Gender & Nutrition Advisor – Maternity Cover

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: Self Help Africa

Deadline: 15 May 2026

Job Description

About Self Help Africa :

Established in 1984, Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and agri-enterprise development to address hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impacts of climate change. We believe that equitable economic development is key to lifting communities out of long-term poverty, empowering them to take control of their futures and improving their quality of life.

In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisation strategy, which defines shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based and enterprise-focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.

Our wider organisation also includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, which provides ethical auditing and consultancy services, and CUMO, Malawi’s largest micro-finance provider.

Our three core values are:

▪ Impact: We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change.
▪ Innovation: We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing World.
▪Community: We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationships.

Job Purpose:

The Gender & Nutrition Advisor role will be the resource person for Nutrition and Gender within the SHA Ethiopia Programme. The role will involve working with the team throughout project cycle management – from supporting the development of concept notes to ensuring a strong nutrition and gender element, proposal development, programme delivery, supporting M&E and evaluation of projects or programmes.

This role is key in the organization’s drive to build technical excellence, improve programme quality across the organization and lead in innovative development practice.  Promoting nutrition sensitive agriculture will involve ensuring that all of SHA programmes and projects progressively integrate explicit nutrition objectives and indicators into project/programme design. It also ensures that gender is mainstreamed within all programmes. The post holder will advise, mentor, train and support programme or partner staff to effectively integrate nutrition sensitive agriculture and mainstream gender into programmes and projects including setting objectives and measuring results.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical resource

• Supporting the head of programme in planning designing and humanitarian programmes; ensuring that nutrition and gender are specifically addressed with effective implementation strategies in line with Self Help Africa Ethiopia Country programme strategy.
• Supporting the SHA programme teams/technical staff in the design and implementation of project interventions to ensure that the project/programme intervention is gender transformative and nutrition sensitive.
• Support SHA staff and partners in implementing nutrition and gender components of projects/programmes through establishing knowledge gaps and conducting capacity building, training and project/programme monitoring visits.
• Develop and carryout reviews of SHA nutrition and gender policies/guidelines and strategies that provide strategic direction during planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation across the Ethiopia country programme.
• Together with the SHA Monitoring and Evaluation officer and programme staff be responsible for designing, collecting, processing, analysing nutrition and gender data within SHA programmes to see change/impact and for further planning of action.
• Ensures that SHA’s strategic focus on gender inclusion and nutrition is strongly woven into all programmes/projects.
• Identify and support the development of tools for programme and partner staff, such as IEC material, to use for gender and nutrition throughout SHA programmes/projects.
• Contribute and share knowledge, information, best practices and lessons learnt on gender and nutrition to ensure high quality programming throughout SHA programmes/projects.
• Liaise regularly with Gender Advisor, Nutrition Advisor and Social Inclusion Advisor at head office for support and to ensure learnings are shared with other SHA country programmes and head office.
• Support gender analysis research along a specific agricultural value chain, using both quantitative and qualitative analyses; identify gender – based constraints that have the potential to reduce women’s participation, women’s economic advancement, and women’s agency and devise solutions to ensure well designed programmes.
• Guide processes of identifying Nutrition and Gender research and advocacy issues and facilitate policy advocacy engagements at local, national and international levels for the implementation of nutrition and gender policies and laws.
• Facilitate and assist the timely submission of regular reports (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual) or special reports as deemed necessary.
• Organize training and workshops to share information/learning such as the gender assessment results to project stakeholders for learning and action.
• Strengthen strategic partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector to influence Nutrition and Gender responsive policies and laws.
• Keep updated on technical aspects of nutrition and gender with specific focus on vulnerable groups.
• Perform other related duties and tasks as assigned.

Networking:

• Active networking and advocacy profiling of SHA country programme with external stakeholders implementing similar programmes at local, national and/or international results.
• This role will ensure SHA engagement in relevant networks to strengthen SHA’s visibility in nutrition and gender, remain current/up to date within this sector and where possible capitalise on relevant opportunities that arise in terms of funding, and dissemination of SHA work.
• Networking with relevant stakeholders will include the various ministries, UN agencies such as UNICEF and WHO and NGO’s involved in nutrition and gender sectors.
• Attend cluster and coordination meetings: Nutrition/MANTF, Protection Working Group, AAP Working Group and Coordination forums…etc.
• Build effective networks and relationships with external stakeholders to facilitate the efficient delivery of project activities, and project management as required.

