UN Women: Transforming care systems in the Philippines, Home-based, National Consultant, Manila

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.

One of the key areas of concern is the economic empowerment of women. It is expressed in targets and indicators of SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 8 (Promote inclusive and sustainable development, decent work and employment for all). Progress toward it depends not only on the adoption of a set of public policies by governments, but also on the existence of an enabling environment and active engagement of the private sector. This is also relevant to the achievement of SDG 1 (Poverty Reduction), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities) and SDG 17 (Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development).  

The care economy refers to the diverse range of paid and unpaid work that supports caregiving in all its forms. Care work provides the direct and indirect care necessary for the physical, psychological, and social well-being of primarily care-dependent population groups, such as children, people in old age , person living with disabilities, the ill, and prime-age working adults. Across the world, women and girls bear the brunt of care work. In the Asia and the Pacific region, women and girls are performing more than three-quarters of the total amount of unpaid care work and two thirds of care workers are women. This unequal gender-based distribution of care work adversely influences women’s paid employment patterns. The causal chain negatively impacts the type of job opportunities available to most women and the conditions and quality of their employment, as well as leads to the over-representation of women in the informal economy.   

With the deadline for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals fast approaching, we urgently need a new social pact for the future. We need to re-envision care systems to empower women and create inclusive and caring societies and economies that benefit everyone, including the most vulnerable, and leave no one behind.     

Aligned with the UN Women’s regionally spearheaded TransformCare Investment Initiative Asia-Pacific (TCII-AP), a programme focused on making care systems prosperous for people and the planet in Asia-Pacific, UN Women Philippines supports transforming care systems and service delivery models that promote women’s economic empowerment (WEE) to further promote caring societies and inclusive and green economies where women can fully realize their economic rights and participation. 

The main responsibility for this work is the provision of technical assistance to decision-makers, policymakers, and implementers, using innovative tools and practical guidance to support the development and implementation of gender-responsive policies, practices, and programmes that create an enabling environment for transforming care systems. Under the 2026 Annual Work Plan (AWP), UN Women Philippines has developed a plan to further advance its work on TransformCare. The 2026 expected results includes: 

Support the UN Women Philippines (PHL) Country Office to implement the overall TransformCare workplan for the year by delivering demonstrable progress across the three TransformCare outcomes, in alignment with the ROAP Strategic Note 2026–2029. Produce and validate a practical Caring Cities implementation roadmap for Quezon City, including costs, budgeting framework and gender indicators for one to two care delivery pilots, with clearly defined minimum standards for service quality and accessibility. Support integration of care priorities into selected existing programmes in the Philippines identify and assess feasible financing modalities to sustainably support care investments in the Philippines.

In this context, UN Women PHL Country Office is seeking to engage one national consultant based in Manila to provide coordination support in ensuring the effective integration of care‑related activities across relevant programmes throughout the year.

The consultant will be reporting to Country Programme Coordinator and will be supported by[JR1] [LV2]  Operations Associate, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

He/she will be responsible to:

Coordinating TCII-related activities in the Philippines in line with 2026 workplan;  Serving as a liaison between the UN Women Philippines office and Quezon City to implement the Caring City approach;  Localizing training content on care systems and care delivery models; and co-organizing the technical assistance workshop on caring cities planned for October 2026.  Support strengthening the UN Women PHL office’s positioning on TransformCare in Asia-Pacific across the 3 Outcomes and in alignment to ROAP SN 2026-29 and implement the UN Women PHL workplan on Transformcare Build a practical local action plan on implementing Caring Cities [including implementation, budget/cost plan & M&E framework for 1-2 care delivery pilots with minimum standards required]   Support integration of care into existing programming e.g. food systems project, fisheries cooperatives etc. and identification of financing modalities in PHL 

Outline of the deliverables relating to the tasks indicated above:

