UN Women Consultant: Gender and Social Policy Expert

Job Posting Organization:
UN Women was established in July 2010 as part of the UN reform agenda to enhance the impact of gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives. The organization merges the resources and mandates of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, namely DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM, which focused on gender equality and women's empowerment. UN Women operates globally, with a mission to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, empower women, and achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security. The organization is involved in various projects worldwide, including a recent initiative in the Eastern Caribbean aimed at enhancing women's economic resilience through the 'Build Back Equal' project, which is implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Job Overview:
The Gender and Social Policy Expert will provide technical support for the design and development of a gender-responsive National Care Policy for Saint Lucia. This role involves ensuring coherence with broader social, labor, and family-friendly policies while aligning with international commitments related to gender equality, labor rights, and women's rights. The consultant will engage in policy content development, stakeholder consultations, and validation processes, focusing on the 5Rs framework: Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Reward, and Represent care work. The position requires a comprehensive understanding of the barriers women face in economic empowerment and the need for policies that address unpaid care work, childcare, and labor market participation. The consultant will also analyze existing national policies and legal frameworks, identify gaps, and propose actionable recommendations to enhance women's economic opportunities and social protection systems.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Gender and Social Policy Expert will be responsible for several key deliverables, including:

• Conducting a thorough review of existing national policies, strategies, and legal frameworks relevant to care, gender equality, labor, and social protection.
• Analyzing gaps and opportunities in relation to unpaid and paid care work, ensuring alignment with international commitments such as the SDGs and ILO standards.
• Drafting and refining a gender-responsive National Care Policy that includes objectives, guiding principles, and actionable recommendations.
• Facilitating stakeholder consultations with various groups, including government ministries, civil society, and care providers, to ensure inclusive participation.
• Providing technical inputs to ensure the policy is implementable and can inform legislative drafting and regulatory reform.
• Preparing policy briefs and summary materials for validation meetings and high-level discussions.
• Conducting qualitative analyses and situational assessments of care work in Saint Lucia, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews.
• Presenting the draft National Care Policy in stakeholder consultations and preparing summary reports on findings.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Master's Degree or a Bachelor's degree with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience in relevant fields such as Economics, Social Sciences, Statistics, Public Health, or Gender and Development. Demonstrable experience in drafting national care policies is essential, along with at least 5 years of experience working on gender equality and/or human rights, or 7 years with a Bachelor's degree. Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of experience analyzing and integrating gender-responsive dimensions into policy formulation and implementation, particularly in social protection and care policies. Strong legal analysis, social research skills, and the ability to convey complex concepts clearly are also required.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Master's Degree or a Bachelor's degree with additional qualifying experience in fields such as Economics, Social Sciences, Statistics, Public Health, or Gender and Development. This educational foundation is crucial for understanding the complexities of gender-responsive policy development and implementation.

Experience:
The position requires candidates to have at least 5 years of relevant experience in gender equality and/or human rights, or 7 years with a Bachelor's degree. Additionally, candidates should have demonstrable experience in drafting national care policies and integrating gender-responsive dimensions into policy and program formulation, particularly in the context of social protection and care policies. A highly developed conceptual, analytical, and innovative problem-solving ability is desired, along with the capability to handle complex issues effectively.

Languages:
Fluency in written and oral English is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset but is not explicitly required.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy is a local home-based position, and CARICOM nationals and holders of CARICOM skills certificates are encouraged to apply. Travel to the target country is expected as part of the assignment, with arrangements covered by UN Women. The position emphasizes the importance of integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity, aligning with UN Women's core values and competencies. The organization is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and adheres to a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims and objectives.