Job Overview
Location: Home Based
Job Identification: 25717
Posting Date: April 11, 2025
Apply Before: April 21, 2025
Job Schedule: Full time
Initial Contract Duration: April 1, 2025 – August 2025
Vacancy Category: International opportunities
Background
UN Women is anchored in a vision of equality as articulated in the Charter of the United Nations, advocating for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, the empowerment of women, and achieving gender parity as both partners and beneficiaries of developmental, humanitarian, and peace and security efforts.
The UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) for the Caribbean covers 22 countries and territories in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. Despite notable advancements in educational attainment and employment rates for women and girls, significant gaps and inequalities persist—exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and various environmental challenges.
Poverty disproportionately impacts women and youth in the Caribbean, exacerbating unemployment rates due to factors such as limited access to financial resources, inadequate digital skills, the burden of unpaid care work, and insufficient social protections. While entrepreneurship is gaining traction, many women entrepreneurs engage in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are undercapitalized and technologically challenged. For instance, statistics reveal that approximately 90% of women entrepreneurs operate without employees, with a mere 1% employing five or more individuals.
Key barriers preventing women’s access to finance include high costs of borrowing, limited availability of appropriate financial products, negative past experiences with financial institutions, self-exclusion, risk aversion, and lack of financial documentation. As a result, approximately 65% of women-led MSMEs in developing nations remain either financially unserved or underserved.
In response to these challenges, UN Women MCO-Caribbean is actively working to create more productive and inclusive business ecosystems by enhancing the competitiveness and resilience of women-owned MSMEs and fostering innovative financing mechanisms aimed at promoting gender equality.
With ongoing projects in Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Lucia, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), UN Women seeks to address the unique barriers women face in economic empowerment and access to finance for business growth.
To meet the needs of women entrepreneurs alongside those of finance and investment professionals, UN Women is looking to appoint a Gender-Responsive Finance Expert for the Caribbean.
Objective
Under the overall supervision of the Private Sector Specialist, the consultant will contribute to the following objectives:
- Strengthen UN Women’s strategic engagement in promoting gender-responsive financial solutions for MSMEs, especially those owned by women.
- Equip interested financial institutions with the necessary knowledge and support to develop gender-responsive financial systems and solutions.
- Enhance the financial literacy of women-owned businesses to increase their capability in utilizing existing digital and financial opportunities that will support their growth.
These objectives collectively contribute to improved access to finance for women-owned MSMEs and increased technical assistance provided to financial institutions regarding gender-responsive financing instruments.
Description of Responsibilities / Scope of Work
- Inception Report: Produce an inception report outlining a comprehensive workplan and approach (due: May 1, 2025).
- Strategy Development: Create an engagement strategy for UN Women MCO aimed at advancing gender-lens investing, focusing on enhancing financial institutions’ gender competency and increasing women entrepreneurs’ access to finance (due: May 16, 2025).
- Training Materials: Adapt existing materials into guidelines and training frameworks for financial institutions to facilitate better service for women-owned MSMEs (due: May 30, 2025).
- Capacity-Building Workshops in Antigua & Barbuda:
- Conduct workshops targeting relevant financial stakeholders to improve risk management and financial inclusion for women and youth.
- Host a public forum on financial inclusion.
- Organize training on digital payments and financing solutions tailored for women MSME owners (target: 40 stakeholders trained).
- Capacity-Building Workshops in Saint Lucia: Similar to activities outlined in Antigua & Barbuda, including public forums on financial inclusion and digital financial solutions, achieving a training target of 120 MSMEs.
- Training Follow-Up: Provide ongoing technical support to financial institutions and women-led MSMEs to ensure effective implementation of learned strategies.
- Final Report: Compile and submit a detailed report summarizing all activities and results achieved (due: July 18, 2025).
Deliverables and Draft Timeline
| Deliverables | Timeline | Payment Schedule (Proposed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inception Report | May 1, 2025 | 10% |
| 2. Engagement strategy development | May 16, 2025 | 30% |
| 3. Training materials adaptation for financial institutions | May 30, 2025 | |
| 4. Training materials for MSME owners on digital payments | May 30, 2025 | |
| 5. Antigua & Barbuda stakeholder engagement & capacity development | June 9, 2025 | 30% |
| 6. Saint Lucia stakeholder engagement & capacity development | June 16, 2025 | |
| 7. Training follow-up to financial institutions | July 11, 2025 | 30% |
| 8. Training follow-up to MSMEs | July 11, 2025 | |
| 9. Final Report | July 18, 2025 |
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This consultancy will be executed from home, requiring only two trips—one to Antigua & Barbuda and another to Saint Lucia. The consultant is expected to be available for a maximum of 40 working days during the period of April 1, 2025 to August 30, 2025. Access to reliable internet-based communication tools is essential, and the consultant should maintain accessibility via email and telephone.
Contract terms related to consultancy fees will be negotiated prior to engagement. Payments will be structured based on the successful completion of predefined deliverables as agreed upon with UN Women.
Travel arrangements will be organized and financed by UN Women. The consultant may subcontract parts of the work, with approval from UN Women, for no more than 50% of the total assignment, with preference for subcontracting to nationals from Antigua & Barbuda or Saint Lucia.
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
Functional Competencies:
- Strong problem-solving abilities
- Excellent analytical and reporting capacities
- Effective planning and goal-setting
- Competence in multitasking and prioritizing competing demands
- Ability to engage with diverse actors through remote communication
- Consistent advocacy for UN Women’s values in decisions and actions
- Aptitude for operating under high-pressure conditions while managing details
- Strong commitment to confidentiality and accountability
- Effective communication skills
Education and Certification
- Advanced University Degree in Finance, Sustainable Development, Gender Studies, or related fields required.
Experience:
- Minimum of 10 years’ experience in sustainable financing for MSMEs.
- At least 5 years of experience focusing on gender-responsive finance and supporting MSME development with a gender lens.
- A minimum of 2 years’ experience in delivering capacity-building training sessions.
- Established networks with financial and business support stakeholders in the Caribbean, specifically Antigua & Barbuda and Saint Lucia.
- Previous experience working within the Caribbean region or with Small Island Developing States is an asset.
- Familiarity with UN, governmental institutions, or other international organizations is a plus.
Languages:
- Fluent in both written and spoken English.
This role is an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the financial ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in the Caribbean, driving gender-responsive financial solutions that empower women and support inclusive economic growth.
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