UN Women Consultancy: Gender and Social Policy Expert to Develop Saint Lucia’s National Care Policy|Apply before 09 Nov 2026
UN Women is offering an exciting home-based consultancy opportunity for a Gender and Social Policy Expert to support the development of a gender-responsive National Care Policy for Saint Lucia. The consultancy is part of the “Build Back Equal” project, implemented by UN Women with UNFPA and supported by Global Affairs Canada.
The role is particularly suited to experienced professionals working in gender equality, social policy, human rights, social protection, care economy, public policy, economics, public health, or social research.
About the Opportunity
The consultancy will contribute to efforts to strengthen women’s economic empowerment and resilience across the Eastern Caribbean. A key focus is addressing the unequal distribution of unpaid care and domestic work, which continues to limit women’s participation in paid employment, economic opportunities, and decent work.
UN Women highlights the need for policies that recognize, reduce, redistribute, reward, and represent care work. The consultant will therefore play an important role in helping Saint Lucia develop a coherent policy framework covering childcare, parental leave, care for older people and persons with disabilities, care workers, social protection, labour rights, and the redistribution of unpaid care responsibilities.
The assignment is home-based, although travel to Saint Lucia will be required as part of the consultancy. UN Women will arrange and cover the official mission travel.
What Will the Consultant Do?
The Gender and Social Policy Expert will work under the supervision of the UN Women Multi-Country Office Caribbean Representative and report directly to the Deputy Representative.
The consultant’s central responsibility will be to provide technical expertise for the design and development of the National Care Policy.
This will begin with a comprehensive review of existing legislation, policies, strategies, research, and service-delivery systems related to care, gender equality, labour, social protection, and family-friendly policies.
The consultant will identify policy gaps and opportunities and ensure that the emerging National Care Policy aligns with international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals, CEDAW, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, relevant ILO standards, and international human rights obligations.
Research and Stakeholder Engagement
A major part of the assignment involves qualitative research into care work in Saint Lucia.
The consultant will develop research instruments for focus group discussions and key informant interviews and engage with a wide range of stakeholders.
These will include:
- Women’s organizations and groups
- Men’s groups
- Young women and young men
- Older people
- Persons with disabilities
- Domestic workers and their representatives
- Faith-based organizations
- Employers
- Trade unions and worker organizations
- Government ministries and agencies
- Relevant senior government officials
The consultations are designed to ensure that the National Care Policy reflects the experiences and needs of people directly involved in providing and receiving care.
Developing the National Care Policy
Following the research and consultations, the consultant will contribute to the drafting of the National Care Policy.
The policy is expected to address areas including:
- Childcare services
- Parental and family-friendly leave
- Care for older persons
- Care for persons with disabilities
- Decent work for care workers
- Unpaid care and domestic work
- Women’s labour-force participation
- Social protection
- Healthcare
- Care infrastructure
- Institutional coordination
- Financing
- Monitoring and accountability
The policy will be guided by the 5Rs framework: Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute, Reward and Represent care work.
The consultant will also prepare policy briefs, presentations, consultation materials, and other knowledge products to support validation and high-level discussions.
Key Deliverables and Timeline
The consultancy includes several important milestones running from September 2026 through January 2027.
The initial inception report, methodology, workplan and stakeholder map are due by 29 September 2026. A desk review of the national policy, legislative and service-delivery context is also due on the same date.
Research instruments for qualitative analysis are expected by 13 October 2026, followed by focus group discussions and key informant interviews by 30 October 2026.
The focus-group discussion report is due on 13 November 2026, with the final qualitative analysis report expected by 30 November 2026.
A comprehensive situational analysis covering care work, social and cultural norms, unpaid care, employment, labour legislation, social protection, childcare, healthcare, elderly care, disability care, domestic work, and care infrastructure is due by 11 December 2026.
The first draft of the National Care Policy is expected by 31 December 2026.
Finally, the consultant will present the draft policy during a stakeholder consultation in Saint Lucia and prepare a summary report, with the final milestone scheduled for 22 January 2027.
Who Can Apply?
Applicants must have a Master’s degree, or a Bachelor’s degree combined with additional qualifying experience, in areas such as:
- Economics
- Social Sciences
- Statistics
- Public Health
- Gender and Development
Candidates with a Master’s degree should have at least five years of relevant experience, while candidates with a Bachelor’s degree require seven years.
Importantly, applicants must demonstrate experience drafting national care policies. Experience working on gender equality and/or human rights is required, as is experience integrating gender-responsive approaches into policy and programme formulation and implementation, particularly within social protection and care policies.
Strong analytical, research, communication, stakeholder-engagement, and problem-solving abilities are also required.
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
Why This Consultancy Matters
The assignment offers professionals an opportunity to contribute directly to an important national policy reform while supporting wider goals around gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
By helping strengthen childcare systems, social protection, labour policies, and care infrastructure, the National Care Policy can contribute to reducing barriers that prevent women from participating fully in the labour market and economy.
For professionals with the required policy-development and gender expertise, this consultancy provides an opportunity to work with UN Women on a significant regional initiative with potential long-term implications for families, workers, caregivers, and economic development in Saint Lucia.
Opportunity at a Glance
Position: Consultant – Gender and Social Policy Expert
Organization: UN Women
Location: Home-based, with travel to Saint Lucia
Contract: Individual Consultancy
Duration: 50 working days
Education: Master’s degree + 5 years’ experience, or Bachelor’s degree + 7 years’ experience
Deadline: 11 September 2026
Language: English
Focus: Gender equality, social policy, care economy, social protection and women’s economic empowerment
Key requirement: Demonstrable experience drafting national care policies
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