Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Officer

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

EXTERNAL POSTING

POSITION TITLE: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Officer

POSITION LOCATION: Amman, Jordan

REPORTS TO: Project Director, NASHMIA

CONTRACT TERM: Full time, 1 year (renewable based on performance and fund availability)

LANGUAGES REQUIRED: Fluency in English and Arabic

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30/05/2026

EXPECTED START DATE: As soon as possible

Are you passionate about gender equality and enabling women to access economic opportunities? WUSC is currently looking for a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Officer to provide regular technical and implementation support for the NASHMIA project.

BACKGROUND:

WUSC is a Canadian global development organization working to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. We bring together and collaborate with a diverse network of partners (including students, volunteers, schools, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses) who share this mission. Together, we influence systems change, and foster inclusive, youth-centered solutions that enable young people to thrive and belong. We work with all young people, with a focus on women and displaced populations. WUSC currently operates in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 100 staff in Canada and more than 250 staff internationally, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors, and philanthropic foundations.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Nurturing, Advancing, and Sustaining High-potential Women-led Microenterprises through Innovations Accelerating Growth in Jordan (NASHMIA) Project aims to support empowerment of women entrepreneurs across Jordan, including refugee women and women with disabilities, to support their participation and leadership in the green economy. It will be delivered by a partnership between WUSC, EcoConsult, Arcan Impact, Seedstars, and the Arab Women Organization. The project will specifically address barriers to women’s economic advancement, including limited access to finance, weak market integration, discriminatory social norms, and the burden of care work.

The project pursues two interlinked pathways to enhance women’s economic empowerment:

1. Enhanced competitiveness and sustainability of women-led climate MSMEs including those led by women with disabilities and refugees in target regions. This includes market and policy assessments, technical assistance, and targeted training, including digital tools.
   
   
   
   
2. Reduced gender-specific barriers to women’s climate entrepreneurship and participation in the green economy including women with disabilities and refugees in the target regions.
   This involves providing coworking spaces, networking opportunities, targeted grants, and awareness campaigns to challenge restrictive social norms.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the supervision of the (NASHMIA) Project Director, the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Officer will be responsible for ensuring that GESI considerations are mainstreamed across all project activities. This is a key role in (NASHMIA), helping to support the project’s overall economic empowerment goal through targeted capacity strengthening, tools development, implementation support, and reporting. The successful candidate will have strong analytical skills, a firm understanding of gendered inequalities built through academic and professional experience, and will excel at working with diverse groups, including the private sector, to build support for gender equality and social inclusion.

GESI Mainstreaming, Technical Leadership, and Strategy Implementation:

• Support an in-depth GESI analysis to ensure a full contextual understanding of the gendered barriers and inequalities in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jordan;
• Co-design the project’s GESI Strategy based on the findings of the GESI analysis, labour market assessment, baseline study, and ongoing contextual analyses;
• Provide technical advice to project teams and partners on gender equality, disability inclusion, gender mainstreaming, refugee inclusion, intersectional analysis, gender and finance, gender and environment, intersectionality, social norms, women’s entrepreneurship, and gender-based violence;
• Participate in GESI working groups and maintain close working relationships with counterparts in other relevant organizations in Jordan (including international and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), intergovernmental organizations, private sector organizations, and governmental partners);
• Support the establishment of advisory and consultation mechanisms with women’s rights organizations (WROs), disabled people’s organizations (DPOs), and refugee-led organizations (RLOs) to ensure continuous participation, feedback, and context-responsive adaptation of interventions.
  
