[Hiring] Social Policy Consultant @UN Women

Role Description

UN Women is seeking to contract a Social Policy Expert to support the Ministry of Labour and Social Security with undertaking a National Care Systems Assessment for Jamaica. The assessment will generate evidence on Jamaica’s care architecture, identify gaps and opportunities across policy, legislation, services, financing, data, governance and implementation, and provide actionable recommendations to inform the development of a national care policy, system or roadmap that advances gender equality, decent care work, climate resilience and inclusive social protection.

The consultant will lead the design and implementation of a National Care Systems Assessment for Jamaica in collaboration with and with guidance from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and in coordination with the Bureau of Gender Affairs. The consultant will assess the current care ecosystem, including:

• Unpaid and paid care work
• Social protection
• Labour and family-friendly policies
• Childcare, eldercare, disability care
• Health and community-based care
• Domestic work
• Care infrastructure
• Care services
• Disaster response and climate resilience dimensions
• Women’s participation in policy and decision-making processes

Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in Social Policy, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Economics, Gender and Development, Development Studies, Public Health, Labour Studies or a related field is required.
• OR a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Requirements

• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in social policy, gender equality, social protection, care economy, labour policy, disability inclusion, child and family policy or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience conducting national assessments, policy analyses, institutional reviews, qualitative research or stakeholder consultations.
• Experience working on care systems, unpaid care work, paid care work, family-friendly policies, childcare, eldercare, disability care or domestic work.
• Experience integrating gender-responsive, intersectional and rights-based approaches into policy and programme design.
• Experience working in Jamaica or the Caribbean region is highly desirable.
• Experience analysing climate resilience, disaster risk management, humanitarian response or shock-responsive social protection from a gender perspective is desirable.
• Prior experience working with government institutions, UN agencies, civil society, women’s organizations, workers’ organizations or employers’ organizations is desirable.
• Fluency in written and oral English is required.

Benefits

• This is a home-based consultancy.
• The Consultant will be expected to conduct virtual consultations and may be required to support in-person stakeholder consultations in Jamaica, subject to confirmation by UN Women and the availability of resources.

Expected Deliverables

• Submit an Inception report outlining methodology, analytical framework, workplan, stakeholder map, consultation plan, ethical considerations and proposed outline for the National Care Systems Assessment. (Within 10 working days of contract start)
• Complete a Desk review and report on Jamaica’s policy, legislative, institutional, financing, service delivery and data context on care. (Within 20 working days of contract start)
• Complete a Care Systems Mapping that identifies key actors, programmes, services, coordination mechanisms, financing arrangements, data gaps and existing entry points for a comprehensive national care system. (Within 25 working days of contract start)
• Draft qualitative tools for focus group discussions and key informant interviews. (Within 25 working days of contract start)
• Prepare a summary report from stakeholder consultations and qualitative data collection. (Within 40 working days of contract start)
• Draft a National Care Systems Assessment for Jamaica. (Within 45 working days of contract start)
• Prepare a presentation highlighting draft findings to UN Women and the leadership of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. (Within 50 working days of contract start)
• Jointly facilitate a validation consultation and preparation of a short validation summary. (Within 50 working days of contract start)
• Prepare a Final National Care Systems Assessment for Jamaica incorporating feedback. (Within 60 working days of contract start)