[Hiring] Lead Author @Prosper Global

Role Description

Prosper Global seeks a consultant to research and write a special edition of the Regional Socio-Economic Update examining key socio-economic developments in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan between September 2025 and September 2026 through a gender lens. The bulletin will analyse how evolving economic conditions and regional instability are affecting women and men differently, with particular attention to:

• Livelihoods and employment
• Labour market participation
• Household income and resilience
• Coping strategies
• Mobility
• Access to essential services and economic opportunities

The assignment is primarily desk-based, drawing on existing socio-economic, labour market, and sectoral data and analysis, and is intended to give policymakers, development partners, and practitioners concise, evidence-based insights to inform more gender-responsive livelihoods, economic recovery, resilience, and longer-term development programming.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in economics, development studies, gender studies, social policy, or a related field (required).
• 5–10 years of experience in socio-economic, labour market, or livelihoods analysis, with a substantial focus on gender analysis (required).
• Demonstrated experience applying intersectional approaches (age, displacement status, disability, household composition) to socio-economic analysis.
• Strong knowledge of the socio-economic and humanitarian contexts of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, including refugee and displaced populations; regional experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to work with secondary quantitative and qualitative data, including household and labour force surveys and humanitarian assessments, and to present it clearly in charts and short text.
• Track record of concise, policy-oriented publications (bulletins, briefs, or reports) for policymakers, donors, and practitioners; writing samples will be requested.
• Understanding of conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm principles, and of ethical handling of sensitive data.
• Excellent written English required; working knowledge of Arabic strongly preferred to access Arabic-language sources.

Requirements

• Consolidate and analyse available evidence on gender-differentiated socio-economic trends in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan over September 2025 – September 2026.
• Identify the groups facing heightened socio-economic vulnerability, applying a gender and intersectional lens.
• Assess how economic hardship and service disruptions shape women's and men's paid work, unpaid care responsibilities, mobility, and coping strategies.
• Draw out practical considerations for gender-responsive policy and programming in livelihoods, economic recovery, and resilience.

Consultant Activities

• Inception: hold a kick-off meeting with the CA team and UNDP to confirm scope, audience, length, and style; review previous editions of the Regional Socio-Economic Update to ensure consistency.
• Data and literature mapping: identify, assess, and map available sex-disaggregated and gender-relevant data and analysis for each country.
• Analytical framework: develop an analytical framework and annotated outline structured around the bulletin's proposed sections.
• Section I – Regional context: analyse key socio-economic developments and regional instability over the period.
• Section II – Economic hardship: analyse gender-differentiated effects of food, fuel, and transport costs and inflation.
• Section III – Access to services and opportunities: analyse effects of economic hardship, funding cuts, and instability on access to services.
• Limited expert consultations (as needed): hold a small number of remote consultations with sector specialists, gender focal points, and partner agencies.
• Drafting and revision: draft the bulletin and a one-page summary of key findings, and incorporate consolidated comments from Prosper Global and UNDP.
• Quality and conflict sensitivity: triangulate findings across independent sources and apply Do No Harm and conflict-sensitivity principles.

Consultant Deliverables

• Inception note (max. 5 pages): analytical framework, data and literature map with identified gaps, annotated outline of the bulletin, list of proposed expert consultations, and work plan.
• First full draft of the bulletin: covering Sections I–III with a draft one-page summary of key findings.
• Revised draft: incorporating consolidated feedback from Prosper Global and UNDP.
• Final bulletin: an approximately 12–15 page publication-ready bulletin in English, including the one-page summary and brief considerations for gender-responsive policy and programming.
• Supporting files: the underlying data tables and chart source files, and a reference list/annex of data sources with notes on coverage and limitations.
• Debrief presentation: a short slide deck and presentation of key findings to Prosper Global, UNDP, and partners (remote).

Timeframe / Schedule

The consultancy is expected to require up to 15-20 working days over approximately eight weeks from contract signature, ideally by mid-November.

The Consultant Will Report to

Naji Abou Khalil, CA MENAE Senior Manager

The Consultant Will Work Closely With

• Prosper Global CA Teams in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria
• UNDP
• Prosper Global gender, economic opportunities, and MEL colleagues, as relevant