Job Openings Senior Specialists, Africa Trade and Investment

About the job Senior Specialists, Africa Trade and Investment

SENIOR SPECIALIST: ATI Gender Services

USAID AFRICA TRADE AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

ABOUT GENDER RESOURCES:

GRI advances gender equality and women's empowerment so that all people women, men, boys, and girls have equal abilities and opportunities to lead more fulfilling lives. We utilize innovative practices in adult education, communication technology, and results-based program management to achieve programs with tangible impacts for real people.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) activity is designed to bolster the U.S. Government's ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide program is USAID's flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.

The ATI Gender Services will focus on providing a range of services in advancing gender equality and women's economic empowerment (GEWEE) across ATI and its buy-in clients. This activity seeks to build on proven models to design, implement, and advance GEWEE across the entire ATI contract.

POSITION:

GRI is seeking multiple Senior Specialists with sector specialization in any one or more of the following sectors affecting business, trade, and investment:

  • Agriculture and/or food security
  • Business Incubators
  • Climate Change
  • Conflict Mitigation
  • Finance
  • Health Sector Investment
  • Human Resources (workplace gender policy)
  • Mining
  • Trade & Investment
  • Value Chain Management

Senior Specialists can be based anywhere in the world, but specialists in the US, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, DRC, and Egypt (or with specific experience in the identified African countries) are particularly sought.

Senior Specialist will provide technical assistance and advisory services to the ATI program. These services may include but are not limited to:

  1. 1. Conducting on-call gender reviews of program documents such as Scopes of Work (SOW), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), research plans, sector strategies, etc. [Approx. LOE is 1 3 days per review]
  2. 2. Serving as a technical liaison for one or more ATI Buy-ins to be the key contact person for providing regular advice and support on gender integration needs. [Approx. LOE is 5 - 10 days per year]
  3. 3. Providing once-off targeted short-term technical assistance to support emerging needs and interests of the program. [Approx. LOE is 5 - 10 per STTA].
  4. 4. Providing retrospective Buy-in SoW (BISOW) reviews to identify gaps and potential entry points for gender integration technical assistance. [Approx. LOE is 1 - 3 days per review]
  5. 5. The Senior Specialist will work remotely and reports to the ATI Gender Services Director or her designee.

TERM:

This is a consulting position with up to 200 hours level of effort per year. The ATI Gender Services may provide assignments for all or none of this time. Additional days may be added depending on the need. The number of days per assignment will be determined and approved by the Gender Services Director prior to taking on the assignment.

PROCESS:

As assignments become available, the ATI Gender Services Project Manager will notify the consultant of the specific assignment and request confirmation of availability. Once the consultant has agreed to the assignment, the Program Manager will send the consultant written authorization to begin work along with the authorized LoE that the consultant can incur in the performance of the assignment. The Consultant shall not perform work without prior written authorization from the Program Manager.

The completed work will be submitted back to Program Manager for record keeping and forwarded to the Program Director or her designee for review and approval before submission to the client.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Perform duties and deliver services as assigned by the ATI Gender Services and indicated in the written work authorization.

ILLUSTRATIVE DELIVERABLES:

The deliverables will depend on the services assigned and will be specified in detail in the work authorization.

  1. 1. Gender Reviews: completed review documents with feedback and recommendations presented in the format prescribed by ATI Gender Services. When applicable, GRI will provide a review matrix or template to guide the consultant with their review.
  2. 2. Technical Liaison: completed reports on the interactions, as well as advice and support provided with each interaction. GRI will provide a template to guide the compilation of the report.
  3. 3. Short-term technical assistance assignments: completed report on the assignment. When applicable, GRI will provide a review matrix or template to guide the consultant with their review.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelors degree and 15 years experience or Masters degree and 13 years experience.
  • Proven experience in the areas of women's economic empowerment and gender equality focusing on policy, capacity development and workforce development in gender in trade and investment.
  • Proven experience in supporting the development of ideas, concepts and designs including action tools, intervention design, research studies, reports, or technical assistance.
  • Sector specialization in any one or more of the following sectors affecting business, trade and investment is preferred:
    • Agriculture and/or food security
    • Business Incubators
    • Climate Change
    • Conflict Mitigation
    • Finance
    • Health Sector Investment
    • Human Resources (workplace gender policy)
    • Mining
    • Trade & Investment
    • Value Chain Management
  • Proven experience in applying new and emerging gender integration research and frameworks to the development of project inputs and project deliverables.
  • Fluency in English required; French is strongly preferred.
  • Prior experience working in Africa in several countries of at least any one of the ATI regions.
  • Prior experience working on USAID programs preferred.
  • Excellent management and administrative skills
  • The ability to think creatively and be proactive in program management.
  • High level of interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with all levels of staff, US and foreign government personnel, members of donor organizations, funders and policy makers.
  • Self-motivated and well organized
  • Ability to work collaboratively, supportively, and respectfully with others.
  • Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

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