Gender and Safeguarding Officer

Vacancy Announcement – Position: Gender and Safeguarding Officer

• Organization: PETCO Ethiopia
• Location: Addis Ababa
• Category: Program management
• Report to: Senior Program Director
• Salary: Competitive salary
• Employment Term: Annual contract, renewable based on available fund & performance
• Closing Date: September 24, 2025

Background

About PETCO Ethiopia:

PETCO Ethiopia Organization is a non-for-profit Industry led producer responsibility organization incorporated in 2019. PETCO Ethiopia promotes a circular economy system to assure products and materials kept in circulation through

Circular designating, maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and

Composting. PETCO Ethiopia seeks to minimize the environmental impact of post-consumer waste through accelerating the manufacturing sector shift from Linier to a Circular Economy production system; supporting existing and creating green jobs for women, youth, and marginalized people; as well as promoting exercise of self-regulation for sustainable business in industries and institutions.PETCO Ethiopia operates throughout Ethiopia and has its head office in Addis Ababa. Moreover, PETCO Ethiopia is fostering access to finance, and capacity building, to foster enterprise development in Ethiopia across agro-processing, food, handcraft, textile and garment, solid waste, and leather sectors.

Program Background

PETCO Ethiopia is implementing 4-year consortium project joint with Center of Accelerated Women Economic Empowerment (CAWEE) and Ethiopia Enterprise Development. The program funded by the MasterCard Foundation contract to Enable Young Women and Men to Find Dignified and Fulfilling Work in Manufacturing in Ethiopia by capacitating existing SMEs. The program aims to:

• Build SME capacity to sustainably create new jobs and improve existing ones through offering tailored business capacity building and mentorship; enhancing access to markets and raw materials flow; and improving SMEs’ human resources capacity to create safe and inclusive working conditions for young women and men.
• Improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) offerings to better prepare women and youth to enter the workforce (facilitate school-to-work transition).
• Facilitate a robust financial ecosystem to help SMEs access tailored financial services that allow them to grow and increase employment opportunities for young women, and to invest in infrastructure that can improve young women and men’s working conditions.
• Strengthen the enablers (ecosystem) to foster private sector engagement, stakeholder coordination synergy, and policy development for sustainable and scalable job growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure that the project integrates gender equality and safeguarding principles into all its activities.
• Support the Gender and Safeguarding Specialist in implementing strategies to promote gender equality, inclusivity, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
• Assist in conducting gender analyses, developing gender-mainstreaming plans, and monitoring compliance with safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Collaborate closely with project staff and partners to raise awareness, build capacity, and foster a culture of gender equality and accountability within the project
• Support the Gender and Safeguarding Specialist in developing, implementing a gender mainstreaming, and safeguarding strategy for the EYWM project, in line with international standards and best practices.
• Assist in conducting gender analyses to identify gender barriers, and opportunities within project activities and target communities, and contribute to the integration of gender considerations into project planning and implementation.
• Support the development and implementation of gender-responsive programming initiatives, including targeted interventions to address the needs and interests of women, young people, and marginalized groups.
• Assist in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming and safeguarding interventions, collecting and analyzing sex-disaggregated data, and preparing regular progress reports for project management.
• Support the organization and facilitation of training sessions, workshops, and community dialogues on gender equality, gender-based violence prevention, and safeguarding practices, ensuring active participation and engagement of project beneficiaries.
• Collaborate with project stakeholders, including organizations, and community groups to promote gender equality, inclusivity, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
• Contribute to the development of project proposals, budgets, and work plans, ensuring that gender and safeguarding considerations, adequately addressed and resourced.
• Support the implementation of gender-sensitive strategies and interventions, including training programs, awareness-raising campaigns, and outreach activities.
• Support the Gender and Safeguarding Specialist in liaising with donors, partners, and other stakeholders, providing technical input and assistance as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in gender studies, social sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience working on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and/or safeguarding
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, including project beneficiaries, government officials, and donor representatives.
• Good organizational and analytical skills, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines effectively.
• Willingness to travel within the capital city as required for project activities.