Safeguards, Risk, and Inclusion Specialist

### General Information Position Title Safeguards, Risk, and Inclusion Specialist Job Category Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Duty Station(s) Home based Seniority Level Mid Level ICS Level ICS 10 Contract Type ICA - LICA - Specialist - Retainer Contract Level LICA 10 Posting Start Date 14-Sep-2026 Posting End Date 05-Oct-2026 Duration 12 months (extensions subject to budget availability, project needs, and satisfactory performance) ### Job Highlight Lead demand-driven technical assistance assignments to unblock climate-resilient infrastructure implementation across Eastern Caribbean SIDS, ensuring high-quality delivery within set programme tolerances and fostering sustainable skills exchange and regional stakeholder partnerships. ### About the Region In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNOPS operates across 23 countries, delivering high-impact solutions that drive sustainable development. UNOPS focuses on building and improving resilient infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public facilities, sanitation systems, and housing—to enhance quality of life and foster inclusive growth. UNOPS also supports public health by procuring essential medicines and medical equipment, ensuring broader access to healthcare services. By strengthening institutional capacities, UNOPS promotes transparent, efficient, and equitable public management. As a trusted partner to governments and development stakeholders, UNOPS aligns its interventions with national priorities, helping countries advance the Sustainable Development Goals through practical, results-driven support. ### About the Country/Multi-Country Office The Barbados Country Office (CO) functions as a strategic hub to support Caribbean nations in implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), helping regional leaders advance a global agenda on climate justice and financing.  The primary mandate of the Barbados Country Office is to Speed Up and Scale Up engagements across 17 Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), ensuring that partner expectations are met with agility and precision. Through dedicated operational presence, UNOPS Barbados Country Office streamlines complex regional logistics and fosters stronger collaboration with sovereign governments and financial institutions in the Caribbean. The office focuses on delivering high-value solutions aligned with the region’s priorities, including the economy, nature and climate, human capital, infrastructure and capacity development. ### Job Specific Context The Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) Facility is established as a regional mechanism designed to support governments in implementing climate-resilient infrastructure. The Facility provides demand-driven technical assistance, strengthens institutional capacity, and facilitates knowledge and skills exchange across countries in the region. The Facility is envisioned as a five-year initiative, initially serving countries in the Eastern Caribbean eligible for Official Development Assistance, namely Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Through a growing number of short- and medium-term technical assistance assignments and surge deployments, the Facility is expected to strengthen the capacity of ministries, project implementation units, and utilities responsible for delivering climate-resilient infrastructure in these countries. The Facility will be implemented through a United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Hosted Entity Partnership, which will provide the institutional platform required for the Facility’s establishment and early operations. ### Role Purpose The functions/responsibilities/key results of this job description are generic and may not always be applicable, nor be comprehensive, for all assignments and/or missions under this job title. The specific tasks and deliverables for each retainer assignment may vary and will be detailed in the terms of reference developed for each assignment by the RIISE Secretariat. The RIISE Facility delivers demand-driven technical assistance primarily through two service modalities: the Rapid Helpdesk, which provides short-term remote advisory support for urgent queries, and Surge Deployments, which involve medium-term engagements designed to support the effective resolution of complex project implementation needs. While RIISE operates on a "remote-first" delivery approach—utilizing digital collaboration tools by default to optimize responsiveness and cost-efficiency—the Consultant must possess the availability and willingness to travel for on-site deployments across participating Caribbean countries. In-country field presence remains a fundamental requirement for complex assignments where direct hands-on engagement, collaborative work with government counterparts, and on-site technical assessments are critical for effective delivery. The Specialist shall ensure that safeguards, risk management and GBA+/GESI requirements are applied proportionately to the nature, scale and risk profile of each RIISE request and assignment, in accordance with the RIISE Project Implementation Plan, Operational Manual, ESMF/EMP, applicable GESI instruments, and other relevant RIISE policies and procedures. While the contract modality for this Vacancy Announcement is an ICA retainer contract on a project or assignment basis, UNOPS may offer, on a need basis, full-time employment for a specified consecutive period of time (up to one year maximum, with possible extensions), with the possibility to move between the two contract modalities subject to operational needs and the incumbent’s acceptance of the proposed assignments. ### Functions / Key Results Expected The specific tasks for each assignment may vary from one assignment to another assignment. Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the RIISE Secretariat and designated Supervisor, the Specialist will work on a retainer contract and will be called upon for specific projects to fulfill one or more of the following key tasks: - Screen RIISE requests and assignments for environmental and social safeguards, risk, GBA+/GESI, stakeholder engagement, grievance, OHS and related requirements. - Strengthen safeguards, risk management and inclusion integration throughout the RIISE programme and assignment management cycle. - Support RIISE-level grievance and referral procedures and assess the adequacy of project-level grievance mechanisms relevant to RIISE-supported assignments. - Provide technical support, quality assurance and capacity building to the RIISE Secretariat, requesting government entities and other relevant assignment stakeholders. Screen RIISE requests and assignments for safeguards, risk and inclusion requirements - Review RIISE requests, preliminary scopes and assignment documentation to identify environmental and social safeguards, GBA+/GESI, stakeholder engagement, grievance, OHS and other relevant risk considerations. - Recommend proportionate risk screening, categorisation, due diligence, mitigation, monitoring and reporting requirements to be incorporated into assignment-specific Terms of Reference and delivery arrangements. - Assess relevant policies, procedures and systems of requesting government entities, ministries/agencies, project implementation units, utilities and, where relevant to the assignment, contractors, consultants or other entities involved in supported infrastructure projects. - Identify material gaps, practical risks and corrective or strengthening measures, with clear allocation of responsibilities and follow-up actions. - Advise on when specialist technical expertise should be mobilized for higher-risk or technically complex safeguards, OHS, climate adaptation or social inclusion matters. Strengthen safeguards, risk management and GBA+/GESI integration across the RIISE programme management cycle - Review programme and assignment documents, annual work plans, g