Consultant Gender and Social Policy Expert
Organizational Context
UN Women's Eastern Caribbean MCO is implementing the "Build Back Equal" project with Global Affairs Canada to enhance women's economic resilience. This initiative focuses on addressing barriers to women's economic empowerment and creating sustainable opportunities, particularly by strengthening the care economy through subsidized childcare. The project aims to improve capacity and financing for governments and the private sector in four Eastern Caribbean countries.
Job Purpose
This consultancy aims to provide expert technical support to the Government of Saint Lucia in developing a gender-responsive National Care Policy. The role involves ensuring this policy aligns with broader social, labor, and family-friendly frameworks, as well as international gender equality and women's rights commitments. The expert will contribute to policy content, stakeholder consultations, and validation processes, focusing on the "5Rs" framework (Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute, Reward, Represent care work) and its connection to women's economic empowerment, labor rights, and inclusive development.
Responsibilities
The Gender and Social Policy Expert will conduct a comprehensive policy analysis and evidence review, examining existing national policies, strategies, and legal frameworks related to care, gender equality, labor, and social protection. This includes analyzing gaps and opportunities concerning unpaid and paid care work, ensuring alignment with international commitments like SDGs and ILO standards. The expert will contribute to drafting the National Care Policy, ensuring it addresses childcare, parental leave, care for vulnerable groups, decent work for care workers, and the redistribution of unpaid care work. Stakeholder engagement and coordination with government ministries, civil society, and private sector actors are crucial. The role also involves providing technical inputs for legislative and regulatory reform, proposing implementation pathways, and developing knowledge products for policy validation.
Work Experience
Required experience includes demonstrable success in drafting national care policies. A minimum of five years of experience in gender equality, human rights, or social protection/care policy analysis and integration is necessary (seven years with a Bachelor's degree). Strong conceptual, analytical, and problem-solving abilities for complex issues are desired.
Skills
Policy analysis, Gender mainstreaming, Stakeholder engagement, Research and report writing, Project management, Knowledge of social protection systems, Understanding of care economy principles.