender mainstreaming, conflict prevention, protection, peacebuilding and humanitarian response.
• Recommend institutional-strengthening measures to improve coordination, accountability and operational effectiveness at national and subnational levels.
• Propose coordination and reporting mechanisms linking regional, district, ward and community-level WPS actors.
• Identify resource requirements, potential partners and opportunities to leverage existing programmes for sustainable capacity-building and long-term institutional strengthening.

Expected Deliverables and Timeline

The assignment will be completed over 40 working days, with the following deliverables:

No.	Deliverable	Timeline
1	Draft inception report, including work plan, methodology, tools and stakeholder map	7 days
2	Final inception report, including validated tools, sampling and analytical framework	3 days
3	Zero draft baseline and capacity assessment report	18 days
4	First draft report and stakeholder presentation	5 days
5	Final report and capacity-building plan	7 days
	Total	40 working days

Reporting and Supervision

The consultant will report to the UN Women Programme Manager, with technical oversight provided by the WPS National Technical Committee and relevant ministries.

A Programme Analyst will serve as the contact person for contractual and payment matters.

UN Women and government partners will provide background documents, facilitate stakeholder access and support field coordination. Travel to the eight priority regions may be required and will be subject to UN Women’s approval.

Performance will be assessed based on:

• Timeliness of deliverables.
• Quality and analytical rigour.
• Stakeholder engagement.
• Clarity and quality of reporting.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

• An advanced degree in Gender Studies, Peace and Security, International Development, Political Science or a related field.
• A Master’s degree is identified in the announcement as an added advantage.

Work Experience and Technical Skills

Applicants should have:

• At least five years of experience in gender, peacebuilding, security reform or humanitarian programming.
• Proven experience conducting capacity assessments, institutional analyses or WPS-related research.
• A strong understanding of Tanzania’s governance, security and gender-equality landscape.
• Experience working with security organs, LGAs, civil society organisations and women’s networks.
• Excellent qualitative and quantitative research skills.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Excellent analytical skills, a strong results orientation and the ability to work independently.
• Excellent English communication and report-writing skills.

Samples of previous work will be required.

Language Requirements

Fluency in both English and Kiswahili, including excellent verbal and written communication skills, is required.

Required Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

For more information, visit the UN Women Core Values and Competencies Framework.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified consultants should apply through the official UN Women Careers recruitment portal.

CLICK/TAP HERE TO APPLY:

1. Search for National Consultant – Baseline Profiling and Capacity Needs Assessment.
2. Confirm the vacancy using Job Identification 37526.
3. Review the full terms of reference and application requirements.
4. Complete the online application and submit the required information and supporting documents, including samples of previous work as requested.

Application Deadline

6 November 2026, at 7:59 a.m. Tanzania time.

Applicants are advised to submit their applications before the deadline and ensure that all required information and supporting documents are included.