Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) Specialist

BACKGROUND
The International Youth Foundation® (IYF®) stands by, for, and with young people. Founded in 1990 through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, IYF is a global nonprofit with programs directly benefiting 7.7 million young people and operations spanning 100 countries so far. Together with local community-based organizations and a network of corporate, foundation, and multilateral partners, we connect young people with opportunities to transform their lives. We believe that educated, employed, engaged young people possess the power to solve the world’s toughest problems, and we focus our youth development efforts on three linked objectives: unlocking agency, driving economic opportunity, and making systems more inclusive. Our vision is to see young people inspired and equipped to realize the future they want. IYF is headquartered in Baltimore, USA, with country offices that include Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

POSITION SUMMARY AND PURPOSE
IYF Tanzania seeks to improve economic opportunities for underserved young people by facilitating sustainable changes and refinements in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system. Young women are underrepresented in TVET, and those that do enroll tend to concentrate in trades which are traditionally seen as more appropriate for females. Social norms affecting course enrollment also affect a young woman’s training experience and subsequent journey to waged- or self-employment. Along with its partners, IYF is committed to increasing young women’s access to TVET and improving their educational and economic outcomes.

The GESI Specialist will be responsible for ensuring that principles of gender equality and social inclusion, specifically youth and disability inclusion, are integrated into all aspects of program design, development, planning, and implementation. S/he will support the design of participatory gender and social inclusion assessments, trainings, capacity building, and other activities in order to mainstream GESI considerations for IYF and its partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Provide GESI technical leadership and guidance related to the project’s result areas, in close collaboration with project leadership, technical leads, and the MEL team;
  • Lead and/or collaborate with a headquarters-based GESI focal person and the IYF TZ MEL team and Youth Engagement Officer to conduct a participatory GESI analysis with a TVET partner (its students, trainers, and management) and key private sector actors;
  • Adjust activities to be responsive to GESI issues identified during the GESI analysis;
  • Facilitate GESI capacity assessments for program partners and support them in their self-prioritized improvement plans.
  • Co-develop and deliver a workshop designed to equip partner staff with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to deliver GESI-sensitive TVET in their classrooms and workshops;
  • Review and provide technical feedback on results and project reports to funders to ensure quality and full compliance with IYF GESI policies and progress toward achieving GESI integration in the project;
  • Develop tools, frameworks, and resources to enable better GESI integration in the project.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

  • Bachelor’s degree in Social, Development or Gender studies, or a closely related field. Master’s degree preferred.
  • Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive experience managing and providing technical support on gender and social inclusion to donor-funded social and economic programs in Tanzania or the region.
  • Demonstrated GESI knowledge and experience in at least one of the following sectors and technical areas: youth economic opportunity; TVET; teacher training for educational equity; or systemic skills alignment approaches.
  • Experience designing and delivering capacity strengthening services for partners.
  • Experience designing, conducting, and analyzing the results of participatory gender and social inclusion assessments.
  • Excellent facilitation and communication skills in multi-stakeholder environments, including for and with the public and private sectors, civil society, local government, donors, and young people.  
  • Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities, including economically marginalized young women and persons with disabilities, in the consideration of impacts and outcomes of a decision-making process.
  • An understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.
  • Native fluency in Swahili and professional level English proficiency (verbal and written).

LOCATION
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

SUPERVISOR
Programs Director, Tanzania

TO APPLY
Please submit the following documents in English via email to [email protected] with "Tanzania – GESI Specialist" in the subject line:

Applications will be reviewed as received. This is a local hire position, and local nationals are encouraged to apply. IYF is committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages applications from all people, regardless of gender, disability status, religion, or ethnicity.

No phone calls please. To be considered for this position please follow application instructions.

The International Youth Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer