Housing Policy Specialist

The consultant will support data management and prepare evidence-based inputs on international and domestic housing policies. The role includes applied research, knowledge management, and contributing to global exchange of Canadian expertise on sustainable and inclusive housing and urban development.

Responsibilities

• Conduct applied and comparative research on housing market policies, governance arrangements, and regulatory frameworks across OECD and selected global contexts.
• Design and implement policy research methodologies (quantitative and qualitative) to analyze multi-level governance, fiscal, and regulatory approaches affecting housing markets and affordability.
• Draft analytical papers, technical notes, and policy briefs synthesizing comparative insights on effective housing policy instruments, institutional coordination, and innovation models relevant for Canada and international partners.
• Examine and document policy drivers, barriers, and enablers influencing market housing supply, including land-use regulation, not-for-profit housing, infrastructure financing, labour policy, and environmental and climate factors.
• Integrate equity and inclusion perspectives—including accessibility, Indigenous-led models, and affordability—into all aspects of the comparative policy framework and outputs.
• Contribute to the preparation of case studies highlighting successful housing supply reforms, construction innovation, and policy coordination across selected OECD countries.
• Support intergovernmental policy dialogues and expert consultations under the Open-Ended Working Group on the Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All.
• Analyze and summarize findings for dissemination through UN-Habitat and other global knowledge exchange platforms.
• Support development of knowledge products and digital tools, including databases and visualization materials documenting housing policy models, data sources, and indicators related to adequacy, accessibility, and climate performance.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of project progress, deliverables, and lessons learned, ensuring consistency with Canadian and UN-Habitat research standards.
• Engage with academic, public sector, and private stakeholders to strengthen research partnerships and validate findings on policy innovation and implementation.
• Prepare briefings and recommendations to inform Canada’s housing policy reform and UN-Habitat’s global housing agenda, linking national and international policy insights.
• Support the synthesis and dissemination of findings through workshops, presentations, and digital platforms, ensuring knowledge transfer across government, research, and civil society partners.
• Provide support in preparing inputs for major domestic and global events, including the World Urban Forum, the High-Level Political Forum, the Mid-Term Review of the New Urban Agenda and other key international convenings.
• Provide support to the Canada Office across general functions, including communications, advocacy, and overall administrative and management activities.

Requirements

• A Master’s degree in Urban Studies, Housing Policy, Urban Planning, Geography, Economics, International Development, Social Policy, or a related field with a focus on housing policy research is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• Desirable specializations include: housing systems and policy analysis, including supply, governance, and regulatory frameworks; Comparative and applied research methods (quantitative and qualitative) for housing policy evaluation; Policy innovation, intergovernmental coordination, and knowledge product development for national and international contexts.
• A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in applied research and policy analysis, including designing and implementing quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, survey design, and documenting and communicating research outputs is required.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct comparative and applied research on housing supply, adequacy, and affordability; synthesize complex information; and present findings in formats accessible to policymakers, practitioners, and diverse audiences is required.
• Experience analyzing and applying frameworks or standards of housing models in OECD countries is required.
• Proven experience drafting analytical papers, technical notes, policy briefs, and case studies, with strong report writing, reviewing, and editorial skills is required.
• Experience contributing to national or international projects on housing supply systems is desirable.
• Experience within the United Nations Common System or other international organizations is desirable.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
• Proficiency and/or fluency in French is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is considered an additional asset.
• Applicants must be Canadian residents or citizens or have permission to work in Canada.

Skills

• Housing Policy
• Urban Planning
• Quantitative Research
• Qualitative Methods
• Survey Design
• Policy Analysis
• Comparative Research
• Housing Systems Analysis
• Governance Framework Analysis
• Regulatory Frameworks
• Policy Innovation
• Intergovernmental Coordination
• Knowledge Product Development
• Applied Research
• Data Management
• Report Writing
• Technical Writing
• Policy Brief Writing
• Research Documentation
• Housing Affordability Analysis
• Housing Supply Analysis

Languages

English, French