National Gender Specialist

Job Posting Organization:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Established in 1945, FAO has over 194 member countries and works in more than 130 countries worldwide. The organization aims to achieve security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO's mission includes improving agricultural productivity, enhancing food security, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. The organization is currently implementing the EU-funded Oil Palm Value Chains Development Project in Sierra Leone, which focuses on improving productivity, processing efficiency, market access, and livelihoods for smallholder farmers.

Job Overview:
The National Gender Specialist will play a crucial role in leading and operationalizing gender mainstreaming across all components of the Oil Palm Value Chains Development Project. This position is essential for ensuring that gender-responsive approaches are integrated into production, processing, and marketing within the oil palm value chain. The specialist will focus on promoting women's economic empowerment, ensuring equitable access to productive assets and services, and fostering social inclusion and community participation. The role requires collaboration with various stakeholders, including government counterparts, community-level stakeholders, and partner organizations, to ensure that gender considerations are effectively integrated into all project activities.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The National Gender Specialist will be responsible for conducting gender analysis of the oil palm value chain, identifying key gender gaps, barriers, and opportunities, and developing a Gender Action Plan aligned with project objectives. The specialist will integrate gender considerations into production systems, processing facilities, and farmer organizations, ensuring gender-responsive targeting and beneficiary selection. Additionally, the role involves designing and delivering training on gender mainstreaming and women's economic empowerment, building the capacity of FAO staff and partners. The specialist will promote women's participation in processing units and agribusiness initiatives, develop gender-sensitive indicators and tools for monitoring and evaluation, and ensure the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data. The role also includes liaising with local authorities and community leaders to promote gender-inclusive community engagement and ensuring the application of gender equality principles throughout the project.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, or a related field. A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in gender mainstreaming within development programs, particularly in rural livelihoods, agriculture, or value chain development, is required. Candidates should have a working knowledge of English at proficiency level C and must be nationals of Sierra Leone. Additionally, candidates should demonstrate strong expertise in gender analysis and mainstreaming, knowledge of agricultural value chains, experience in community engagement, and the ability to design and deliver training programs.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in relevant fields such as Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Rural Development, or Agricultural Economics. Candidates must have their qualifications recognized by institutions accredited in the World Higher Education Database (WHED).

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in gender mainstreaming in development programs, with a focus on rural livelihoods, agriculture, or value chain development. Experience in conducting gender analysis, developing gender action plans, and integrating gender considerations into program design and implementation is essential. Proven experience working with government institutions, community-based organizations, and multi-stakeholder or donor-funded programs is also required. Prior experience with FAO, EU-funded projects, or other UN agencies is highly desirable.

Languages:
The mandatory language for this position is English, with a proficiency level of C. Additional languages may be beneficial but are not specified as mandatory.

Additional Notes:
The position is full-time and involves working closely with various stakeholders, including government counterparts and community organizations. FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, and applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. Candidates must be medically fit for appointment and meet any residency or visa requirements. The appointment is subject to security clearances.