Science & Research Jobs in Hanoi, Vietnam (Now Hiring) — 9 open

Background:

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the empowerment of Women (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. 

Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

In Viet Nam, UN Women contributes to the development objectives of Viet Nam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan and the National Strategy for Gender Equality. Its Country Strategy Note for 2022-2026 is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF) 2022-2026 and is supporting Viet Nam’s fulfilment of Gender Equality commitments under The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the promise of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to “leave no one behind”. 

Viet Nam Country Gender Equality Profile 2026

UN Women, in collaboration with United Nations entities, government institutions and development partners, has prepared the Viet Nam Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP) 2026. Building on the first CGEP published in 2021, the updated profile presents evidence on progress, persistent gender gaps and emerging issues. It covers demographic transition, health and education; gender-based violence; economic development, employment and social protection; the care economy; women’s leadership; technology, digital transformation and artificial intelligence; and climate change, environmental protection and resilience. The report provides recommendations relevant to Viet Nam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan 2026–2030, the National Strategy on Gender Equality 2021–2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2027–2031.

Before finalization of the report, the draft requires national technical review to verify its evidence and data; ensure that legal, policy and institutional descriptions are current and nationally appropriate; assess the clarity and balance of the analysis; and strengthen the relevance and feasibility of recommendations. 

UN Women is engaging national thematic consultants to review designated chapters. A national Team Leader is required to provide quality assurance across the whole report; conduct a detailed technical review of Chapter 1, which presents the overall gender equality analysis and strategic priorities, Chapter 2 on human development, Chapter 3 on gender-based violence and Chapter 6 on leadership and management; coordinate inputs from the other national reviewers; and verify that agreed comments are appropriately addressed in the final draft.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The successful performance of the consultant will contribute to the quality and national relevance of the CGEP. 

 

The consultant will work closely with the UN Women Programme Management Specialist, UN Women programme, operations and communications colleagues, the CGEP technical team and the contracted event/logistics service provider.

 

The objective is to support UN Women in finalizing a technically sound, coherent, evidence-based and nationally appropriate CGEP through overall quality assurance of the full report, substantive review of Chapters 1 on Gender in SEDP, Chapter 2 on human development, Chapter 3 on gender-based violence and 6 on Leadership, consolidation of national reviewers’ inputs and final verification of revisions.

