Gender Advisor

Program Background

The Om Habibeh Foundation (OHF), an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network, is currently operating in Aswan a seven-year skills development initiative entitled: “the Aswan Skills Development Programme (ASDP)”, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and the Aga Khan Foundation Egypt, and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). 

ASDP focuses on improving the livelihoods of 6,000 young women and men in Aswan City and Kom Ombo District through strengthening the quality and range of vocational and technical training programmes, as well as professional development programmes to young women and men in Aswan Governorate. To achieve this goal, ASDP focuses on achieving the following: 

• Improved prospects for employment and employability for young women and men in Aswan and Kom Ombo.
• Improved job creation opportunities (self-employment, entrepreneurship) for young women and men in Aswan and Kom Ombo.
• Strengthened local gender and environmentally sensitive labor market system to support young women and men in Aswan and Kom Ombo in entrepreneurship and employability.

Position Background:

ASDP adopts a Gender Equality Strategy that is in line with Egypt’s National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and GAC’s Gender Equality Policy. The ASDP Gender Equality Strategy focusses on 1) building the capacities of OHF to deliver gender-responsive training and services; 2) improving the accessibility of OHF training to ensure the participation of targeted beneficiaries; 3) advocating for gender-responsive measures to improve the employability of young women and men through engagement with labour market stakeholders. 

OHF is seeking a top-level candidate to fill the position of Gender Advisor for ASDP. This should be an individual who is excited about the opportunity to shape the future of Upper Egypt’s technical vocational and professional education landscape for young men and women, in collaboration with public and private sector partners, NGOs and civil society organizations, local communities, and international partners.

Position Objectives: 

The Gender Advisor will be responsible for implementing ASDP’s gender equality strategy to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed into all of ASDP programming, including in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting phases. 

Main Responsibilities: 

• Work with programme teams to implement strategies to mainstream gender equality in all areas of OHF programming, including in continuing education, career guidance, entrepreneurship, TVET, and agribusiness. This includes ongoing assessment of social and economic barriers to women’s and men’s participation in interventions and activities and working with programme colleagues to address them.
• Work with programme teams and field implementing partners to mainstream gender equality into all aspects of program design, planning, implementation, reporting processes, and M&E systems, including in concept notes and proposals for sub-projects, annual work plans, MERL plans, and semi-annual and annual reports.
• Manage the implementation of the Year 7 Gender Equality plans as outlined in the annual workplan, including through overseeing gender-related capacity-building activities for beneficiaries, partners, and stakeholders, knowledge products, and the development and maintenance of a gender equality community of practice in Aswan.
• Conduct gender assessments for new and refurbished sites where programme activities are being implemented through partners: one assessment for the refurbished tomato drying site and one for the date molasses facility.
• Ensure ASDP instructors are delivering gender-responsive pedagogy and conduct regular observation and coaching for instructors to meet the organization’s gender equality objectives.
• Support the marketing and communications team in developing gender-sensitive marketing and communications materials to promote ASDP programming and success stories and implement community mobilization strategies in target communities to encourage women’s engagement in programme activities.
• Identify knowledge and skills gaps among staff and partners and deliver trainings, supplementary learning materials, and technical assistance as necessary to build their understanding of gender equality in their respective fields.