  
  

Capacity Strengthening and Partner Support:

• Provide regular advice, coaching and mentorship to the WUSC (NASHMIA) Project team and partner organizations on effective approaches to integrating GESI considerations across all project activities;
• Develop and deliver training modules on specific aspects of GESI, including disability inclusion, gender mainstreaming, refugee inclusion, intersectional analysis, gender and finance, gender and environment, intersectionality, social norms, women’s entrepreneurship, and gender-based violence;
• Assist project staff and partners’ staff in integrating GESI into project planning and management approaches (including results-based management tools) and propose strategies to increase project impact on GESI;
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in existing GESI practices, leading the development of improved systems, processes, and tools for improving project results in GESI;
• Design tools and templates to support GESI mainstreaming across project partner organizations;
• Seek opportunities to increase the awareness, commitment and involvement of the project stakeholders in GE;
• Work closely with other team members to provide guidance on effective approaches to working with private sector partners to advance GESI through a market systems’ lens.
  
  
  
  

Planning, Monitoring and Reporting:

• Work with the Senior MERL Officer to ensure that the monitoring and evaluation system is established to ensure that GE results are captured and reported to relevant stakeholders;
• Facilitate the use of GE data to promote evidence-based learning, reflection and decision making within the project;
• Provide timely inputs to program and donor reports on GESI in compliance with internal WUSC requirements and any relevant external donor requirements in close collaboration with the global GESI Advisor;
• Liaise regularly with the Ottawa-based WUSC Gender Equality & Empowerment Advisor to share best practices, tools, and organizational approaches to GE;
• Support internal and external learning through participation in Communities of Practice, Working Groups, and by developing knowledge products;
• Support communication efforts by providing data, stories, information and other material for use in Jordan and internationally;
• Monitor risks related to GESI; recommend and implement mitigation measures to ensure that do-no-harm principles are strictly adhered to;
  
  
  
  

Work environment:

• Promote and maintain an organizational culture that advances gender equality, reduces power abuse and inequalities, and fosters trust, respect and safety;
• Create a working environment is free from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH);
• Ensure high standards of prevention and response measures for SEAH are in place consistent with the WUSC's safeguarding policies and WUSC's Code of Conduct.
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:

Education:

• B.A./MA or equivalent qualification in Social Science, Gender, International Development, Community Development, or other relevant field.

Experience & Competencies:

• At least 5 years of practical experience in the field of gender equality and social inclusion;
• Thorough understanding of the gender context in Jordan, gained through academic or practical experience;
• Experience working with diverse organizations, including government institutions, international NGOs, the private sector, and community-based or women’s rights organizations;
• Experience conducting intersectional gender analyses and the development of recommendations for gender transformative economic empowerment initiatives which address power imbalances and structures of oppression;
• Strong facilitation and coaching skills;
• Ability to translate GESI concepts into practical language for diverse audiences, including the private sector;
• Knowledge of international agreements and national legislation relevant to GESI, as well as international best practices;
• Knowledge or experience in women’s entrepreneurship, gender-lens investing, and advancing gender equality through market systems tools is a strong asset;
• Proven leadership, initiative, interpersonal, cross-cultural, coordination, facilitation skills, and ability to motivate and work as a key member of a diverse country team;
• Excellent capacity building skills, with demonstrated experience in effective training, coaching and facilitation related to Gender, Inclusion, economic empowerment;
• Adaptable and flexible, with the ability and initiative to generate or find new ways of working to manage internal and external changes that affect project implementation or organizational change;
• Strong reporting and writing abilities;
• Demonstrates integrity, respect, and sensitivity to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age;
• Adherence to the Gender Equality approach and the values of social inclusion.
  
  

Languages:

• Complete fluency (spoken and written) in English and Arabic is required.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• This is a full-time job position.
• Working hours and days are Sunday till Thursday, 7:30/9:30 A.M. – 3:30/5:30 P.M. with the possibility of working for extra hours in case any event is taking place.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• This is a full-time job position.
• Working hours and days are Sunday till Thursday, 7:30/9:30 A.M. – 3:30/5:30 P.M. with the possibility of working for extra hours in case any event is taking place.

APPLICATIONS

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation or abuse of any form.

Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process, or those needing job postings in an alternative format, may e-mail a request to [email protected].

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Please note that only the candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

If you are interested in this position, please follow this link to apply through our website.