Background/Context

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; the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development; human rights; as well as humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. 

UN Women’s Office in the Republic of North Macedonia in line with its priorities set in the UN Women strategic plan and in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, supports the country on the normative commitments and is working in two thematic areas – governance and national planning and ending violence against women. In fulfilling its mandate, UN Women is cooperating with UN, the government and the CSOs to advocate for women’s empowerment and advancement of gender equality. 

Within the Western Balkans and Ukraine, persistent gender inequalities and structural gaps in care systems continue to constrain women’s economic participation and access to decent work, social protection, and public services. Across the region, women shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work, while the availability, accessibility, and quality of care services remain uneven. These challenges are compounded by demographic change, labour market informality, fiscal constraints, and decentralization dynamics, underscoring the need for evidence-based, gender-transformative approaches to strengthening care systems as a foundation for inclusive and sustainable development.

In response, UN Women, through its global Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) programming and its Transforming Care Systems and Care Economy frameworks, is implementing a regional initiative aimed at strengthening knowledge, policy dialogue, and institutional capacity on the care economy in the Western Balkans and Ukraine. The regional project seeks to generate comparative evidence, promote good practices, and support national and sub-national policy reforms that recognize care as a public good and a strategic area of social investment.

This regional effort aligns closely with the European Care Strategy, which provides a comprehensive policy framework to improve access to quality, affordable care services, support caregivers, and promote gender equality in the labour market. Strengthening national and local stakeholders’ understanding of the European Care Strategy is essential for aligning policies and practices in North Macedonia with EU priorities and advancing inclusive social development, particularly in the context of EU accession and policy harmonization. In this context, UN Women’s Office in the Republic of North Macedonia supports national and local efforts to advance gender-responsive governance, budgeting, and women’s economic empowerment, in line with the UN Women Strategic Plan and the UNSDCF (2025–2030), working closely with national institutions, local self-government units (LSGUs), and civil society organizations to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and accountability mechanisms related to care provision and financing.

In this context, UN Women North Macedonia will engage a national expert to conduct Capacity building workshop, prepare Briefing package on European Care Strategy and develop Action Brief with priority actions for North Macedonia.

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Specialist/Head of Office at UN Women North Macedonia. The consultant will be supported by the project implementation staff, who will serve as the focal point for coordination, contract management, and payment issues. The consultant will work in collaboration with National Consultants for Research and development of Policy Paper and Comprehensive Analysis, with no decision-making authority beyond the scope of the assignment, and will closely coordinate with UN Women GRB Team and relevant stakeholders as required. 

Description of Responsibilities / Scope of Work

The consultant is expected to have a solid understanding of UN Women’s mandate on gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and care economy frameworks. The consultant will be responsible for:

• Conducting Capacity building workshop.
• Preparing Briefing package on European Care Strategy;
• Developing Action Brief with priority actions for North Macedonia;
• Integrating feedback from UN Women and revising deliverables accordingly;
• Final report for the assignment 

All deliverables must meet UN Women quality standards for analytical rigor, policy relevance, gender responsiveness, and clarity.

The national consultant will be expected to complete the tasks below:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. The assignment requires intermittent presence on UN Women premises for coordinative purposes. 

As part of this assignment, there is no expected travel outside Skopje, North Macedonia. If such engagements are expected, UN Women will cover the transportation and DSA.  

• Respect for Diversity 
• Integrity 
• Professionalism 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues 
• Accountability 
• Creative Problem Solving 
• Effective Communication 
• Inclusive Collaboration 
• Stakeholder Engagement 
• Leading by Example 

• Knowledge Management and Learning
• Leadership and Self-Management
• Judgement/Decision-making
• Analytical Thinking
• Change Management

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Gender Studies, Public Policy, Social Policy, Economics, Development Studies, European Studies, Law, or other related social sciences.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in gender equality, social policy, care economy, public policy reform, or related fields.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering capacity-building workshops for government institutions, civil society, or international organizations.
• Demonstrated experience in drafting policy briefs, action plans, analytical reports, or strategic documents related to gender equality, social protection, labour market policies, or care systems.
• Strong knowledge of the European Care Strategy and EU gender equality and social inclusion frameworks is highly desirable.
• Experience working with national and/or local government institutions, particularly in the context of EU accession or policy harmonization processes, is considered an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex policy frameworks into clear, user-friendly briefing materials and actionable recommendations.
• Proven experience in stakeholder consultation processes and integrating feedback into final deliverables.

• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills.

Languages:

• Fluency in Macedonian and English is required.
• Knowledge of Albanian is an asset.

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.