National Strategic Communications Consultant

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. UN Women in Georgia supports state and non-state partners towards the achievement of substantive gender equality in Georgia. In line with national and international commitments, UN Women works on the levels of policy and legislation, institutions and grassroots, in order to achieve transformative results for increased gender equality and greater protection of the rights of women and girls. UN Women puts special emphasis on the work towards gender mainstreaming in good governance reforms and enhancing women’s political participation, ending violence against women, promoting and supporting women’s economic empowerment, and Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Globally, progress towards gender equality and women’s rights is taking place in an increasingly challenging environment, characterized by shrinking civic space, growing political and social polarization, increasing pressures on civil society, and intensifying backlash against gender equality. Women’s civil society organizations (CSOs), Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs), feminist activists and other actors working to advance women’s rights are particularly affected by these developments, facing growing constraints on their ability to participate, organize, advocate and influence public discourse. A significant dimension of the growing backlash against gender equality is the increasing prominence of anti-gender narratives in public and political discourse. Such narratives challenge the legitimacy and relevance of gender equality and women’s rights, reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, and contribute to misinformation and polarization. They frequently portray gender equality as being in conflict with traditional, cultural, religious and family values; question the existence or extent of gender inequality and violence against women; and seek to discredit women’s rights organizations, activists and other actors advancing gender equality. In this context, strengthening strategic communication and developing credible, accessible and context-sensitive positive narratives on gender equality, women’s rights and women’s leadership is increasingly important.

Georgia is not immune to these trends. Anti-gender narratives have become increasingly prominent in public and political discourse, compounded by shrinking civic space, growing pressure on gender equality advocates, and restrictions affecting women’s rights organizations that have long served as the backbone of the country’s gender equality agenda. As these narratives become more normalized and persuasive, they risk shaping public attitudes and influencing the perceptions of communities, institutions and decision-makers. Their growing resonance threatens to erode public support for gender equality and women’s rights, undermine trust in women’s organizations and activists, and reverse hard-won progress towards substantive gender equality.

Within the framework of its Women’s Leadership and Decision-making (WLD) portfolio, UN Women, with the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is implementing the “Women’s Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia” project.

Within this framework, UN Women seeks to engage a National Strategic Communications Consultant to provide technical support for developing strategic communication messages to counter anti-gender narratives and advance positive narratives on gender equality, women’s rights and women’s leadership, thereby strengthening responses to anti-gender narratives in Georgia. The consultancy will build substantially on the findings and recommendations of UN Women’s recent report on anti-gender narratives in Georgia, which will serve as a key analytical foundation for the assignment. The consultant will work closely with UN Women and facilitate a participatory process to identify priority communication challenges and audiences and develop context-sensitive narratives and messages. The proposed messages will be tested with different audience groups to assess their clarity, relevance, credibility and resonance, and will subsequently be refined based on the results of the testing and consultations with relevant stakeholders.

The National Consultant will be reporting to the WLD Project Analyst and WLD Programme Specialist and will be supported by the WLD Project Assistant, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

• Conduct a desk review of relevant reports, research, communication materials and other background documents to assess the current communication landscape and the dynamics of anti-gender narratives and public perceptions related to gender equality in Georgia.
• Hold consultations with relevant professionals, including representatives of civil society organizations, communication experts and other key stakeholders, to better understand the evolving narrative environment, audience dynamics and communication opportunities.
• Develop evidence-based strategic narratives and key messages on gender equality, women’s rights and women’s leadership, and test the proposed messages with selected target audiences to assess their relevance, clarity, credibility and resonance.
• Refine and finalize the tested narratives and messages based on the findings from audience testing and stakeholder consultations.

Deliverables

Expected completion time (due day)

Payment Schedule (optional)

• Consultation meetings with UN Women, women’s CSOs and other relevant stakeholders conducted; relevant reports and background materials reviewed, including UN Women’s report on anti-gender narratives in Georgia; and a concise analytical assessment prepared identifying the key anti-gender narratives, priority communication challenges and audience dynamics.

by 12 October 2026 (5 days)

100 % payment by 3 December 2026

• A package of draft strategic narratives, key messages and communication framing tailored to priority audiences, informed by the analytical assessment and stakeholder consultations.

By 26 October 2026 (5 days)

• Message testing completed and narrative and messaging framework finalized, including testing with selected audience groups, analysis of findings and refinement of narratives and key messages.

By 09 November 2026 (3 days)

• A finalized package of strategic narratives and key messages, incorporating findings from message testing and feedback from UN Women and the Task Force on Women’s Leadership, together with practical guidance for their use in communication and advocacy efforts.

By 23 November 2026 (3 days)

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

As part of this assignment, travel in Georgia will not be necessary.

Competencies:

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent analytical and research skills.
• Strong understanding of and commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment
• Excellent writing skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Strong Partnership Building Skills.

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Communications, Strategic Communications, Media Studies, Public Relations, Marketing or a related field.
• A bachelor’s degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree.

Experience:

• At least five years with a master’s degree (seven years with a bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience in strategic communications, public communication, advocacy, media, campaign development, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in developing communication strategies, narratives, key messages and/or communication campaigns.
• Experience working on gender equality, women’s rights, human rights, civil society or related social issues will be considered a strong asset.
• Experience working with civil society organizations, media, development partners and/or international organizations will be considered an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Georgian is required.

Statements:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

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 United 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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.