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Task 1. Inception and review framework  
  • Participate in an inception meeting with UN Women and the national review team. 
  • Confirm the purpose, chapter allocation, timeline and review standards. 
  • Agree on the source hierarchy, version-control arrangements and process for resolving comments. 
• Task 2. Overall quality assurance of the full report 
  • Review the entire CGEP, including: 
    • Introduction and methodology; 
    • All substantive chapters; 
    • Conclusion and recommendations; 
    • Tables and figures; and 
    • Annexes. 
  • Assess the report’s overall structure, analytical coherence and balance. 
  • Identify duplication, analytical gaps and inconsistencies in key concepts or repeated data. 
  • Check alignment between the findings, conclusions and recommendations. 
  • Check the use of nationally released or nationally cleared data and information. 
  • Flag material factual, statistical, policy, legal, institutional or reputational issues requiring correction or a decision by UN Women. 
• Task 3. Detailed technical review of Chapter 1 
  • Provide detailed comments and proposed revisions to Chapter 1 using Track Changes. 
  • Assess whether Chapter 1 accurately synthesizes evidence and findings from the full report. 
  • Ensure that the chapter reflects Viet Nam’s development context and national priorities. 
  • Check the use of current and nationally appropriate terminology and institutional references. 
  • Assess whether the chapter presents a balanced analysis of progress, persistent gaps and emerging challenges. 
  • Review the clarity, feasibility and evidence base of the strategic priorities and recommendations. 
  • Verify the accuracy and traceability of key statistics and factual claims. 
• Task 4. Technical review of Chapter 2 on Human Development 
  • Review the analysis of: 
    • Demographic transition; 
    • Fertility;  
    • Sex ratio at birth; 
    • Population ageing; 
    • Marriage and family; 
    • Health; and 
    • Education.  
  • Verify relevant demographic, health and education data against the most recent nationally released or nationally cleared sources. 
  • Check data definitions, reference years, disaggregation, comparability and interpretation. 
  • Review the accuracy of relevant legal, policy and institutional frameworks. 
  • Assess whether the chapter adequately addresses intersecting inequalities, including those related to age, ethnicity, disability, geographic location and socioeconomic status. 
  • Identify inaccurate, outdated, unsupported or insufficiently qualified claims. 
  • Provide detailed comments and proposed revisions using Track Changes. 
  • Strengthen the chapter’s conclusions and recommendations to ensure that they are evidence-based, nationally appropriate and feasible.
• Task 5. Technical review of Chapter 3 on Gender-Based Violence 
  • Review all sections addressing: 
    • Intimate partner violence; 
    • Child, early and forced marriage and unions; 
    • Technology-facilitated gender-based violence; 
    • Sexual harassment; 
    • Sexual assault; and 
    • Trafficking in persons. 
  • Verify relevant prevalence, administrative and service-delivery data. 
  • Check the accuracy of laws, policies, institutional mandates and referral or support mechanisms. 
  • Ensure that data and findings on violence are presented ethically and in accordance with survivor-centred and do-no-harm principles. 
  • Identify unsupported, potentially misleading or sensitive claims requiring revision or qualification. 
  • Assess whether the analysis adequately addresses prevention, protection, services, accountability, coordination and financing. 
  • Check consistency with relevant national commitments and international standards. 
  • Provide detailed comments and proposed revisions using Track Changes. 
  • Strengthen conclusions and recommendations to ensure that they are evidence-based, practical and nationally relevant.
• Task 6. Detailed technical review of Chapter 6 on leadership
  • Provide detailed comments and proposed revisions to Chapter 6 using Track Changes. 
  • Verify data on women’s representation and leadership across relevant institutions and administrative levels. 
  • Check the accuracy of the legal, policy and institutional analysis, including changes resulting from recent institutional restructuring. 
  • Assess the analysis of barriers and enabling factors affecting women’s leadership and participation in decision-making. 
  • Ensure that recommendations are: 
    • Evidence-based;  
    • Nationally relevant and feasible; 
    • Aligned with national priorities and commitments; and 
    • Consistent with applicable international standards. 
• Task 7. Coordination and consolidation of national review inputs 
  • Provide technical guidance to the other national reviewers. 
  • Respond to questions concerning the common review approach and promote consistent review standards. 
  • Review comments from the other consultants for clarity, supporting evidence and consistency. 
  • Identify overlaps, gaps or conflicting comments and recommendations across chapters. 
  • Convene or participate in coordination discussions as required. 
  • Consolidate all national technical inputs and proposed resolutions for UN Women’s consideration. 
• Task 8. Final verification and handover 
  • Review the revised report after the agreed comments have been addressed. 
  • Verify that agreed corrections have been accurately incorporated. 
  • Check that no new factual, analytical or cross-chapter inconsistencies have been introduced. 
  • Ensure that repeated data, terminology, references and cross-references are consistent throughout the report. 

 

 

• Deliverables

 

Tasks and Deliverables	Expected due date and payment
Full-report quality-assurance note;  Written inputs to Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 6 with Track Changes and comments, including verified source references for material corrections.	15 December 2026   100% of the total payment
Final revised report and clearance from UN Women

 

Working arrangements

• The consultant will report to the UN Women Viet Nam Programme Management Specialist and work closely with designated UN Women technical colleagues, the CGEP authors and editors, and the other national chapter reviewers.
• The Team Leader will coordinate the technical work of the national reviewers but will not administer their contracts or authorize changes to their scope, level of effort or payment.
• UN Women will make final decisions on contested comments, substantive positioning, report content and formal national validation or clearance.
• The consultant may participate in technical meetings with national institutions at UN Women’s request but may not transmit the report for clearance or represent that clearance has been obtained without written confirmation from UN Women.
• The assignment is home-based. The consultant must be available for online coordination and in-person meetings in Ha Noi as agreed.

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:

• Strong technical credibility in gender equality, governance, leadership and public policy.
• Excellent analytical judgement and ability to identify material evidence, policy and reputational risks.
• Ability to synthesize complex sectoral inputs into a coherent national-level analysis.
• Strong coordination, consensus-building and constructive feedback skills.
• Excellent English and Vietnamese drafting, editing and presentation skills.
• Strong attention to detail, reliability and ability to deliver under tight deadlines.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in gender studies, public policy, governance, political science, law, social sciences, development studies or a related field.
• An advanced university degree is an advantage.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in gender equality, governance, public policy, women’s leadership or related fields in Viet Nam.
• Demonstrated experience leading quality assurance or technical review of major analytical reports, national assessments, policy studies or comparable multi-author publications.
• Strong knowledge of Viet Nam’s gender-equality, governance and leadership context, including relevant legal and policy frameworks, institutional mandates and official data sources.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary experts and consolidating comments from multiple authors, institutions or stakeholders.
• Familiarity with CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant gender-equality standards.

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.