JOB OPPORTUNITY: Gender, Youth, and Food Security Specialist, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congolese Nationals only) – Banyan Global

Banyan Global is a women-owned and managed, small international development consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Banyan Global operates seamlessly within six practice areas: health, finance and investment, enterprise development, gender, youth, and evaluation and learning. Since 2002, Banyan Global has managed 71 projects in 46 countries throughout the world.

Banyan Global is seeking a Gender, Youth, and Food Security Specialist to be based in Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo for a long-term consulting position. The Specialist will provide technical leadership on gender and youth to the USAID Feed the Future Democratic Republic of Congo Value Chains Activity (VCA). The purpose of the activity is to increase household incomes and access to nutrient rich crops by linking small-holder farmers to strengthened and inclusive value chains and supportive market services. The Kivu VCA will target three commodities – coffee and two nutrient rich food crops. While the Kivu VCA will have sole responsibility for the coffee value chain development, it will collaborate with the USAID Food for Peace implementing partners on the nutrient rich crops. The Food for Peace activity will focus on farm-level productivity and household capacity to engage in markets, while the Kivu VCA will support the development of upstream value chain actors and supportive horizontal market actors.

Ideal candidates will have a minimum of 5 years of experience in gender and youth integration, with specific experience integrating gender and youth considerations into nutrition, agriculture, or value chain development programming. Working proficiency in both English and French, as well as Congolese nationality, are required.

• Provide technical leadership to ensure that project activities address gender and youth considerations, and that project activities specifically address the needs of women, men, and female and male youth.

• Ensure that gender and youth are integrated and mainstreamed across the program, including project design, implementation and monitoring, operations, as well as in staff training materials, policies and procedures.
• Within the scope of the project, provide technical input on agriculture or nutrition value chain programming with an emphasis on enhancing coffee production.
• Review and provide input to project work plans, with attention to gender and youth dimensions of technical activities and operations, and discuss gender issues and priorities with project senior management and other technical specialists.
• Conduct gender analyses and research on gender norms and constraints in project locations in DRC.
• Provide strategic technical guidance on gender and youth integration to key personnel, project staff, government ministries, and project partners and stakeholders.
• Engage available and active women’s and youth networks and organizations in the planning and implementation of project activities.
• Design and facilitate gender and youth trainings for staff, stakeholders, and project clients to ensure that the project assesses and accounts for gender and youth considerations.
• Develop appropriate gender and youth resources and tools for project staff.
• Maintain an up-to-date and thorough understanding of gender and youth issues related to project components.

• Democratic Republic of Congo nationality.
• Ability to be based in Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Full fluency in English and French.
• Master’s Degree in international development, agricultural economics, nutrition, gender, or another related field.
• Five or more years of experience working in gender and youth integration.
• Three or more years of experience effectively integrating gender and youth considerations into value chain, agriculture, or nutrition programming.
• Five or more years of experience partnering with government ministries.
• Experience designing and facilitating trainings on gender and youth issues, and implementing processes and techniques to integrate gender and youth.
• Strong negotiations and communications skills, and effective report-writing skills.
• Strong monitoring and evaluation skills, including experience with the selection and monitoring of effective gender and youth indicators.
• Capacity to be original and creative in strategies to integrate gender and youth considerations into non-gender related (food security) programming.

Salary commensurate with background and experience. Banyan Global is an equal opportunity employer.

Please apply to the position through our website, http://www.banyanglobal.com/careers.php and include a cover letter and resume in your submission. Please no phone calls.