Social Policy Consultant

The Social Policy Consultant will lead the design and implementation of a National Care Systems Assessment for Jamaica, supporting the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The role involves policy review, care systems mapping, gender and intersectional analysis, and developing actionable recommendations to strengthen Jamaica's national care system with a focus on gender equality, decent care work, climate resilience, and inclusive social protection.

Responsibilities

• Review Jamaica’s policy, legislative, institutional and service delivery frameworks relevant to care, social protection, labour, gender equality, child and family services, health, ageing, disability inclusion, disaster risk management and climate resilience.
• Map the actors, services, programmes, financing mechanisms, coordination arrangements and data systems that shape formal and informal care provision in Jamaica.
• Analyse how care responsibilities and access to care services differ by sex, age, disability, income, geographic location, household composition, employment status and exposure to disaster risk.
• Analyse the gendered impacts of climate-related shocks, including Hurricane Melissa, on care needs, care infrastructure, social protection access, livelihoods, education, health, WASH, shelter, protection risks and unpaid care burdens, and identify entry points for gender-responsive, inclusive and equitable climate action.
• Assess opportunities to recognize, reduce, redistribute, reward. represent and resource care work through policies, services, labour protections, financing, social dialogue and institutional reforms.
• Design and facilitate inclusive consultations with government ministries and agencies, civil society, women’s rights and women-led organizations, care workers, caregivers, organizations of persons with disabilities, older persons’ representatives, employers’ and workers’ organizations, private sector actors, academia and development partners.
• Develop actionable recommendations and a proposed roadmap for strengthening Jamaica’s national care system and related policies, including through integrated governance, financing, implementation, monitoring and accountability mechanisms and links to climate resilience and shock-responsive social protection.

Requirements

• A Master’s degree in Social Policy, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Economics, Gender and Development, Development Studies, Public Health, Labour Studies or a related field is required.
• OR A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least (7) five years of progressively responsible experience in social policy, gender equality, social protection, care economy, labour policy, disability inclusion, child and family policy or related fields nine (9) years' experience with a Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Demonstrated experience conducting national assessments, policy analyses, institutional reviews, qualitative research or stakeholder consultations is required.
• Strong social policy, gender analysis and care economy expertise.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct policy, legislative, institutional and service delivery assessments.
• Excellent qualitative research, facilitation and stakeholder consultation skills.
• Strong understanding of gender-responsive social protection, unpaid and paid care work, decent work and labour rights.
• Familiarity with SDGs, including SDG 5.4.1, the 5Rs framework, the Tlatelolco Commitment, CEDAW and relevant ILO standards.
• Ability to analyse the links between climate change, disaster risk, humanitarian response, social protection and care systems.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present complex analysis and recommendations clearly to policy and technical audiences.

Skills

• Social Policy Analysis
• Gender Analysis
• Care Economy Knowledge
• Social Protection Policies
• Labour Policies
• Disability Inclusion
• Child and Family Policy
• National Assessments
• Policy Analysis
• Institutional Reviews
• Qualitative Research
• Multi-Stakeholder Consultation
• Policy and Legislative Assessments
• Service Delivery Assessments
• Gender-responsive Social Protection
• Unpaid Care Work
• Decent Work and Labour Rights
• SDG Familiarity
• Climate Change and Social Protection Analysis
• Written Communication
• Oral Communication

Languages

English