UN Women National Consultant; Evaluation Link Women Phase II End-Line Assessment - Home Based, India

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 India Country Office is implementing Link Women Phase II as part of its broader mandate to advance women’s economic empowerment (WEE) by enhancing women’s access to skills, employment opportunities, and agency in decision‑making. The programme is aligned with UN Women’s strategic priorities on expanding women’s economic opportunities, strengthening gender-responsive skills and employability pathways, and addressing structural barriers that limit women’s participation in the labour market.

Link Women Phase II aims to support young women from marginalised backgrounds to transition successfully from education into employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education pathways. The programme focuses on strengthening employability and work‑readiness skills, life skills and confidence, and gender awareness and agency
, recognising that technical skills alone are insufficient for sustained labour market engagement. Key programme interventions include structured training modules on employability and life skills, career guidance and exposure opportunities, placement support, and a Fellowship component designed to provide deeper engagement, mentorship, and leadership development for a selected group of participants.

The primary beneficiaries of the programme are young women enrolled in higher education institutions
, particularly those with limited access to skills training, labour market information, and support networks. In addition, the programme engages a wider set of stakeholders, including faculty and institutional partners
, who play a critical role in programme delivery; the implementing partner responsible for on‑ground coordination and training; and employers and industry actors who support exposure and placement pathways. The programme is implemented across two states (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh) and four districts (Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Indore).

UN Women is now undertaking the endline assessment of Link Women Phase II, which will be led and managed in‑house by the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) function of the UN Women India Country Office. A substantial body of evidence has already been generated over the course of the programme, including the Link Women baseline and endline surveys, partner‑submitted training and activity reports, participation, placement and transition records, Fellowship documentation, and routine monitoring data received from the field.

Against this background, the present assignment is a short‑term, consultancy. The consultant will conduct the primary qualitative study with stakeholders, consolidate, analyse and synthesise these multiple data streams and prepare a comprehensive endline report. The expected outcome is a well‑evidenced and analytically sound endline report that documents programme results against baseline, explains what has worked and what has not across different cohorts of participants, and generates lessons to inform the design, adaptation and scale‑up of future women’s economic empowerment initiatives.

The consultant will work under the direct supervision and day‑to‑day guidance of the M&E Lead, UN Women India Country Office, and in close coordination with the Programme Analyst, WEE. The Programme Associate will serve as the contact person for contract and payment matters.

The key responsibilities will include: