Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

FH Association is seeking expressions of interest/CVs from qualified and experienced individuals who may be interested in joining the organisation to support the implementation of the FCDO-funded Refugee Support, Empowerment and Transformation (ReSET) Programme, should FH Association be successful in its grant application. Please note that this position is contingent upon FH Association being awarded the ReSET Programme grant. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to follow the application guidelines provided below to submit their applications or expressions of interest for consideration.

Reporting to: Consortium Manager

Purpose of the Job

The Gender and Social Protection Specialist will provide strategic and technical leadership to ensure the effective integration of social protection, gender equality, disability inclusion, child protection, safeguarding, and social inclusion across the RISE Project. Working closely with consortium partners, the Specialist will lead the design, implementation, quality assurance, monitoring, learning, and continuous improvement of gender-responsive and socially inclusive programming. The role will strengthen social protection systems, promote gender-transformative approaches, safeguard vulnerable populations, and ensure compliance with Food for the Hungry (FH) standards and donor requirements. The Specialist will also build the capacity of staff and partners, contribute to evidence generation and business development, and foster strategic partnerships to advance resilient, equitable, and sustainable development outcomes in the ReSET program.

Responsibilities or duties

Strategic Leadership, GEDSI Integration and Technical Direction (35%)

• Provide strategic technical leadership for the consortium's Social Protection and Gender Inclusion portfolio, ensuring high-quality implementation of the Graduation Approach, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Lead the implementation of FH Uganda's Gender Equality (GES) strategy.
• Ensure social protection approaches and safeguarding mechanisms are integrated into programme implementation.
• Provide technical guidance on Gender Equality, Women's Economic Empowerment, Disability, Child Protection, Safeguarding, Community Resilience and risk mitigation in emergencies.
• Promote gender-transformative programming that addresses emergency risks, harmful social- cultural norms and unequal power relations.
• Support women’s leadership development and participation in economic and household decision-making.
• Train consortium staff and partners on GEDSI principles, Safeguarding, and social protection.
• Provide Gender, protection and safeguarding technical leadership in the Household graduation models, Cash and Voucher Assistance, Livelihood strengthening, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), Financial Inclusion, and Shock-responsive programming.
• Support linkages between communities and social protection and accountability structures:
• Strengthen GBV and protection referral systems for vulnerable populations.
• Champion a culture of protection and safeguarding across all programmes ensuring partners and Consortium staff understand the safeguarding and protection responsibilities.
• Ensure safeguarding is integrated into programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Strengthen safe referrals for children and adults at risk while upholding survivor-centred approaches in all protection interventions.
• Ensure all activities uphold FH's safeguarding Code of Conduct, and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) policies.

Programme design, quality assurance and Safeguarding (25%)

• Lead the integration of gender, protection, and social protection in the project implementation within the consortium.
• Conduct gender analyses, Gender and protection audits and social inclusion assessments to identify inequities and risks in participation, representation, access, and recommend corrective actions to inform programme implementation.
• Support the project consortium in developing Gender Action Plans Social Inclusion, Protection Mainstreaming and Safeguarding Plans.

Engagement with technical working groups, donors, potential partners (25%)

• Represent FH and the RISE Consortium in national, regional, and district coordination platforms related to livelihoods, economic inclusion, refugee self-reliance, agriculture, climate resilience, financial inclusion, market systems, and graduation programming.
• Support the Consortium Manager in maintaining productive relationships with OPM, UNHCR, district local governments, CRRF structures, development partners, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to strengthen programme coordination and influence.
• Participate in relevant technical working groups, donor consultations, consortium coordination meetings, and inter-agency forums to promote collaboration, learning, and alignment with national refugee and development priorities.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, technical briefs, case studies, success stories, and policy recommendations generated through programme implementation.
• Provide technical input into consortium learning events, adaptive management reviews, afteraction reviews, and quarterly reflection meetings to strengthen programme quality.
• Support preparation of donor reports, technical presentations, conference papers, publications, and external communications highlighting programme achievements and innovations.
• Contribute technical content for fundraising materials, newsletters, website publications, social media, advocacy products, and knowledge management initiatives that promote FH's leadership in resilient livelihoods and graduation programming.

Capacity Development (15%)

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive capacity strengthening strategy on gender, protection and safeguarding for consortium partners, local governments, community institutions, and FH programme staff.
• Conduct organizational and technical capacity assessments to identify learning needs and develop tailored capacity development plans.
• Develop and implement capacity-building plans for consortium staff and partners.
• Coach programme teams on integrating gender and protection throughout the programme cycle.
• Mentor community Safeguarding and Gender Focal Persons for program continuity.
• Provide ongoing technical coaching and backstopping to Area Programme teams to ensure safe and inclusive implementation of Graduation pathways, household coaching, VSLAs, enterprise development, climate-smart agriculture, and market systems interventions.

Qualifications or requirements

Job Specification

• A minimum of a master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Protection, Development Studies, Social Work and any other relevant training.
• At least 5 years’ working experience working on programmes supporting agriculture and agribusiness among smallholder farmers and farmers groups.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in mainstreaming gender, social protection, safeguarding, or social development programming, in a senior technical Specialist role.
• Experience in project development and capacity building within the Gender and social protection sector.
• Experience working with donors such as FCDO, USAID, EU, Global Affairs Canada, UNICEF, WFP, UN Women, or World Bank-funded programmes is highly desirable.
• Experience working in refugee and fragile contexts is an added advantage.
• Strong knowledge of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Child Protection, Safeguarding, Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Conflict Sensitivity, Safe programming, Gender Analysis, Protection Mainstreaming, and disability and inclusion.
• Ability to collaboratively identify gender and protection barriers for refugees and host communities.
• Technical proficiency in designing solutions that enhance women’s economic empowerment and leadership in emergencies
• Demonstrable capacity to work under stringent time pressure and to prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrable skills in writing well-structured technical, training and reporting documents (English).
• Strong background in gender mainstreaming, protection, safeguarding, and social protection is essential.

