Role Purpose

The WEE and Gender Specialist ensures that gender-transformative principles are embedded throughout the assignment, from market and training needs assessments to curriculum design, ToT delivery and mentorship. The post-holder brings a deep understanding of the socio-cultural barriers facing women in Zanzibar, integrates GBV-sensitive approaches into economic programming, and safeguards the central objective of empowering women entrepreneurs to participate meaningfully and safely in the coastal economy.

Accountabilities

• Lead the integration of gender-transformative approaches across all assessments, curricula, ToT content and mentorship frameworks.
• Ensure recommended business models account for women’s safety, household responsibilities and retained decision-making power, including community-based processing hub approaches.
• Advise on the safe integration of GBV prevention and response considerations within economic empowerment activities, in line with the wider PAMOJA project.
• Contribute gender analysis to the market and value chain assessments and the Training Needs Assessment across all eight districts.
• Conduct Gender Equality and Inclusion Analysis
• Support the design of group institutional modules on governance, leadership and collective financial management that strengthen women’s group dynamics.
• Provide technical inputs to the Team Leader and coordinate closely with the Women Economic Empowerment Specialist (PIT Focal Point).
• Enhance community and local government engagement and grievance mechanisms
• Establish/ strengthen multi stakeholders forums and local governance structures. These forums will also provide a platform for dialogue among stakeholders to identify budget gaps and agree practical actions, with commitments such as allocations for gender sensitive services documented and tracked over time
• Strengthen gender responsive systems for the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), safeguarding, human rights due diligence, labour standards and community protection that aligned with global performance standards and UN Guiding principles on Business and Human rights.
• Strengthen gender responsive governance, including support for Gender Responsive budgeting (GRB) from ward level, district and regional level.
• Provide gender training to CMGs, VSLAs, VAWC members and CRPS

Technical Expertise, skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies, or Social Work.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in gender-transformative approaches, GBV integration in economic projects, and women’s group dynamics.
• Successful completion of at least two (2) similar assignments in the three years involving women’s and gender economic issues.
• Deep understanding of the socio-cultural barriers facing women in Zanzibar.
• Experience working in Zanzibar
• Experience of working with CMGs, VSLAs and VAWC
• Experience in the World Bank or other international donors

Desirable

• Experience integrating GBV prevention within World Bank or comparable donor-funded programmes.
• Working proficiency in Kiswahili.
• Strong English writing and presentation skills
• Established relationships with women’s networks and community structures in Zanzibar.
• Familiarity with green economy financing mechanisms.
• Familiarity with the Blue economy and community based empowerment models

• Lead the integration of gender-transformative approaches across all assessments, curricula, ToT content and mentorship frameworks.
• Ensure recommended business models account for women’s safety, household responsibilities and retained decision-making power, including community-based processing hub approaches.
• Advise on the safe integration of GBV prevention and response considerations within economic empowerment activities, in line with the wider PAMOJA project.
• Contribute gender analysis to the market and value chain assessments and the Training Needs Assessment across all eight districts.
• Conduct Gender Equality and Inclusion Analysis
• Support the design of group institutional modules on governance, leadership and collective financial management that strengthen women’s group dynamics.
• Provide technical inputs to the Team Leader and coordinate closely with the Women Economic Empowerment Specialist (PIT Focal Point).
• Enhance community and local government engagement and grievance mechanisms
• Establish/ strengthen multi stakeholders forums and local governance structures. These forums will also provide a platform for dialogue among stakeholders to identify budget gaps and agree practical actions, with commitments such as allocations for gender sensitive services documented and tracked over time
• Strengthen gender responsive systems for the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), safeguarding, human rights due diligence, labour standards and community protection that aligned with global performance standards and UN Guiding principles on Business and Human rights.
• Strengthen gender responsive governance, including support for Gender Responsive budgeting (GRB) from ward level, district and regional level.
• Provide gender training to CMGs, VSLAs, VAWC members and CRPS

• Deep understanding of the socio-cultural barriers facing women in Zanzibar.
• Experience working in Zanzibar
• Experience of working with CMGs, VSLAs and VAWC
• Experience in the World Bank or other international donors
• Experience integrating GBV prevention within World Bank or comparable donor-funded programmes.
• Working proficiency in Kiswahili.
• Strong English writing and presentation skills
• Established relationships with women’s networks and community structures in Zanzibar.
• Familiarity with green economy financing mechanisms.
• Familiarity with the Blue economy and community based empowerment models

• Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies, or Social Work.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in gender-transformative approaches, GBV integration in economic projects, and women’s group dynamics.
• Successful completion of at least two (2) similar assignments in the three years involving women’s and gender economic issues.