Gerontodomacice Consultant in Psychology, Local Consultancy, Sarajevo, BIH

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.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the initiatives contributing to these goals is the Gender Equality Accelerator Joint Programme, implemented jointly by UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA, with support from the Governments of Sweden and Denmark. The programme focuses on three strategic areas: eliminating violence against women and girls, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and advancing women’s leadership and participation in governance. This integrated, cross-sectoral approach aims to support more effective, inclusive, and sustainable gender equality outcomes.

One persistent barrier to gender equality in BiH is the unequal burden of unpaid care work. UN Women research shows that women in BiH spend nearly twice as much time on care activities as men. Employed women spend over 5 hours daily on care tasks, while rural women spend more time than their urban counterparts. These responsibilities limit women’s participation in the labor market, where only 37% are employed, compared to 53% of men.

UN Women’s 2023 “Baseline Study on Care Economy in BiH” analyzed housework, childcare, eldercare, and care for people with disabilities. It offered policy recommendations, advocacy strategies, and care models for local-level implementation to support women and reduce the care burden. One of the models proposed in the Baseline Study focused on improving the quality of care provided to PwD and the elderly. The \"Gerontodomaćice\" model was developed to meet the growing needs of elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This initiative, supported by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Federal Employment Institute, and other key partners, aims to provide high-quality home care services while promoting economic independence for women. The project is aligned with broader goals of reducing the burden of unpaid care work, which predominantly affects women, by formalizing these roles and providing professional opportunities in the caregiving sector. It also enhances social cohesion by ensuring that vulnerable individuals can remain independent and live comfortably within their homes. The Gerontodomaćice model was first implemented in February 2025, with 21 trainees successfully completing the training and receiving certification. Forty-seven of them were subsequently employed within their local communities. Building on the lessons learned and the identified needs, UN Women is organizing a second training cycle in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the Federal Employment Institute, within the framework of the Gender Equality Accelerator Joint Programme.

Through professional training and certification, the \"Gerontodomaćice\" model not only addresses the care needs of the population but also contributes to gender equality by empowering women through formal employment. The training program lasting 10 days is designed to equip participants with the skills necessary to provide personal care, home management, and social support services to those in need. UN Women is now seeking a consultant to prepare and conduct one two-day training sessions for the Gerontodomaćice certification training modules related to psychology.

The consultant will be reporting to the WEE Programme Coordination Specialist, under the overall guidance of the Programme Management Specialist, and they will be supported by the Project Assistant, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.
 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The overall objective of this consultancy is to advance and formalize care work, empower women through professional certification, and contribute to reducing gender disparities in the care sector in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The immediate objective of this consultancy is to provide expert support in preparation and implementation of \"Gerontodomaćice\" certification training, particularly to provide participants with the necessary skills to deliver high-quality home care services to elderly individuals and persons with disabilities.

Deliverables
The consultant will be responsible for ensuring the proper curriculum delivery in form of preparing the training materials and delivery of one two-day training sessions.

The following tasks will be assigned to the consultant: 
•     Attend an online preparatory meeting with other selected trainers, UN Women team and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, and contribute with suggestions on the final training methodology, content of the training materials and agenda. The order of training modules will be agreed in this meeting.
•     Prepare the training materials and submit the prepared materials to UN Women for approval before use. UN Women and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy will provide the final evaluation materials. The Consultant may adapt the training content to meet the specific needs of participants, ensuring that all relevant topics are covered and with prior approval by UN Women.
•     Deliver one two-day training session in November 2025 in accordance with the provided curriculum by UN Women, which includes modules relevant to the Gerontodomaćice care economy model focusing on psychosocial support and basic social security, communication skills and the role of women in care and empowerment of women. 
•     Provide support to trainees during the volunteer-based practical one-day work session for selected participants.
•     Liaise with UN Women, the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, and the team in charge of Gerontodomaćice certification training, to provide quality assurance and ensure accurate representation. Furthermore, after the training, draft and submit a brief training report using the template prepared by UN Women, to include challenges encountered during the training, lessons learned and recommendations to support UN Women’s knowledge management.
 

Attended the online preparatory meeting with UN Women team and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

1 consulting day 

Training materials prepared, submitted to and approved by UN Women.

2 consulting days

1 two-day online training session in November 2025 for up to 200 women delivered. The facilitator is particularly expected to ensure participants engage in group activities.

2 consulting days

Together with other trainers, conduct short one-on-one online sessions with up to 50 trainees to assess their readiness to work as gerontodomaćice and to collect feedback.

3 working days

Provision of mentoring support to trainees during the volunteer-based, one-day practical work session for selected participants, to be conducted in coordination with UN Women and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

1 consulting day

A brief report for each training using the template prepared by UN Women, to include challenges encountered during each training, lessons learned and recommendations to support UN Women’s knowledge management submitted to and approved by UN Women.

2 consulting days

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy. 
As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of total 1 trip to Sarajevo.If the consultant is homebased outside of Sarajevo, the cost for travel will be covered by UN Women.
 

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

•     Proven research, analytical and drafting skills. 
•     Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results 
•     Great organizational skills 
•     Ability to conceptualize information into written reports 
•     Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards 
 

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, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, 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 to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.