Conduct hybrid discussion about geospatial findings to secure recommendation on possible location options based on findings and select 1-2 pilot ideas and implementing partners engaging the Working Group, CSO members & GAL QC private sector collaborators (Submission date: July 2026)

Organization of the QC Launch as Caring City and announcement of pilot location (Submission date: August 2026)
•     A finalized event concept note for the official launch of Quezon City as a Caring City
•     Coordination and confirmation of institutional participation, including LGU leadership, CSOs, private sector partners, Working Group members, and development partners.
•     Communication and visibility materials developed for the launch, such as a press note, key messages, talking points, presentation slides, banners, and branding materials (as applicable).
•     Final agenda including indicative roles of implementing partners (CSOs, GAL QC units, private sector, or government actors).
•     Event documentation, including participant list, photos, media coverage (if applicable), and a summary of key announcements and commitments.
•     A post event report capturing the launch outcomes, announced pilot location(s), stakeholder commitments, and agreed next steps.
•     Final Draft QC Action Plan focusing on with concrete implementation plan and M&E framework, (ii) budget of 1-2 care delivery pilots

Organization of the Technical Assistance Workshop for Application of TransformCare TA Toolbox in QC (in close working collaboration with Programme Specialist on care at UN Women Regional Office and Training Specialist at UN Women Knowledge and Partnership Centre in Republic of Korea). The consultant will work closely with UN Women ROAP Programme Specialist on care Training Specialist at UN Women Knowledge and Partnership Centre in Republic of Korea to:  (Submission date: Aug-September 2026)

•     A finalized technical assistance workshop concept note, including objectives, target participants, scope of application of the TransformCare TA Toolbox, agenda,               methodology, and expected outputs.
•     Localized and contextualized workshop materials, including presentations, exercises, and guidance notes adapted to Quezon City’s care system priorities, institutional context, and pilot focus areas.
•     Coordination and confirmation of participants, including QC local government units, Working Group CSO members, GAL QC representatives, private sector partners, and relevant national stakeholders.
•     A validated participant list, including institutional affiliations and roles in applying the TransformCare TA Toolbox.
•     Facilitation and delivery of the selected sessions of the Technical Assistance Workshop, ensuring practical, hands-on application of the TransformCare TA Toolbox to QC priorities, pilot locations, and selected care delivery models.
•     A concise workshop report

4. Provide end of Workplan Assets, tools and guidance (Submission date: September-October 2026)
•     A policy brief highlighting the key discussions among stakeholders during the training, including preliminary problem statements, identified care system gaps, proposed interventions, and implementation considerations informed by the TransformCare TA Toolbox. The brief will also present proposed recommendations for next steps in Quezon City (QC) and outline the draft action points or technical assistance (TA) roadmaps agreed with QC stakeholders to support the application of the Toolbox in pilot design, policy refinement, and programme implementation.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

UN Women will provide the National Consultant with substantive inputs to ensure the completion of deliverables in line with the objectives of the organizations. This is a home-based consultancy, with reporting to UN Women Philippines office as needed, including for printing of documents or when required to work on-site, and attendance to activities relevant to the engagement within the duty station. As part of this assignment, there may be a mission related to the scope of work as needed, which will be arranged by UN Women in accordance with UN Women’s travel policy.

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

Functional Competencies:

•     Knowledge of programme management; 
•     Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats; 
•     Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow; 
•     Good financial and budgeting skills;
•     Good IT skills

Education and Certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender and Development, Public Administration, Sociology, International Law, Business Management or a related field is required A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2® or MSP®) would be an added advantage

Experience:

A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in business, enterprise development, and operations is required. Strong understanding of gender equality and development issues in the context of the Philippines Strong knowledge of the UN system, international frameworks, standards and agendas on gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals is desirable Experience in drafting and production of research papers and reports, project development, results-based reporting and facilitating KIIs and consultations/workshops is required Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently Excellent English communication and writing skills

Languages:

Fluency in English and Filipino is required Knowledge of any other UN official language is an asset

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.