Since 1963 and in 148 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that designs and delivers technical and management solutions in agriculture, economic growth, and resilience to promote economic prosperity and social inclusion.

Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) Team Lead, Madagascar Feed the Future

ACDI/VOCA is seeking a Director Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) Team Lead for an upcoming Feed the Future activity in Madagascar funded by USAID. The anticipated program will improve and sustain the food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations through sustainable, climate resilient agricultural and natural resource management practices in a to-be-determined region of Madagascar. These activities will work at the household, community, and institutional levels to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition and strengthen sustainable livelihoods and agriculture productivity.

The GYSI Team Lead will lead the development and implementation of the program’s overall strategy for GYSI and will ensure the integration of women, youth, and other vulnerable populations into all program activities. The program is anticipated to start in 2024 and this position will be based in a to be determined region of Madagascar.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the GYSI strategy which will guide the integration of GYSI concepts and approaches into all program activities, including technical implementation, monitoring, operations, policies, and procedures
• Collaborate with the Chief of Party, technical teams, MEL, and other personnel on GYSI strategy implementation and monitoring
• Lead or assist in the design and implementation of GYSI analyses, impact assessments, and other learning studies
• Provide technical advice and trainings to program staff, partners, and stakeholders to build their capacity to integrate gender, youth, and other relevant social considerations into designing interventions, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation
• Review and provide input to project work plans, with attention to GYSI dimensions of technical activities and operations and discuss GYSI issues and priorities with project senior management and other technical specialists
• Support the M&E Lead to ensure that all data is disaggregated by sex and age in data collection processes, analysis, and reporting
• Work with M&E and technical teams to incorporate GYSI into Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) plans and practices
• Develop GYSI indicators and learning questions, incorporating GYSI issues into pause and reflect sessions and ensuring that the program reports on GYSI outcomes and impacts
• Lead or assist in the preparation of reports and documents for submission to USAID and ACDI/VOCA home office
• Excellent written communication skills required, with a demonstrated ability to write reports in a clear, concise manner.
• Write, coordinate, and disseminate lessons learned among team and program stakeholders
• Maintain an up-to-date and thorough understanding of GYSI related to project components

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in sociology, gender, international development, agriculture, business administration, or related field is required; master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive work experience in international development, preferably in an agricultural or food systems context, including 5 years of experience in GYSI programming.
• Knowledge of and experience with USAID and/or other international donor programs’ rules and regulations related to GYSI is required, such as knowledge of proven approaches and best practices for integrating women, youth, and other historically excluded populations into access to finance, agriculture, and/or market systems programs.
• Preference for experience integrating gender, youth, and social empowerment across activities to promote entrepreneurship, natural resource management, and nutrition.
• Knowledge of do no harm, women’s empowerment, and positive youth development frameworks and approaches is encouraged.
• Experience conducting gender analysis and research a plus.
• Experience working with GYSI considerations (constraints and opportunities) in Madagascar’s food systems sector is highly desired.
• Experience working in Madagascar is required.
• Fluency in English is preferred.
• Fluency in French and/or Malagasy is required.

Malagasy nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.