Experience needed

At least 5 years’ working experience working on programmes supporting agriculture and agribusiness among smallholder farmers and farmers groups. Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in mainstreaming gender, social protection, safeguarding, or social development programming, in a senior technical Specialist role.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

Please note that this position is contingent upon FH Association being awarded the ReSET Programme grant.

• Provide strategic technical leadership for the consortium's Social Protection and Gender Inclusion portfolio, ensuring high-quality implementation of the Graduation Approach, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Lead the implementation of FH Uganda's Gender Equality (GES) strategy.
• Ensure social protection approaches and safeguarding mechanisms are integrated into programme implementation.
• Provide technical guidance on Gender Equality, Women's Economic Empowerment, Disability, Child Protection, Safeguarding, Community Resilience and risk mitigation in emergencies.
• Promote gender-transformative programming that addresses emergency risks, harmful social- cultural norms and unequal power relations.
• Support women’s leadership development and participation in economic and household decision-making.
• Train consortium staff and partners on GEDSI principles, Safeguarding, and social protection.
• Provide Gender, protection and safeguarding technical leadership in the Household graduation models, Cash and Voucher Assistance, Livelihood strengthening, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), Financial Inclusion, and Shock-responsive programming.
• Support linkages between communities and social protection and accountability structures:
• Strengthen GBV and protection referral systems for vulnerable populations.
• Champion a culture of protection and safeguarding across all programmes ensuring partners and Consortium staff understand the safeguarding and protection responsibilities.
• Ensure safeguarding is integrated into programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Strengthen safe referrals for children and adults at risk while upholding survivor-centred approaches in all protection interventions.
• Ensure all activities uphold FH's safeguarding Code of Conduct, and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) policies.
• Lead the integration of gender, protection, and social protection in the project implementation within the consortium.
• Conduct gender analyses, Gender and protection audits and social inclusion assessments to identify inequities and risks in participation, representation, access, and recommend corrective actions to inform programme implementation.
• Support the project consortium in developing Gender Action Plans Social Inclusion, Protection Mainstreaming and Safeguarding Plans.
• Represent FH and the RISE Consortium in national, regional, and district coordination platforms related to livelihoods, economic inclusion, refugee self-reliance, agriculture, climate resilience, financial inclusion, market systems, and graduation programming.
• Support the Consortium Manager in maintaining productive relationships with OPM, UNHCR, district local governments, CRRF structures, development partners, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to strengthen programme coordination and influence.
• Participate in relevant technical working groups, donor consultations, consortium coordination meetings, and inter-agency forums to promote collaboration, learning, and alignment with national refugee and development priorities.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, technical briefs, case studies, success stories, and policy recommendations generated through programme implementation.
• Provide technical input into consortium learning events, adaptive management reviews, afteraction reviews, and quarterly reflection meetings to strengthen programme quality.
• Support preparation of donor reports, technical presentations, conference papers, publications, and external communications highlighting programme achievements and innovations.
• Contribute technical content for fundraising materials, newsletters, website publications, social media, advocacy products, and knowledge management initiatives that promote FH's leadership in resilient livelihoods and graduation programming.
• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive capacity strengthening strategy on gender, protection and safeguarding for consortium partners, local governments, community institutions, and FH programme staff.
• Conduct organizational and technical capacity assessments to identify learning needs and develop tailored capacity development plans.
• Develop and implement capacity-building plans for consortium staff and partners.
• Coach programme teams on integrating gender and protection throughout the programme cycle.
• Mentor community Safeguarding and Gender Focal Persons for program continuity.
• Provide ongoing technical coaching and backstopping to Area Programme teams to ensure safe and inclusive implementation of Graduation pathways, household coaching, VSLAs, enterprise development, climate-smart agriculture, and market systems interventions.

• Strong knowledge of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Child Protection, Safeguarding, Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Conflict Sensitivity, Safe programming, Gender Analysis, Protection Mainstreaming, and disability and inclusion.
• Ability to collaboratively identify gender and protection barriers for refugees and host communities.
• Technical proficiency in designing solutions that enhance women’s economic empowerment and leadership in emergencies
• Demonstrable capacity to work under stringent time pressure and to prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrable skills in writing well-structured technical, training and reporting documents (English).
• Strong background in gender mainstreaming, protection, safeguarding, and social protection is essential.

• A minimum of a master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Protection, Development Studies, Social Work and any other relevant training.
• At least 5 years’ working experience working on programmes supporting agriculture and agribusiness among smallholder farmers and farmers groups.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in mainstreaming gender, social protection, safeguarding, or social development programming, in a senior technical Specialist role.
• Experience in project development and capacity building within the Gender and social protection sector.
• Experience working with donors such as FCDO, USAID, EU, Global Affairs Canada, UNICEF, WFP, UN Women, or World Bank-funded programmes is highly desirable.
• Experience working in refugee and fragile contexts is an added advantage.