Since 1963 and in 148 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that designs and delivers technical and management solutions in agriculture, economic growth, and resilience to promote economic prosperity and social inclusion.

Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) Lead, Sahel

​​ACDI/VOCA is seeking a GYSI Lead for an upcoming Regional Resilience Activity in the Sahel region – Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, and Mauritania – funded by USAID. The anticipated program seeks to expand resilience in the Sahel, improving the ability of individuals, households, and communities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from perennial shocks and stresses.

The GYSI Lead will lead the development and implementation of the program’s overall GYSI strategy and will ensure the integration of women, youth, and other vulnerable populations into all program activities. The program is anticipated to start in 2024 and this position will be based in Burkina Faso.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the GYSI strategy which will guide the integration of GYSI concepts and approaches into all program activities, including technical implementation, monitoring, operations, policies, and procedures
• Collaborate with the Chief of Party, technical teams, and other personnel on GYSI strategy implementation and monitoring
• Lead or assist in the design and implementation of GYSI analyses, impact assessments, and other learning studies
• Provide technical advice and trainings to program staff, partners, and stakeholders to build their capacity to integrate gender, youth, and other relevant social considerations into designing interventions, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation
• Review and provide input to project work plans, with attention to GYSI dimensions of technical activities and operations and discuss GYSI issues and priorities with project senior management and other technical specialists
• Work with technical teams to incorporate GYSI into CLA plans and practices, including developing GYSI indicators and learning questions, incorporating GYSI issues into pause and reflect sessions, and ensuring that the project reports on GYSI outcomes and impacts
• Lead or assist in the preparation of reports and documents for submission to USAID and ACDI/VOCA home office
• Write, coordinate, and disseminate lessons learned among team and program stakeholders
• Maintain an up-to-date and thorough understanding of GYSI related to project components

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in sociology, gender, international development, agriculture, business administration, or related field is required; master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive work experience in international development, preferably in an agricultural or food systems context, including 5 years of experience in GYSI programming.
• Knowledge of and experience with USAID rules and regulations related to GYSI is required.
• Knowledge of do no harm, women’s empowerment, and positive youth development frameworks and approaches is encouraged.
• Experience conducting gender analysis and research a plus.
• Fluency in English required.

Sahel Region nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.