Background:
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.ย
UN Womenโs East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) covers 25 ย countries, including 13 ย Country Offices, 1 ย Programme Presence, and 14 Non-Resident Agencies where engagement is carried out through the UN System. The Womenโs Economic Empowerment (WEE) section at ESARO focuses on key priority areas such as transforming care systems, advancing women in the world of work, and promoting gender-responsive climate action, alongside cross-cutting issues including social norms, financing for gender equality, and gender-responsive macroeconomic policies. The regional office plays a dual role of providing technical assistance and capacity development to country offices, while also fulfilling a regional coordination mandate, engaging with the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and other regional and sub-regional bodies. A core part of ESAROโs work involves thought leadership and evidence generation, including conducting and supporting research on womenโs economic empowerment, with a focus on both structural and grassroots-level interventions that advance gender equality and economic justice across the region.
Women and girls in East and Southern Africa remain among the most marginalized groups, despite their essential contributions to the economy and society, particularly through their unpaid and underpaid care and domestic work. Deeply rooted social, political, and economic inequalities continue to limit their access to and control over critical resources and opportunities. Recognizing that care work underpins economies yet remains invisible and undervalued, UN Women places the transformation of care systems at the center of its work to advance womenโs economic empowerment and autonomy in the region. This includes promoting investments in accessible and quality care services, strengthening care policies, and addressing the unequal distribution of unpaid care work between households, communities, private sector and the state.ย
The Care Economy Specialist will report directly to the Womenโs Economic Empowerment Policy Specialist and will play a lead role in advancing UN Womenโs care agenda in East and Southern Africa. This role will provide strategic guidance, technical expertise, research, and capacity development to support the design, implementation, and scaling of care economy initiatives at both regional and country levels.
Under the overall guidance of the Regional Policy Specialist on WEE, the Care Economy Specialist will contribute to the development of innovative knowledge products, support programme design and delivery, and ensure that care economy interventions are effectively integrated into broader womenโs economic empowerment efforts. The role will also involve monitoring progress, reporting on results, and ensuring compliance with UN Womenโs policies and standards. The Care Economy Specialist works in close collaboration with the WEE team, other regional and country-level units, HQ, and various stakeholders and partners, to ensure successful implementation of care initiatives in the region.
Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work:
The consultant will provide technical, programmatic, and policy support to the WEE work at the intersection of care, social protection, social norms, climate, and sustainable finance. This would include, but not be limited to:
Design and develop programme strategies in the area of Care Economy:
Design and formulate programme/project proposal and initiatives; Draft inputs to strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue, and other documents related to care economy at the regional and country level; Develop and oversee care economy initiatives/programmes at the regional level.Implementation and management of Care Economy programmes:
Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation; Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams; Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports; Provide guidance on transforming the care economy at the regional and country levelTechnical assistance and capacity development:
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Monitoring and reporting of the programme, and oversee M&E:
Manage the monitoring of programme/project implementation on the care economy, including finances using results-based management tools; Undertake missions and review reports on monitoring missions; Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes.Strengthen partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies:
Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies; Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization; Provide technical support on coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed; Engage and manage relationship with relevant partners at the regional level.Advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:
Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to care economy, represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to the care economy, as necessaryโข ย ย ย ย Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation
โข ย ย ย ย Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning
โข ย ย ย ย Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies
Provide policy guidance and support to country offices and regional bodies:
Coordinate policy development, including review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of other political intelligence and briefs; Support missions, provide technical guidance to external consultants, government, AU, RECs, and other partners.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
This is an office-based consultancy (with possible travel and remote arrangements).
Competencies:
Core Values:
Integrity; Professionalism; Respect for Diversity.Core Competencies:
Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues; Accountability; Creative Problem Solving; Effective Communication; Inclusive Collaboration; Stakeholder Engagement; Leading by Example.Please visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills; Strong knowledge of Results Based Management; Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making; Proven expertise in gender and the care economy; Proven expertise and experience supporting womenโs economic empowerment projects including on the care economy; Strong analytical skills; Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies; Excellent writing and presentational skills in English.Required Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
Masterโs degree or equivalent in economics, sustainable development, international cooperation, gender studies, climate change, environmental policy, or a related field is required; A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in womenโs economic empowerment at the international level, with specific thematic knowledge and experience in the care economy, is required; Experience on womenโs economic empowerment in East and Southern Africa is required; Experience in programme implementation is required; Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable; Experience in collaborating with different countries, departments, and donors/partners is desirable; Work experience in the UN system is desirable.Languages:
Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required; Knowledge of at least one additional UN language is an asset.Application:
All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from:ย https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
Statements :
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
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