Learning and Innovation:

• Facilitate learning, promote peer-learning between staff and partners, participate in relevant national networks and actively engage in organization level focal groups.
• Facilitate learning, promote peer-learning between staff and partners, participate in relevant national networks and actively engage in organization level focal groups.
• Explore opportunities for positioning, innovation, upscaling and potential follow up.
• Work with Communication team to document success stories and case studies
• Organize a webinar in liaison with HQ advisors on best practises.

Safeguarding Focal Points:

• Serve as Safeguarding Focal Points and Accountability to Affected People and be the ‘champions’ of Safeguarding in each context of the operation.
• Represent the organizations in PSEA network at national or sub-national level.
• To raise awareness on the Code o Conduct and Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy.
• To be aware of and support individuals who wish to raise a safeguarding concern and
• Receive safeguarding disclosures and report any concern, suspicion, historic or actual disclosure of abuse or exploitation immediately on receipt through the Safeguarding Reporting Pathway using the Safeguarding Notification Form
• To ensure access to an up-to-date directory of services and referral mapping within the local area.
• Liaise with the Global Safeguarding Lead for guidance and support.
• This role description may change as safeguarding evolves within Self Help Africa.

Accountability:

In line with Self Help Africa’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS):

• Actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E)
• Work with relevant colleagues to ensure that the Community Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed.
• Work with relevant colleagues to ensure that information about CFRM, safeguarding and expected staff behaviour is disseminated among programme participants and communities.

Key Relationships:

Internal:

• Head of Programme (Line Manager)
• Country Director and Head of Finance and Admin
• Programme Managers, M&E team and Technical Advisor
• Gender & Nutrition Project team
• Safeguarding Focal Points
• Global Office Advisors – Gender, Nutrition

External:

• Donor staff
• Key Ministry Stakeholders (Ministry of Health, Gender and Agriculture as relevant)
• UN agencies, in particular; UNICEF, WFP, WHO, FAO and UNFPA
• Relevant National Food and Nutrition Organizations
• Research institutions and Universities as relevant

Qualifications/Knowledge and Experience:

Essential:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in public health, nutrition, social science, gender study or related field with minimum of four (4) years’ experience
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in public health, nutrition, social science, gender study or related field with minimum of four (6) years’ experience.
• Minimum of two years’ experience of relevant professional experience in the in the design and implementation of nutrition and/or gender projects,
• Local knowledge of the nutrition and gender environment in the specific region or cluster and supporting development programs.
• Demonstrated experience in integrating gender in development and humanitarian projects focused on food, nutrition, and livelihoods sectors
• Demonstrated relationship and active participation track records at cluster coordination meetings at national or sub-national level
• Proven ability to work under pressure, and with multiple concurrent demands
• Excellent written skills, and experience in planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of programmes in an international organization.
• Ability to form good working relationships and to coordinate with colleagues across the organisation and with partners in multiple locations.
• Administrative skills such as organising and maintaining records, files, and databases.
• Experience of building and maintaining excellent relationships with institutional donors and partners.
• Self-motivated, proactive and driven individual, with experience of managing and prioritising own workload, meeting tight deadlines and working under pressure.
• Strong and creative oral presentation skills and experience.
• Ability and willingness to travel to the project locations.

Desirable:

• Experience and/or knowledge of agricultural, rural development.
• Knowledge of the smallholder farmers context, VESA groups, agriculture, and development work in Ethiopia is an asset.
• Experience in coordinating, review and negotiate grant agreements with donors.

Find Full: >>Job description here.

How to Apply:

Qualified and interested candidates who meet the stated requirements must submit a completed: >> Application Form, along with an up to date Curriculum Vitae and Cover Letter: >> Here.

The closing date for applications is Friday 15th May 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Important information:

Self Help Africa is an international development charity and is committed to the safeguarding of all those who we come into contact with or through our work. We are committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour relating to our work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and we are committed to promoting the welfare of children and the people we aim to assist with whom Self Help Africa engages. Self Help Africa expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviours outlined in the Code of Conduct and Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Recruitment to all roles in Self Help Africa will include, and be subject to, a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre- employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checking.

Self Help Africa is committed to the principles of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse or sexual harassment during employment. By submitting an application, the applicant confirms her/his understanding of these recruitment procedures. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Self Help Africa is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.

Research shows that women and those from marginalised ethnic groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single requirement. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align with every criteria described, we encourage you to apply anyway, you could be exactly what we need!

Self Help Africa is an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.