Senior Statistician, Home Based, International Retainer Consultant

Position: UN Women: Senior Statistician, Home Based, International Retainer 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. Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of chronic poverty, climate change, economic decline, and natural disasters. Afghan women and girls face unique and amplified vulnerabilities particularly due to the series of restrictions and bans that limit their access to education, health, workplaces, and public spaces. In this context it remains urgent that Afghan women and girls receive targeted support and can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the centre of the global response to the poly‑crises crisis in Afghanistan.

Job Description

UN Women, through its Policy and Research Unit, will continue to promote accountability to international norms on women’s rights by leveraging strategic partnerships with UN entities, amplifying the voices of Afghan women to inform policy and programming, and strengthening knowledge management through innovative approaches to evidence and data generation within Afghanistan’s operational context. Objective of the Assignment The main objective of the assignment is to provide high‑level advice and strategic guidance on efforts around gender data and statistics to support UN Women Afghanistan in building a comprehensive evidence base on gender equality and women's rights in Afghanistan. Overall, the assignment aims to address the limited availability of accessible knowledge and analysis on the gender dynamics of Afghanistan, and to ensure that decision‑makers, advocates, and partners have the robust, credible evidence they need to make gender‑responsive policy and programming choices and to hold duty‑bearers accountable for the rights of Afghan women and girls. This includes providing technical support on statistical modelling and quantitative analysis, advising on the development and refinement of composite indicators and indices suited to the Afghan context, and helping UN Women Afghanistan make the most effective use of existing data assets. Given operational constraints on primary data collection in Afghanistan, a key focus of the assignment will be on innovative approaches to maximising the analytical value of available data. This includes advising on methodology for multi‑round panel surveys, supporting the development of new composite measures where global indices are ill‑suited to the Afghan context, and providing guidance on statistical approaches to sensitive question design, non‑response bias, and data quality assurance. The consultant will also support the translation of complex quantitative findings into accessible analysis for policy and programming audiences. The consultant will report to the Research and Policy Manager at UN Women Afghanistan and may be drawn on by other teams and thematic areas as needs arise. Scope of Assignment

• Provide advice and guidance on statistically sound research to inform evidence‑based policy making, aligned with UN Women’s priorities in Afghanistan.
• Shape the translation of quantitative findings into clear, compelling, and advocacy‑ready analysis for policy audiences, partners, and duty‑bearers.
• Advise on the development of high‑quality gender datasets and statistical systems that strengthen the evidence base on women and girls.
• Review and develop research methodologies, including statistical models, to identify ways to improve methods and tools.
• Assure the quality of research outputs, strengthening analytical depth, coherence, and credibility.
• Provide strategic direction on emerging statistical and analytical priorities, as identified by UN Women Afghanistan.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel This is a home‑based consultancy. Cor…