Gender, Equality & Inclusion Specialist

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The Opportunity

The position holder will be responsible to support the implementation of the PIE’s strategy by developing & ensuring the mainstreaming and promotion of gender equality and inclusion in all programs and strengthen specific programs/projects for the empowerment for girls; women and persons with disabilities to close gender gaps and help overcome gender-based inequality and discrimination.

This would be demonstrated in undertaking responsibilities which includes; to ensure gender transformative approaches are used in all projects, participate and ensure gender and inclusion activities and indicators are included in projects while proposal design and development, provide capacity building training for plan International and partners’ staff, strengthen networking and resource mobilization, strengthen partnership with organizations and NGOs that have similar visions, missions and goals on Gender and Inclusion work and to monitor gender and Inclusion activities are progressed well as planned

Key Accountabilities

Provide Technical Support – Program & Projects

• Provide technical support in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and Learning of all programs and projects

Program Design, Integration & Mainstreaming

• Ensure that all project activities are technically sound & are aligned to Plan Gender Policy

• Ensure that all implemented activities & acquired outputs are gender transformative.

• Provide technical assistance in all proposal developments from inclusive perspective

• Identify potential grant projects, provide technical inputs in Gender and Inclusion, gender equality and equity, gender transformative approaches

• Ensure that all programs and projects are inclusive sensitive

• Develop necessary guidelines & systems for gender mainstreaming in all programs

• Work closely with program staffs and support to allocate budget for gender equality and inclusive activity and ensure gender equality issues and sex disaggregated data are included in monitoring report

• Prepare over all operational plans & provide technical support to all PAs.

• Be responsible for gender mainstreaming in all plan program areas

• Ensure equal and fair opportunities and representation of both sexes and persons with disabilities in the program area.

• Prepare annual and quarterly implementation plans and budgets

• Prepare and submit periodic narrative and financial reports in a timely manner according to Plan and donor requirements

Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

• Assist the development of monitoring and evaluation system in line with gender principles and values.

• Assist technically on gender related researches at various levels.

• Monitor and evaluate the mainstreaming of gender in all interventions

• Strive to implement and operationalize the GESA findings

• Prepare quality and timely preparation of annual progress reports including case studies and lessons learnt and preparation and documentation of quality case study on best practice.

• Identify, document and disseminate best practices from within and outside Plan to staff and other development partners.

• Ensure project learning and achievements are documented and disseminated widely.

Partner Development & Strengthening

• Provide technical assistance and build the capacities of local partners in project management.

• Provide high level guidance to field staff on smooth partnership management for enhanced project implementation.

• Ensure that appropriate partner assessment is done on time and communicated to relevant staff.

• Ensure adequate stakeholder consultation and participation at all stages of the project implementation

• Foster collaboration and support at program level to develop plans for integrating programs with other thematic areas

Staff Development

• Actively participate in the country program team in an open, cooperative and proactive manner and contribute towards ensuring smooth departmental collaboration and coordination.

• Provide technical assistance and training on promoting gender equality for partners and stakeholders.

• Build the capacity of staff and partners on gender mainstreaming, budgeting, etc

• Organize regular performance review meetings to assess progress but also to agree on and communicate any changes in strategy with the key project stakeholders

• Build the technical capacity of Plan staff and community volunteers and also ensure optimum community involvement in the conceptualization, development, management, monitoring and evaluation of the inclusion interventions.

Networking & Resource Mobilization

• Establish partnerships and networks with NGOs, Government bodies, forums and CBOs for cross learning, identification of lessons learned, best practices, resources mobilization and scaling-up to enhance program initiatives

• Network effectively with others to draw information and knowledge for the development of project inputs and strategy development.

• Actively participate in relevant networks at national, regional and global levels

• Closely work with the Regional Gender Advisor and Country Office program staffs
• Organize and facilitate national, regional and district level workshops and experience sharing visits.

The Individual

Technical expertise, skills, and knowledge

Qualifications/ Experience/Skills Essential:

• Bachelor degree in Gender studies, social work and other related disciplines.

• Minimum 5 years substantial experience in gender and development programs/projects

• Good knowledge on Gender Mainstreaming, budgeting, analysis,

• Experience in gender programs and experience at community level projects

• Experience in gender advocacy and networking

• Experience in designing & facilitating training for staff and partners.

• Experience in participatory methodologies

• Knowledge of current international development trends and thinking on program effectiveness and in Child Rights programming.

• Extensive knowledge of mainstreaming Gender & inclusion and gender transformative approaches in all programs and projects

• Understanding of integrated development issues.

Languages required:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Safeguarding Children and Program Participants (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed per the appropriate procedures.

• Ensures that all staff in the unit/function/department are properly inducted on and understand their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work.

• Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted.

Location: Addis Ababa, Country Office

Type of Role: Fixed-term contract, with the possibility of extension depending on performance and project needs

Reports to: Programme Insight Lead

Closing Date: October 11, 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.