Vacancy: Gender Equity, Youth & Social Inclusion Specialist

Job Description

Project Description

The Feed the Future Ghana Trade and Investment (GTI) Activity seeks to improve the enabling environment for Ghana’s economic growth by (1) facilitating growth in export-oriented trade; (2) improving and developing product standards; (3) catalyzing investments in private enterprises related to high-value commercial crops; (4) promoting job creation, particularly among women and youth; (5) promoting economic diversification; and (6) increasing foreign exchange revenues from high-value export crops. GTI will facilitate investing in firms that trade goods across borders, spur innovation, and build the capacity of the entire trade sector. 

Purpose

The Gender Equity, Youth & Social Inclusion (GEYSI) Specialist will be responsible for the design and integration of gender, youth, and social inclusion interventions for the GTI activity. S/he will work with the GTI team to address gendered constraints and biases that limit access to economic opportunities, including but not limited to, barriers to accessing finance, forging market linkages, and accessing business advisory services. The GEYSI Specialist will be responsible for implementing the strategy which aims to address these biases, and document best practices across the GTI activity.  Furthermore, the GEYSI Specialist will work with the GTI team and Headquarters to integrate youth and persons with disabilities into GTI programming.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with technical staff, government partners and project stakeholders to integrate GEYSI concepts into the design and implementation across GTI activities.


• Contribute to the initial development of GTI’s Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion Analysis and GEYSI Implementation Strategy as well as lead review and update the strategy during the annual work planning process


• Manage execution of the GEYSI Implementation Strategy to monitor GTI’s implementation to ensure women and men benefit appropriately from project activities.


• Work with GTI Monitoring and Evaluation team to collect and analyze sex- and age-disaggregated data and work with GTI team to propose actions to address any identified gender-, youth-, and social inclusion-related issues.


• Develop gender, youth, and social inclusion tools to guide integration, equity, empowerment, and inclusion measures within GTI programming.


• Organize GTI staff trainings on gender, youth, and social inclusion to ensure awareness and use relevant tools to implement the GEYSI IS.


• Work with GTI staff and Consultants to engage international and GOG women’s initiatives and groups, youth-led and youth-serving organizations, and Ghanaian persons with disabilities’ organizations to strengthen engagement and support of women-, youth- and persons with disability-led SMEs, equitable employment practices, and diversity and inclusion initiatives among established businesses.


• Ensure that GTI’s activities address post-COVID trade and investment constraints to serve the needs of women, youth, and marginalized groups.


• Help embed measures into GTI to mitigate risks of unintended negative consequences of program activities and results on women, youth, and marginalized groups.


• Ensure child protection, ethical, and safety measures are built into all program GEYSI activities.


• Review and contribute draft text on GEYSI activities for inclusion in project reports.


• Work with GTI team to meet project results objective of ensuring that employment growth of 15 percent in skilled workers especially includes women, youth, and people with disabilities.


• Such other duties as may be assigned by the Chief of Party.

Required Skills or Experience

• Must be a Ghanaian citizen;


• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience integrating gender, youth, and social inclusion into project activities;


• Bachelor’s degree required (Master’s preferred) in gender studies, sociology, economics, business administration, or a related field required;


• Understanding of the socio-economic situation in Ghana as it relates to GEYSI programming;


• Understanding of USAID’s GEYSI strategy;


• Demonstrated experience in planning and management of multi-year activities, including reporting both data and narrative results of progress;


• Excellent verbal and written communications skills;


• Ability to maintain productive relationships with a diverse set of key stakeholders and staff;


• Experience working with USAID-funded projects strongly preferred;


• Knowledge of agribusiness SMEs in Ghana preferred.