Housing Accessibility Standards Specialist

Organizational context: The UN Secretariat, through UN-Habitat, promotes sustainable towns and cities for adequate shelter for all. The UN-Habitat Canada Office in Montreal focuses on partnerships, research, and policy engagement in North America, aligning with the 2026-2029 Strategic Plan. It emphasizes innovation in housing solutions and contributes to global housing dialogues, including supporting the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All.

Job purpose: The Housing Accessibility Standards Specialist will contribute to the development of the Accessible-Ready Housing Guidance Package and related advocacy efforts. This role involves leading consultation and partner engagement processes, ensuring that the perspectives of persons with disabilities inform the refinement of housing standards. The specialist will manage co-creation activities, conduct policy analysis, and contribute to prototype development, checklists, and process maps. This work directly supports UN-Habitat Canada’s housing programme and enhances national and global knowledge exchange on accessible housing and standards development, aiming to accelerate affordable, adequate, and resilient housing solutions.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include contributing to the development of the Accessible-Ready Housing Guidance Package, ensuring it reflects the needs of persons with disabilities. This involves leading consultations and co-creation processes with diverse stakeholders, including persons with disabilities, their organizations, and municipal staff, to gather evidence and validate findings. The specialist will analyze feedback to formulate recommendations for standard and policy reform, identifying systemic barriers and opportunities. Responsibilities also encompass mapping regulatory workflows to identify overlooked accessibility considerations, contributing to feasibility and cost analyses from an accessibility perspective, and developing knowledge and training products in accessible formats. The role includes supporting project management, knowledge management, coordination, and administrative tasks, as well as contributing to strategic partnerships and resource mobilization efforts.

Education: A Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Social Policy, Architecture, Urban Planning, Housing Policy) is required, with experience in community engagement and policy translation. A first-level university degree with additional qualifying experience may be accepted. Persons with lived experience are strongly encouraged to apply. Familiarity with Canadian housing regulations, accessibility policy, disability inclusion, and inclusive design is desirable.

Work experience: A minimum of 2 years of experience in accessibility policy, disability inclusion, inclusive design, or housing is required. Demonstrated experience in designing or facilitating inclusive engagement processes with persons with disabilities and/or their organizations is essential. Knowledge of disability-inclusive and rights-based approaches to housing is required. Experience translating lived experience into policy or guidance is desirable.

Skills: Community engagement and co-creation, accessibility-focused policy analysis, applied research, project management, knowledge management, report writing, advocacy, facilitation of workshops and webinars, understanding of disability-inclusive and rights-based approaches, familiarity with housing standards and regulations.

Required languages: English

Desired languages: