To contract the services of a Business Coach in the Agriculture, Fisheries and related sectors

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.

Businesses run by women (such as those in the agriculture and fisheries related sector) face major establishment hurdles and are frequently unable to respond to emerging economic opportunities. While women have the rights to own assets, including land, and operate businesses in their own name, informal barriers and costs, and social rules, (including sex stereotyping that leads to occupational sex segregation); as well as weak bargaining position also discriminate strongly against women’s economic participation.

Gender inequalities in access to economic incentives and productive resources reduce productivity and output. They prevent women from sharing in the benefits of production, even when they have done most of the work. For example, giving women farmers the same level of land tenure rights as men for the land they work on as men could increase, as per some studies and research, agricultural production in some countries by 20% and thereby make a huge contribution to national and regional food security.

Policy settings and regulatory frameworks often drive these less positive outcomes, engineered by discriminatory social institutions that reproduce gender stereotypes and mind-sets. This needs to be addressed sustainably through in-depth (focused) policy and legislative change. 

The above provides the conceptual foundation for the project, “Building Effective Resilience for Human Security in the Caribbean Countries: The Imperative of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in a Strengthened Agriculture (and related Agri/Fisheries Small Business) Sector”, supported by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNHSTF) in collaboration with the UN Sub-Regional Team for Barbados and the OECS (UNST). This project argues strongly that gender inequality and women disempowerment is one of the main determinants of human insecurity.

The project thus aims, through a combination of policy reform advocacy and technical advice, as well as, direct downstream support to up to 2,500 farmers and small agro- and fisheries business entrepreneurs, (the majority women), to advance multi-faceted human security by focusing on the economic empowerment (of women) in these sectors.

By doing so, the project will also lay the basis for the further up-scaling of the impact upon the completion of this 3-year project, and the expansion of its innovative strategy to other sectors. Success expected to be achieved under this project will then provide a major impetus for a broader recognition of the priority of gender equality and women empowerment for enhanced resilience; for stronger economic growth; for a more inclusive society; and finally, for strengthened and sustainable human security.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the assignment

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative, the Business Coach will provide management and organisational support for women small business entrepreneurs. The focus will be on (1) Two women small business associations at the group/organisational/institutional level; (2) strengthening management and organisational capacity of individual business ownerships that are members of the association/group; (3) identifying potential for value addition and new market opportunities, including linkages with the eco-tourism sector and other relevant sectors for groups and their members. 

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The consultant will be based in Antigua and Barbuda for the full duration of the assignment and will be expected to deliver the following results:

1. Group/Organisational Assessment Report: Overview Document: Individual Member Assessments (Timeframe: 10 Days).

Groups/Organisational Assessment

• Review of Relevant Documents on the Associations/Groups;
• Desk reviews to cover:
  • The challenges and opportunities for improvement at the group/organizational level;
  • The barriers to business operations and growth at an individual level. 

        2. Individual Business Coaching Clinics (Timeframe: 15 Days)

• Based on the individual member assessments, 40 1-hour business coaching sessions will be provided over a 15-day period to;
• Further to the above, confidential written coaching feedback (40 in total) will be provided for each individual.

      3. Draft Report “Analysis of Barriers to business operations and organisational capacity of 2 women small business associations/groups in  

          the agribusiness and related sectors” (Timeframe: 10 Days)

• Analysis of the specific Barriers (systemic, structural, social etc.) to business operations and organisational capacity of 2 women small business associations/groups in the agribusiness and related sectors; and Identification of Potential for Value Addition and New Market Opportunities.

Meetings with the Executives of 2 women small business associations/groups to undertake the following:

To present the draft of the abovementioned report and to collectively determine the following:

• Barriers to business operations and organisations capacity of women small business association/group in the agribusiness and related sectors, including sociocultural, economic, environmental and other barriers;
• Barriers to productivity and business operations at individual member level, including sociocultural, economic, environmental and other barriers.

To undertake the following: Identify potential for value addition and new market opportunities including linkages with the eco-tourism sector and other relevant sectors.

• Collectively develop recommendations for an Organizational Strengthening Strategy for Women Small Business Associations in the Agribusiness and related sectors.

      4. Report “Analysis of Barriers to business operations and organisational capacity of 2 women small business associations/groups in the 

          agribusiness and related sectors” (Timeframe: 5 Days)

• Finalisation of the above-mentioned report taking into account feedback from UN Women.

Reporting Requirements

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to UN Women Programme Specialist for Economic Empowerment and Statistics.

 

Competencies

Core Values / Guiding Principles:

• 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.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Strong gender responsive budgeting, economic analysis, social research and analytical skills;
• Excellent written and oral communications skills including the conveying complex concepts and recommendations, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences;
• Ability to interact independently as part of a team;
• Ability to multi-task and operate effectively in stressful situations.

Required Skills and Experience

The consultant should meet the following criteria:

Required skills and experience:

Education:

• Post-graduate degree, at least a Master’s degree, in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Business Administration, Law;
• A Bachelor’s degree with post-graduate qualifications in at least two of the following areas: Gender Studies, Development Studies, and Environmental Sustainability.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible and relevant experience working on agricultural development/agri-business in the CARICOM region;
• At least 3 years’ experience in leading and conducting research on small and medium sized enterprise development;
• At least 3 years’ experience working with women’s groups on women’s economic empowerment;
• At least 3 years’ experience working on contract negotiation, particularly with small business owners/operators;
• At least 3 years’ experience in the use of results-based methodologies;
• Familiarity with the policy and programme reform context in the Caribbean is an asset, but not required;
• At least 3 years’ working experience in Antigua and Barbuda is required;
• Prior experience in the UN System and the Region will be an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

References:

• Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

Remuneration:

• The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

• The consultant must be equipped with a fully-functional laptop, which must run at least Windows 7. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based telecommunications application software (Skype or equivalent) is required.

Location and Duration:

• The consultancy will be based in Antigua and Barbuda (no travel is required);
• The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 40 working days during the period 3rd April 2020 – 30th June 2020.

Other:

• Interviews will be conducted with the shortlisted applicants;
• The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering;
• The consultant should submit, along with his/her application, the curriculum vitae of team members.

Note:

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.   As such, all application materials must be scanned into one document and submitted.

All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs.  Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.