Senior Gender Specialist, Prosper Cashew Project at TechnoServe

Job Summary:

The Senior Gender Specialist will work closely with all components of the Proper Cashew team in Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria and in coordination with the Global Gender Practice to support the delivery of gender integration activities in the Prosper Cashew Project. This will include technical support to program staff, staff capacity development, direct management of gender integration activities, support to monitoring, reporting, and knowledge management activities, participation in the Gender Champions Network, and overall support to advance TechnoServe’s Gender Equality Policy.

Program/Practice/Department Overview:

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture Service through its Food for Progress (FFPr) program is anticipating funding a regional value chain improvement program for cashew production and processing in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria for the period of 2021-2026. West Africa is responsible for 45% of the global cashew production, yet the majority of those yields are exported for processing. The project will complement other USDA investments and programs in this sector to address market barriers through technical assistance (TA) and financing solutions along the West Africa cashew value chain to improve sector productivity, increase incomes, and create jobs.

Specifically, the Prosper Cashew project seeks:

• Increased value added to the cashew sector in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, primarily through increased processing into kernels and cashew byproducts
• Increased mobilization of capital for the cashew sector
• Increased capacity of key stakeholder institutions
• Improved policy and legal/regulatory enabling environment
• Increased competitiveness and integration of the cashew sector into global markets
• Inclusive net job creation, particularly in the expanded processing and byproduct sector.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Provide technical oversight and technical assistance on gender integration across the Prosper Cashew Project
• provide technical oversight and technical assistance on gender integration
• Identify, develop, and support deployment of gender-responsive activities to meet the needs of clients
• Build local capacity among processor and project staff for gender integration, and facilitate gender-related training for staff
• Support the development and adoption of gender analysis tools including gender action plans which assist with the design and implementation of activities and continuously improve technical excellence
• Conduct assessments and facilitate meetings, as needed, with key stakeholders and clients to identify measures to improve inclusiveness, especially for women within the project scopes
• Provide strategic guidance and counsel to program leadership and staff on gender integration approaches, priorities and compatibility with program aims and resource constraints
• Support monitoring of gender integration in activities and inclusion in program reports
• Contribute to reporting on gender-related topics
• Support the development of key knowledge products (e.g., case studies, lessons-learned documents, etc.) that facilitate program development, program implementation, internal knowledge sharing and the influencing agenda
• Support staff recruitment and hiring processes
• Participate in regular meetings with the Global Gender Practice and the program leadership
• Participate in the Gender Champions Network

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of experience or a Master’s degree with 3 years of experience. Degree in Development economics, sociology, anthropology, gender or another relevant discipline
• Demonstrable experience implementing practical approaches to advance gender equality in agriculture programs.
• Experience in adult learning techniques, excellent in-person and virtual facilitation skills
• Must be able to work across teams to influence behavior and build capacity.
• Ability to work both persuasively and diplomatically in a team-based environment with a high degree of complexity and ambiguity.
• Ability to communicate complex gender issues with clarity and precision
• Demonstrated success in leading tasks, activities, or initiatives requiring a combination of strong analytical, writing, social and management skills
• A deep, demonstrable commitment to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
• Experience implementing approaches to mitigate and reduce gender-based violence in economic growth programs, a plus
• High standards of personal integrity and a flexible, laid back personality with an excel