Consultant for Gender Equity Consultation (CARE International)

Title: Consultant for Gender Equity Consultation
Location: Hanoi, Hung Yen & Ho Chi Minh City
Duration: Oct - Nov 2023
Reporting to: Portfolio Manager

About CARE International

Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. In over 100 countries and territories around the world, CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women and girls because equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. To learn more, visit www.care-international.org.

CARE International in Vietnam is a creative and dynamic organisation working with Vietnamese and international partner organisations since 1989 in over 300 projects. We recognise that the key to achieving equitable development outcomes lies in addressing deeply rooted, structural underlying causes of poverty and injustices contributing to the exclusion and vulnerability of particular groups in society. Our long-term program goal in Vietnam is that poor and marginalised ethnic minority and urban people of all genders, particularly women, equitably benefit from development. To learn more, visit www.care.org.vn

Project information

Gender inequalities persist globally and have a large impact on business, the economy, and society. Systemic discrimination and harmful gender stereotypes and norms continue to perpetuate gendered challenges and subpar outcomes for women, limiting them from achieving their full potential. Apparel supply chains present challenges to gender equity in every dimension of their operations— from unsafe working conditions to excessive overtime to issues around gender-based violence and sexual harassment in the workplace. Current industry efforts often focus on only one of these areas at a time and do not adequately address root causes, leading to fragmentation and unsustainable solutions.

A Flagship Program is being rolled out at 3 garment factories in Vietnam. It is a bundled intervention designed to address multiple barriers at once through a harmonized gender equity approach. The program will be designed along to deliver solutions that reflect the unique needs of women and the realities of the supply chain ecosystem. Interventions will be designed along 4 thematic areas:

Women’s Voice & Leadership
Women’s Economic Empowerment
Gender Responsive Health & Wellbeing
Men’s Engagement

Rationale and purpose:

The primary objective of this consultancy is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current systems, processes, and challenges pertaining to gender equity within the factories participating in the Flagship program. The consultant will review existing documents (including the result of a self-assessed Gender Equity Survey), assess real-world implementation of gender equity strategies through factory management interviews, identify challenges faced, and provide recommendations for improvement using CARE’s assessment methodology and approach.

The results of this assessment will help inform the Flagship program’s design and implementation.

Scope of work:

The consultant's scope of work may include the following key areas: Review and adapt CARE’s tool into Vietnamese:

Review the tool and prepare for the assessment using the CARE assessment & facilitation tool. The tool (an excel document) provided by CARE will be in English.

Document Review:

The consultant will conduct a thorough review of relevant documents that pertain to gender equity initiatives within the factory. These may include but are not limited to factory’s policies, initiatives related to hiring practices, promotions, employee development, work environment, and other relevant areas.

Implementation Assessment & Identification of Challenges:

The consultant will engage in discussions and interviews with relevant stakeholders (mostly factory managers) to understand how the selected gender equity approaches have been translated into real-world implementation. Examples and case studies will be discussed to highlight the strategies' impact on gender equity within the factory.
The consultant will gather insights about challenges and obstacles encountered during the implementation of gender equity initiatives. This will include identifying systemic, cultural, and practical challenges that may hinder progress toward gender equity goals.
This assessment should be conducted in 1 full-day or 2 half-days, in-person at the factories, including 2 factories in Hung Yen province & 1 factory in Ho Chi Minh city.

Findings & Recommendations:

Based on the gathered information and analysis, the consultant will draft a report of findings, insights, and provide recommendations for potential areas of improvement in existing systems, processes, and initiatives related to gender equity. The recommendations should be actionable and aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the Flagship programs.
The report template (Word document) will be shared by CARE.

Deliverables: The consultant will provide the following deliverables:

A detailed work plan on how the consultant will carry out this assignment.
A final tool in Vietnamese language.
Facilitation plan & agenda for factory’s visit.
Interview note on: Factory’s response, Examples shared by factory managers, Gap observed and Analysis by the consultant on each of the question (fill-in template shared by CARE)
A final report in English language.

CARE will provide all required logistical support such as accommodation, transportation to/from/within project areas as well as arrangement of meetings and field visits for the data collection.

Tentative Timeframe: (Click HERE for more details)

Selection criteria

The ideal consultant should possess the following qualifications:

Experience in Auditing Garment Factories: Prior experience auditing garment factories for labor practices, including gender equity and workplace conditions, is necessary.
Expertise in gender equity, diversity and inclusion, and organizational development.
Experience in conducting assessments, identifying challenges, and providing actionable recommendations.
Strong analytical and communication skills.
Familiarity with relevant literature and best practices in gender equity initiatives.

Application procedure:

Interested candidates should submit the following documents in English, clearly stating the title of the Terms of Reference to Procurement1@care.org.vn before 9:00 AM on 17th October, 2023

Applications include:

CV
Workplan (with components indicated in the TOR)
At least one written example of a relevant report
Detailed financial proposal with the daily rate for the consultancy (this file is separated)

Only short-listed applicants meeting the requirements stated above will be contacted for an interview. Please no telephone contact after submitting the application.

CARE is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. Women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Thanks for your interest in CARE! We are committed to each other and to the protection of the people we serve. We do not tolerate sexual misconduct within or external to our organisation and imbed child protection in all we do. Protection from sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse and child protection are fundamental to our relationships, including employment, and our recruitment practices are designed to ensure we only recruit people who are suitable to work with other staff and the people we serve. As well as pre-employment checks, we will use the recruitment and reference process to ensure potential new consultant/supplier understand and are aligned with these expectations. To find out more, please contact the Human Resources Team Leader.