Gender and Social Development Officer

Wako Gutu Foundation (WGF) is a national non-governmental organization registered with the Federal Authority of Civil Society Organizations under registration number 0457. The Foundation is committed to promoting social and economic development of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in hard-to-reach areas in Ethiopia. The Foundation pursues a triple nexus approach in its development interventions, focusing on social and economic development, humanitarian emergency response, and social reconciliation through local peace-building initiatives. The Foundation is also committed to gender equality in all its interventions by ensuring appropriate participation of women and girls through deliberate design of gender-sensitive interventions. Economic and social empowerment of women and girls is one of the major focuses in all its interventions. To this end, WGF is interested in hiring one Gender and Social Development Officer (Female) for its vacant position based at the Head Office in Addis Ababa, with frequent field trips to project implementation areas.

Position Title: Gender and Social Development Officer

Project: Mobile enabled Agriculture and Health Extension Services to transform Pastoralist livelihood

Duty Station: Addis Ababa,

Reports To: Program Manager

Type: Full-time, Project-Based

Position Summary

The Gender and Social Development Officer will contribute to gender mainstreaming across programs and projects, strengthen advocacy initiatives, support resource mobilization efforts, and ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) systems in line with the gender responsiveness of programs and projects implemented by the Wako Gutu Foundation.

Key Responsibilities

Program design and Implementation

• Support development of Gender sensitive programs and projects in all interventions designed by the Wako Gutu Foundation.
• Support the planning, implementation, & coordination of gender & social development programs/projects.
• Ensure integration of gender equality and social inclusion principles across all programs and projects
• Conduct gender analysis and contribute to gender-responsive project design and implementation.
• Provide technical support to project teams for implementation of impact full gender sensitive programming.
• Conduct gender analysis and contribute to gender-responsive project design and implementation.
• Provide technical support to project teams for implementation of impact full gender sensitive programming.

Advocacy, Networking and Partnership

• Contribute to advocacy initiatives that promote gender equality, women’s economic and social empowerment and the elimination of harmful traditional practices.
• Engage with government institutions, CSOs, and community stakeholders to promote gender-responsive policies and programs.
• Participate in relevant national and regional networks, platforms, and forums related to gender equality and social development.

Resource Mobilization and Proposal Development

• Support the identification of funding opportunities for gender sensitive development initiatives.
• Develop demand driven project proposals related women economic and social development interventions.
• Ensure proper inclusion of women, girls and other marginalized social groups in all projects proposals developed by WGF.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Support the development and implementation of MEAL frameworks for projects.
• Collect, analyze, & document gender-disaggregated data & lessons learned from program implementation.
• Contribute to periodic progress reports, evaluation processes, & knowledge management activities.
• Promote accountability mechanisms & learning processes within development & humanitarian interventions.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s/master’s degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, economics, Social Work, Development Studies, or related field.
• Minimum 4 years of relevant professional experience for BA Degree & over 3years for MA degree.
• Demonstrated experience in gender mainstreaming, advocacy, women’s empowerment initiatives, project proposal development and resource mobilization are desirable.
• Knowledge and experience in MEAL systems & strong understanding of gender equality, human rights-based approaches, and community development.
• Demonstrated experience in implementing safeguarding and PSEAH measures and working with women, youth, persons with disabilities, refugees, IDPs, and other vulnerable populations.
• Strong facilitation, communication, partnership-building, and report-writing skills.
• Commendable writing and speaking skill in English language is recommended.
• Speaking Afan Oromo (Oromo language) and Amharic language is mandatory
• Knowledge of Somali language is an advantage and will be positively considered
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and report writing skills.

Core Competencies

• Knowledge of gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, and PSEAH principle
• Familiarity with work-based learning, employment services, and youth entrepreneurship programs
• Ability to work effectively with WGF staff, employers, government agencies, and community organizations.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality, professionalism, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Experience working in NGOs or development organizations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with teams, diverse communities and stakeholders.
• Commitment to gender equality, human rights, and social justice.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Good computer skills including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint