Gender Specialist for the EU-PH Public Procurement Project

Description of the Assignment:

Public procurement in the Philippines remains a strategic area for governance reform. Despite recent regulatory improvements, the Philippine public procurement system faces persistent challenges in transparency, accountability, and citizen trust. The passage of the 2024 New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) offers a landmark framework for reform. However, its success relies on strengthening institutional oversight, enhancing data transparency, and empowering civil society to actively monitor procurement practices.

This project supports the operationalization of the NGPA by building the capacities of oversight bodies (such as the Commission on Audit, Government Procurement Policy Board, and civil society organizations), central procurement agencies (Procurement Services-Department of Budget and Management [PS-DBM] and DBM). Key interventions include improving data-driven participatory audits, advancing procurement data governance, and institutionalizing transparent and accountable Standard Operating Procedures.

A central pillar of this project is ensuring that procurement reforms are inclusive and equitable. The project has a Gender Marker 2 (GEN2) rating, signifying that gender equality is a significant objective. This aligns with the EUs Gender Action Plan III (GAP III), which calls for dismantling structural barriers to promote womens active participation in governance. The project documents explicitly mandate the integration of gender equality and social inclusion (GEDSI) across all outputs, from data analytics and policy formulation to capacity building and digital tool design.

To achieve this, the project requires a Gender Specialist to lead the integration of a gender perspective into all facets of the project. This involves ensuring that project activities, outputs, and policy recommendations effectively address the differential needs of women, men, and marginalized groups, and actively promote gender-responsive practices within the Philippine public procurement system.

Period of assignment/services: 45 person days spread over 5 months

Qualifications:

Education Bachelor’s degree in gender studies, economics, political science, social sciences, public management, public administration, development studies, or other related fields.

Experience At least seven (7) years of progressive work experience in gender and development (GAD) or gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI), with preference to those with demonstrated specialization in public policy, public financial management, public administration, governance in the public sector, and similar areas.

At least five (5) years of work experience in designing, managing, and/or conducting capacity development, developing training modules, or creating practical frameworks/tools for government and/or non-government institutions; with strong preference for those with experience applying a gender/GEDSI lens.

Submission of at least three (3) sample works on training module development, guidelines and tools development, or similar documents related to gender and development (GAD) or GEDSI for a government agency and/or private institutions.

Proficiency in the English and Filipino Languages (must be indicated in application)

Proposal should be submitted directly in the portal no later than indicated deadline. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing via messaging functionality in the portal. UNDP will respond in writing including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry.

http://supplier.quantum.partneragencies.org using the profile you may have in the portal. In case you have never registered before, you can register a profile using the registration link shared via the procurement notice and following the instructions in guides available in UNDP website: https://www.undp.org/procurement/business/resources-for-bidders . Do not create a new profile if you already have one. Use the forgotten password feature in case you do not remember the password or the username from previous registration.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Women, individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.