Gender Lens Investment Expert

The SIMA Impact Foundation (www.simafoundation.org) is a US nonprofit seeking a full time Gender Lens Investment (GLI) Expert to provide technical assistance (TA) to energy access companies, associations, and stakeholders in the African energy access ecosystem. 

One goal of the TA is to improve the experience of people of different genders across the ecosystem, including customers. The TA also seeks to strengthen the business case for GLI with a focus not only on women and girls per se, but ultimately on unlocking the potential of populations marginalized by systemic gender-based biases.

To facilitate connections with energy access ecosystem practitioners the Expert will work in association with one of the most diverse energy access funds - the Energy Access Relief Fund, B.V. (Fund). The Fund is 2X Challenge-qualified and is managed by Social Investment Managers and Advisors LLCs, (SIMA Funds) which has a history of developing codes of conduct, environmental and social management systems, tools, and data supporting the business case for GLI. 

Duties and Responsibilities

The GLI Expert will review and collect data on the ‘who, what, why, how, and when’ of supply side, demand side and ecosystem actors implementing GLI and other E&S processes. The TA Expert will then develop/deliver training and tools to improve GLI and other E&S practices. 

Key supply side tasks are to review policies, collect data, develop tools and deliver trainings to improve the GLI and other E&S practices of energy access companies including: 

• Review the Fund or company’s GLI related knowledge, systems, policies, frameworks, resource allocations, with consideration of cultural and socio-economic context.
• Carry out interviews of staff, managers, owners, board members and assess integration of GLI considerations and tools in business strategies, human resources allocation, R&D, marketing, customer care, etc.
• Develop (with SIMA), data-based GLI and E&S tools which benchmark Strengths/weaknesses and identify GLI, SEAH and other and risks (consider context, External/operational, internal company traits.)
• Deliver trainings to improve GLI practices among supply side actors

Key demand side tasks are to review policies, collect data and improve knowledge of GLI and other E&S policies and practices’ effects on beneficiaries and consumers. This includes:

• Review existing GLI and E&S policies/practices and how they affect/benefit customers in terms of product needs and affordability, outreach, community, gender norms, etc.
• Collect and assess data on benefits/detriments of various product features on various customers, especially in terms of gender.
• Assessment and improvement of grievance mechanisms, referral mechanisms and mitigation measures for customers, in terms of GLI and E&S.
• Key ecosystem tasks are to review constraints to aligning ecosystem stakeholders with GLI best practices, develop and distribute GLI and E&S tools that generate benchmarks and help demonstrate the business case for GLI.
• Review with ecosystem stakeholders contextual, external/operational risks and constraints to adopting GLI and other E&S best practices, especially in terms of gendered experience and marginalization caused by systematic gender-based biases.
• Develop and distribute (with SIMA’s team) digital dashboard tools promoting best practices among stakeholders, especially with in-country renewable energy associations.
• Use outcomes and business cases from the reviews and analysis, to deliver TA and trainings aimed at improving gendered experience at companies, for customers and other stakeholders.

The Expert’s work will also include:

• Review of country analysis reports and financial market dynamics in regard to SEAH, and Gender Lens using international statistics/sources of information (e.g., Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW, UN, and IRIS metrics.)
• Review of investment trends in GLI, operational policy and regulatory environment and how they affect ecosystem stakeholders.
• Ocular reviews and surveys of affected communities in the vicinity.
• Interviews and engagement with stakeholders (e.g., local communities, customers, women’s rights organizations, staff at different levels/ positions, managers, owners, board members etc.

Qualifications

• Candidate should be based in Africa.
• Graduate degree and 8+ years’ work experience with 5 years in gender related roles.
• Experience working in gender equality, equal opportunity or non-discrimination in investments for customer facing (preferably energy) companies in Africa.
• Experience working in Africa with GE, EO and prevention and protection against SEAH.
• Familiarity with GLI industry benchmarks, relevant metrics and institutions