Housing Accessibility Standards Specialist

About the role

The UN‑Habitat Canada Office is seeking a Housing Accessibility Standards Specialist to support the development of the Accessible‑Ready Housing Guidance Package and related advocacy work. The consultant will work on‑site in Montreal for six months, leading co‑creation activities with municipalities, persons with disabilities and other partners.

Key responsibilities

• Contribute to the Accessible‑Ready Housing Guidance Package, ensuring accessibility barriers identified by persons with disabilities are reflected in standards recommendations.
• Lead consultations and co‑creation processes with OPDs, Indigenous disability organizations, municipal staff and technical experts to gather evidence on accessibility challenges.
• Analyse feedback to formulate policy and standard reform recommendations, mapping regulatory workflows and identifying gaps.
• Support the development of knowledge and training products in accessible formats and prepare progress reports for national and international events.
• Assist project management tasks, including workshop facilitation, event organization, documentation control and resource mobilization support.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Social Policy, Architecture, Urban Planning, Housing Policy or a related field (or equivalent combination of degree and experience).
• Minimum two years of experience in accessibility policy, disability inclusion, inclusive design or related housing work.
• Demonstrated experience leading community engagement or co‑creation processes and translating outcomes into policy‑relevant recommendations.
• Familiarity with Canadian housing, planning and building regulatory contexts (federal, provincial, municipal) is desirable.
• Persons with lived experience of disability are strongly encouraged to apply.