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.
In Lebanon, the female labour force participation revolves around 28% - approximately a third of the male rate. One of the reasons for this is that women undertake the majority of childcare responsibilities, which limits their chances of pursuing a career. Existing work systems are rapidly transforming due to technological progress and changing global markets. These shifts have given rise to flexible work arrangements, increasingly embraced by governments, employers, and workers. Such changes call for updated regulations that keep pace with new work realities while safeguarding social protection. In Lebanon, the 1946 Labour Code lacked adequate provisions for such forms of work, and flexible or remote arrangements often fell outside formal employment and social protection frameworks, leaving many workers unprotected.ย
In response, in May 2025, the Lebanese Parliament adopted Law No. 3/2025, amending the Labour Law to formally recognize flexible, part-time, and remote work arrangements and to extend National Social Security Fund (NSSF) coverage to include additional categories of workers. This reform represents a milestone in Lebanonโs labour and social protection framework, aiming to promote inclusive and equitable access to employment. It is particularly significant for advancing womenโs economic participation, as flexible and family-friendly work arrangements can help reduce barriers that prevent women especially those with caregiving responsibilities from entering or remaining in the workforce.ย
Given the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of this reform, UN Women, jointly with UN ESCWA and in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), will provide technical assistance to the Lebanese Parliament, and specifically to the Women and Children Parliamentary Committee, to support its follow-up on the implementation of the law as part of the Parliamentโs role in post-legislative scrutiny. The consultancy builds on previous analytical work by ESCWA and other partners, including a legal study on flexible work arrangements in Lebanon, which laid the groundwork for the legislative proposal. The actuarial feasibility study under this consultancy will therefore serve as a foundational technical input to guide the formulation of executive decrees, contribution mechanisms, and fiscal planning, ensuring the reformโs sustainability, gender responsiveness, and alignment with UN Womenโs mandate to promote womenโs economic empowerment, social protection, and equal access to decent work; as well as alignment with related international standards. This actuarial feasibility study will cover the benefit schemes provided to workers under the labor code and are expected to be extended to additional categories of workers as introduced by the new Law No. 3/2025.
The consultant will be reporting to the Country Representative and will be supported by Programme Management Specialist of the Womenโs Economic Empowerment, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.
Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and with the support of the Womenโs Economic Empowerment Programme Management Specialist, UN Women seeks a consultant to undertake an actuarial feasibility study of the law to inform executive decrees, fiscal planning, and sustainable implementation. The study will draw on international experience and provide data-driven projections to guide policy decisions.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
- Review existing documents relating to the benefit and social insurance schemes provided under or related to the labor code including reports, analysis and data used as well as the legal and regulatory framework; and the modifications introduced by Law No. 3/2025.
- Undertake actuarial consultations with all relevant stakeholders and ensure close coordination with the NSSF throughout the assignment.
- Propose a draft framework defining eligible workers in close consultation with the NSSF and further to the provisions of the Law No. 3/2025.
- Formulate the information and data requirements documents and the data collection templates, and coordinate with the NSSF for data collection.
- Review the data received for quality and request clarifications or additional data, if needed, to ensure quality and sufficiency for the actuarial valuation.
- Conduct an in-depth analysis of data including analysis of past trends to establish key assumptions.
- Propose to the NSSF and validate appropriate demographic, economic and scheme-specific assumptions necessary to estimate the impact of extending NSSF coverage to new categories of workers following flexible and part-time jobs newly introduced by the law, in line with international standards and while ensuring consistency of proposed assumptions with the ILO assumptions applied to other social insurance schemes being currently developed/reformed.
- Propose the model structure to the NSSF, including the three social security branches, and calibrate the actuarial model in close consultation with the NSSF and ILO Social Protection team in Lebanon to establish consistency with the results of ILOโs actuarial and financial model being used for other social insurance schemes.
- Review international benchmarks (in developed as well as developing countries and Arab States) and synthesize lessons relevant to Lebanon.
- Propose to the NSSF and validate the scheme design options relevant to flexible work arrangements including eligibility requirements, financing mechanisms, compliance and reporting systems, special benefit calculation measures (e.g. full-time equivalence) to prevent new categories of workers from abusing the system of getting penalized upon receiving their benefits.
- Prepare a draft report including description of the data received, their data sources and issues, the results of the data analysis, the modelling methodology, the schemes design parameters specific to the new categories of workers, the assumptions adopted, the results of the demographic and financial projections, the cost estimation including the required contribution rates and reserve balances to cover future liabilities, sensitivity testing and alternative scenarios analysis to examine the impact of alternative design options, as well as the legal, administrative, management and policy recommendations.
- Present the draft report for discussion and validation by the NSSF.
- Produce a final report accordingly.
Deliverables: Deliverables Expected completion time (due day)ย Payment Schedule Inception Report: Outlines the study methodology, analytical framework, data requirements, work plan, and key assumptions to guide the actuarial feasibility analysis. By end of January 2026 25% Draft report including preliminary results: Presents initial data analysis, modelling approach, preliminary demographic and financial projections. By end of April 2026 25% Final Report and Presentation: Provides the finalized actuarial results, validated assumptions, cost estimates, policy and implementation recommendations, and a clear presentation of findings for decision-makers. By end of July 2026 50%
Consultantโs Workplace and Official Travel:
This is a home-based consultancy, with multiple field trips in Lebanon.
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 visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
- Technical experience in actuarial modelling and financial forecasting
- Knowledge of social protection systems and labour policy
- Understanding of gender issues in the world of work
- Good understanding of international labour standards relevant to this work
- Data quality review, data analysis and assumptions setting
- Actuarial cost estimation and reserving
- Policy drafting and impact assessment
- Stakeholder coordination and donor reporting
Required Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
- Masterโs degree or equivalent in Actuarial Science, Economics, Statistics, Finance, or a related field is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- A professional actuarial certification (FSA, FIA, or equivalent) is desirable.
Experience:
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in gender responsive actuarial analysis, social protection financing, or related financial modelling based on relevant international labour standards is required.
- Experience with social security or pension fund modelling is desirable.
- Excellent analytical skills with a strong drive for results and capacity to work independently is required.
- Proven record of producing high-quality analytical and policy reports is desirable.
Languages:
- Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
- Working knowledge of French 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,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย 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 toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย 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.
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