Call for External Collaborator: - National Expert – Namibia’s Employment and Social Protection Expenditure Review (ESPER)

Namibia faces persistent labour market challenges, including high unemployment, informality, and inequality, despite significant public spending on social programmes. As a Pathfinder Country under the ILO Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, Namibia is undertaking an Employment and Social Protection Expenditure Review (ESPER) using the ILO's Employment-Related Public Expenditure Review (ERPE) methodology. The review aims to assess how public expenditure supports decent work, employment creation, and social protection while informing the development of a Pro-Employment Budgeting (PEB) toolkit. The National Expert serves as the technical focal point for the ESPER, working closely with an International Expert to adapt the ERPE methodology to Namibia's context. Key responsibilities include collecting and analysing budget, labour market, and social protection data; mapping expenditures to policy objectives; supporting expenditure classification; contributing to the ESPER report; facilitating stakeholder engagement; supporting fiscal sustainability analysis; and assisting with the adaptation of the PEB toolkit. Key deliverables expected throughout the 60-working-day consultancy over five months include compiled data files with a source registry, a budget-programme mapping table, a preliminary ERPE tagging summary, contributions to stakeholder materials and validation meetings, drafted sections of the ESPER report, inputs for PEB toolkit contextualisation, and a final presentation slide deck. Regarding reporting lines, the consultant reports to the ILO Technical Officer for the Global Accelerator in Namibia, receives technical guidance from DWT Pretoria Specialists in Employment and Social Protection, and benefits from oversight by ILO headquarters in Geneva. Close coordination with the international consultant and designated government counterparts is required throughout the assignment.