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 Sri Lanka is responsible for proactively driving the positioning of UN Women among the donor community, development partners and the general public by promoting gender equality, working for elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girl and supporting women’s empowerment. Aligned with its mandate in Sri Lanka, UN Women places a strong emphasis on ensuring the editorial quality and clarity of research outputs, while effectively conveying key messages through diverse visual and written formats. The ability to translate strategic results into accessible, compelling content is critical to mobilizing partners and resources and advancing gender equality by engaging a broad and diverse national audience.

The consultant will be reporting to the Head of Office, and will be supported by the Communications and Advocacy Officer, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Editing, revising and rewriting as needed and formatting to produce high quality, reader friendly, accessible, timely, results-based reports, programmes and corporate communications material, policy research reports and other documents and materials aligned with UN Women’s established standards and formats.
Translation of English language press releases, documents, reports and other material to Sinhala language.
Maintaining and sharing a glossary of technical terms in Sinhala.
Support the production of materials that are timely, well-structured, and tailored to their intended audiences and platforms.
Perform other related tasks as requested by the supervisor.

The Copy Editor will be responsible for ensuring high editorial quality, accuracy, and consistency in UN Women communications. This includes, but are not limited to:

Translation of Communications Content
Translate press releases, media advisories, and other relevant materials from English to Sinhala, ensuring cultural relevance, gender-sensitive language, and editorial clarity.

Proofreading and Editing
Edit and proofread press releases, reports, concept notes, speeches, and other written materials in Sinhala, ensuring consistency with UN Women’s editorial standards and inclusive language.
Development of Human Interest Stories
Write or edit compelling human interest stories and features in Sinhala that highlight programme results and community impact.

Language Quality Control
Review translated content in Sinhala for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting accuracy; ensure fidelity to the original meaning while enhancing readability and resonance for the target audience

Style and Terminology Alignment
Ensure all content adheres to UN Women’s gender-responsive editorial style and terminology guidelines, as well as broader UN communication protocols and maintain and share a glossary of technical terms in Sinhala.

The copy editor must work closely with programme and communications colleagues to clarify objectives, refine messaging, and ensure alignment with strategic communication goals and ensure that deliverables are publication-ready and require minimal revisions.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

Payments

UN Women does not warrant that the maximum of 150 days will be purchased during the term of Agreement. The consultant can only be engaged through issuance of Purchased Order, based on agreed contract, every time the UN Women wishes to procure the service. Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payments will be made upon submission of deliverables with an approval of the Head of Office at UN Women Sri Lanka.

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 command of English and Sinhala, with strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
Proven ability to ensure clarity, accuracy, and consistency in line with editorial standards and inclusive language principles.
Strong analytical skills, including the ability to fact-check and manage data for accuracy, coherence, and integrity.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse teams and stakeholders, while maintaining the integrity and intent of original content.
Strong organizational and time-management skills to coordinate and deliver high-quality outputs on time.

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

Master’s degree in journalism, communications, linguistics, literature or a related field.
A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level will be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience:

At least 2 years of professional experience in copy editing, writing, and proofreading high-quality content in Sinhala, including reports, press releases, and human-interest stories.
Proven track record in producing clear, compelling, and accurate content in Sinhala tailored to diverse audiences and communication channels.
Demonstrated knowledge and application of gender-sensitive language and terminology relevant to UN Women’s mandate, including themes such as gender equality, women’s empowerment, and human rights.
Strong familiarity with UN editorial standards and prior experience working with UN agencies, international organizations, or development partners is a strong asset.
Ability to translate complex or technical concepts into accessible Sinhala-language content while maintaining conceptual accuracy and inclusive language.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, especially Word and Excel, with the ability to format documents according to institutional style guides.

Languages:

Fluency in Sinhala and English is required.
Knowledge of Tamil is an asset.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit electronic application through UN Women website and complete all questions with below required documents to upload in the system.

P11 form to be filled online
A portfolio with sample work on similar subject areas, along with any other relevant materials, will be requested from shortlisted candidates

Warranties, Consent and Intellectual Property

a) The Consultant represents and warrants that he/she has not, and undertakes that he/she shall not, infringe any third party intellectual property rights in performing any activities pursuant to the Contract. The Consultant represents and warrants that that he/she shall perform the activities pursuant to the UN Women Branding Guidelines and Policy on Logo Use (Annex I)

b) The Consultant shall indemnify, hold and save harmless, and defend, at its own expense, UN Women, its officials, employees, consultants, agents or other representatives from and against all suits, claims, demands, and liability of any nature or kind, including their costs and expenses arising out the Consultant’s violations of the representations and warranties above.

c) The indemnity set forth, above, shall not apply to:

i. A claim of infringement resulting from the Consultant’s compliance with specific written instructions by UN Women directing a change in the specifications for the Deliverables or directing a manner of performance of the Contract not normally used by the Consultant; or

ii. A claim of infringement resulting from additions to or changes in any Deliverables furnished under the Contract if UN Women or another party acting under the direction of UN Women made the changes.

d) UN Women shall advise the Consultant about any such suits, proceedings, claims, demands, losses or liability within a reasonable period of time after having received actual notice thereof. The Consultant shall have sole control of the defense of any such suit, proceeding, claim or demand and of all negotiations in connection with the settlement or compromise thereof, except with respect to the assertion or defense of the privileges and immunities of UN Women or any matter relating thereto, for which only UN Women itself is authorized to assert and maintain. UN Women shall have the right, at its own expense, to be represented in any such suit, proceeding, claim or demand by independent counsel of its own choosing.

e) In the event the use by UN Women of any Deliverables provided to UN Women by the Consultant, in whole or in part, in any suit or proceeding, is for any reason enjoined, temporarily or permanently, or is found to infringe any patent, copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right, or in the event of a settlement, is enjoined, limited or otherwise interfered with, then the Consultant, at its sole cost and expense, shall, promptly, either:

i. procure for UN Women the unrestricted right to continue using such Deliverables provided to UN Women;

ii. replace or modify the Deliverables provided to UN Women, or part thereof, with the equivalent or better product, or part thereof, that is non-infringing; or,

iii. refund to UN Women the full price paid by UN Women for the right to have or use such Deliverables, or part thereof.

f) UN Women confirms that the whole of the copyright present, future or contingent whatsoever and all other right, title and interest in and to the Deliverables shall be vested in the Consultant throughout the world in accordance with all applicable copyright laws. The Consultant further acknowledges and agrees that UN Women shall have the unconditional non-exclusive and perpetual right to make use of the Deliverables including but not limited to the entire take of all photographs from the Assignment in such manner as UN Women shall in its sole discretion think fit including without limitation the right to include the Deliverables on its own website and/or in any other public relations materials used to promote UN Women. UN Women may re-edit the Deliverables or any part thereof as convenient for its own exploitation of the Deliverables in any medium. UN Women may provide the Deliverables to other UN agencies and the media at no cost and may apply a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeriv 2.0 Generic license to the Deliverables.

g) The provisions of this section IV of the Terms of Reference shall supersede any inconsistent terms in the Contract for Consultant including the Conditions of Service for Consultants.

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.

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