The Position

Gender and Safeguarding Officer- Job Reference: GSO/PD/UG/10/2025

The Gender & Safeguarding officer will build the capacity of country teams, partners, and grantees by integrating gender and safeguard measures at the country levels and working with AGRA teams, consultants, and external partners to help them understand gender and safeguard issues and response measures for AGRA investments.

S/he will be responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring initiatives, policies, and plans that align with AGRA’s objectives to ensure safety and protection of those we work with from harassment, sexual exploitation and all forms of abuse.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the analysis to identify context specific risks and vulnerabilities for youth and women and identify potential areas/concerns for gender and safeguarding plan
• Develop AGRA’s safeguarding framework in close consultation with the gender and legal unit, develop necessary tools for aligning safeguarding framework with AGRAs programmatic work.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive framework that effectively integrates social safeguard protocols into AGRA Country’s agricultural development initiatives. Ensure that these protocols are seamlessly aligned with the organization’s overall objectives.
• Leads the development of implementation plan based on findings from the various analyses (gender analysis, youth aspiration analysis, ecosystem mapping and value chain analysis) at country level.
• Identify and develop practical response system towards safeguarding issues such as harassment, abuse, allegations of harm, exploitation or misconduct within AGRA’s programs and promoting a safe and inclusive working environment for youth and women in AGRA’s programs and operations
• Guarantee that AGRA’s interventions address the circumstances, needs, aspirations, and priorities of youth and women, providing equal employment opportunities to prevent adverse effects on vulnerable groups.
• Collaborate with the gender and inclusiveness team to create region-specific training modules and awareness-raising materials on gender and safeguards principles, including relevant case studies and good practices.
• Implement ongoing training for AGRA staff, partners, community members, and stakeholders on the application and compliance with gender and safeguarding requirements through online webinars and in-country sessions
• Assist in ensuring that new grants to local partners and proposals to donors comply with safeguarding standards
• Oversee and ensure strict adherence to rigorous health and safety standards across all agricultural projects, effectively reducing risks for workers and stakeholders
• Share results and lessons learned during AGRA Program implementation of gender and safeguarding to enhance performance and maintain standards
• Assess the effectiveness of gender and safeguarding tools and best practices related to youth and women’s employment in agriculture, making recommendations for improvement.
• Uphold ethical work practices across all projects, guaranteeing that labor rights are protected and maintained in line with the Country’s labor regulations
• Promote active participation of gender and women-focused NGOs, civil society organizations, and government entities working on gender equality and youth to learn, share lessons, and magnify impact.
• Take proactive measures within AGRA Country’s agricultural initiatives to prevent child labor, with support from relevant institutions and departments
• Implement strategies that align with national and international standards to keep child labor at bay.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in gender studies, social science, international development, humanitarian or related discipline.
• Strong knowledge of the existing gender and youth safeguards policies/framework at country and continental level, particularly relating to agriculture and agrifood sector.
• Possesses a good understanding of stakeholders, women and youth organization, collectives, networks and associations at country and continental level which best represent the voices and interests of youth and women employment in agriculture sectors.
• Strong understanding of the agricultural landscape in country, including knowledge of key stakeholders, challenges, and opportunities for employment creation.
• Experience working in the fields of gender, youth and enterprise development preferably with focus on youth and women employment, entrepreneurship in agriculture sector with demonstrated experience working directly with national level counterparts and local communities.
• Excellent track record in leading the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of projects/programs, and in influencing partners and stakeholders to achieve goals and objectives.

Behavioral Competencies

• Ability to drive collaboration through inclusive and agile teaming, breaking siloes, sharing information celebrating joint successes.
• Ability to execute excellently by delivering high-quality work at speed, committing to decisions and plans, and increasing accountability to deliver impact at scale.
• Ability to be sincerely constructive in interactions with others by demonstrating trust, sincerity, and care, in recognition of our joint purpose.
• Ability be increasingly entrepreneurial by breaking hierarchies, embracing learning and innovation to unlock the potential of diversity and ideas.

• Lead the analysis to identify context specific risks and vulnerabilities for youth and women and identify potential areas/concerns for gender and safeguarding plan
• Develop AGRA’s safeguarding framework in close consultation with the gender and legal unit, develop necessary tools for aligning safeguarding framework with AGRAs programmatic work.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive framework that effectively integrates social safeguard protocols into AGRA Country’s agricultural development initiatives. Ensure that these protocols are seamlessly aligned with the organization’s overall objectives.
• Leads the development of implementation plan based on findings from the various analyses (gender analysis, youth aspiration analysis, ecosystem mapping and value chain analysis) at country level.
• Identify and develop practical response system towards safeguarding issues such as harassment, abuse, allegations of harm, exploitation or misconduct within AGRA’s programs and promoting a safe and inclusive working environment for youth and women in AGRA’s programs and operations
• Guarantee that AGRA’s interventions address the circumstances, needs, aspirations, and priorities of youth and women, providing equal employment opportunities to prevent adverse effects on vulnerable groups.
• Collaborate with the gender and inclusiveness team to create region-specific training modules and awareness-raising materials on gender and safeguards principles, including relevant case studies and good practices.
• Implement ongoing training for AGRA staff, partners, community members, and stakeholders on the application and compliance with gender and safeguarding requirements through online webinars and in-country sessions
• Assist in ensuring that new grants to local partners and proposals to donors comply with safeguarding standards
• Oversee and ensure strict adherence to rigorous health and safety standards across all agricultural projects, effectively reducing risks for workers and stakeholders
• Share results and lessons learned during AGRA Program implementation of gender and safeguarding to enhance performance and maintain standards
• Assess the effectiveness of gender and safeguarding tools and best practices related to youth and women’s employment in agriculture, making recommendations for improvement.
• Uphold ethical work practices across all projects, guaranteeing that labor rights are protected and maintained in line with the Country’s labor regulations
• Promote active participation of gender and women-focused NGOs, civil society organizations, and government entities working on gender equality and youth to learn, share lessons, and magnify impact.
• Take proactive measures within AGRA Country’s agricultural initiatives to prevent child labor, with support from relevant institutions and departments
• Implement strategies that align with national and international standards to keep child labor at bay.

• Strong knowledge of the existing gender and youth safeguards policies/framework at country and continental level, particularly relating to agriculture and agrifood sector.
• Possesses a good understanding of stakeholders, women and youth organization, collectives, networks and associations at country and continental level which best represent the voices and interests of youth and women employment in agriculture sectors.
• Strong understanding of the agricultural landscape in country, including knowledge of key stakeholders, challenges, and opportunities for employment creation.
• Experience working in the fields of gender, youth and enterprise development preferably with focus on youth and women employment, entrepreneurship in agriculture sector with demonstrated experience working directly with national level counterparts and local communities.
• Excellent track record in leading the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of projects/programs, and in influencing partners and stakeholders to achieve goals and objectives.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in gender studies, social science, international development, humanitarian or related discipline.