Consultant (Gender Expert)

About the Project

The project, “Promoting sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea Large Marine Ecosystem” (RedSeaFish) is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). WorldFish is executing, three components of the project while the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) is responsible for executing one component.

The project aims to strengthen regional cooperation and management for sustainable shared fisheries in the Red Sea through strengthening fisheries data and information systems, enhancing collaborative regional fisheries management in the Red Sea, improving national regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity to manage Red Sea fisheries, and improving knowledge and awareness to support sustainable fisheries management. The beneficiary countries include Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen, while Saudi Arabia will partner and engage in project activities. The project management unit will be based in Cairo, Egypt.

About the Consultancy

To support the effective implementation and operationalization of the RedSeaFish Gender Action Plan (GAP) by ensuring that gender equality and women’s empowerment are systematically mainstreamed across all project components, activities, and monitoring systems, in line with FAO and GEF gender policies:

• Strengthen gender integration across project components.
• Operationalize the Gender Action Plan (GAP).
• Enhance women’s participation and leadership.
• Build capacity for gender mainstreaming.
• Strengthen gender-responsive data and M&E systems.
• Promote inclusive knowledge sharing and outreach.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The Gender Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Review and operationalize the Gender Action Plan (GAP).
• Review the integration of gender consideration across project components, and outputs.
• Support the development of anM&E framework to ensure it is gender responsive.
• Support the development the knowledge management, learning and communications plan to ensure it is gender-sensitive with messaging targeted to include women.
• Coordinating/liaising with stakeholders to ensure the participation and leadership of women in project activities, including through the communication of the Gender Action Plan to project stakeholders.
• Strengthening gender-responsive data systems in fisheries information systems.
• Support the incorporation of gender-responsive approaches into national and regional fisheries management plan.
• Develop and deliver capacity-building programmes on gender mainstreaming to project staff, fisheries agencies, and local communities.
• Develop gender-sensitive indicators and support integration of gender into project monitoring, reporting, and evaluation frameworks.
• Ensure gender-balanced participation in project activities and support the active engagement of women’s groups, CSOs, and community actors through gender-sensitive and gender-responsive practices.
• Contribute to communication materials, awareness programmes, and knowledge products that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Provide technical advisory support to the CTA, PMU and partners on gender mainstreaming and support to address socio-cultural barriers to women’s participation.

Expected Outputs:

• Develop Inception Report with detailed methodology, workplan, and operational roadmap for implementation of the Gender Action Plan, within 4 Weeks.
• Refine project operational Gender Action Plan and Mainstreaming Tools for integrating gender across all project components and activities.
• Development of gender training materials and delivery of targeted training sessions for project staff, fisheries institutions, and stakeholders (with gender-disaggregated participation records).
• Develop Gender-sensitive indicators, tools, guidance for enumeroators, for sex-disaggregated data collection, and inputs to project monitoring and reporting systems.
• Strategy and documentation demonstrating enhanced participation of women in project processes (e.g., working groups, consultations,), including identification of women champions.
• Develop Gender-sensitive communication/knowledge products (e.g., case studies or briefs) and a final report summarizing achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations.

Requirements

This consultancy might be for you if you have the following skills and qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Rural Development Fisheries, Aquaculture, Natural Resource Management, Development Studies or related field.
• Minimum 7–10 years of proven experience in Gender mainstreaming in development projects, working in fisheries, aquaculture, or natural resource management.
• Integrating gender into monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, including indicators and sex-disaggregated data.
• Supporting inclusive stakeholder engagement, particularly with women and community-based groups.
• Experience working on gender activities in the region (fisheries or more broadly in agriculture).
• Fluency in Arabic strongly desired.
• Demonstrated experience with GEF and/or FAO MEL systems is a strong asset.

Consultancy Duration

The duration of the contract will initially be for a 12-months period with possibility of extension, depending on funding and performance.

Evaluation and Selection

Applications will be evaluated based on the qualifications and experience of the consultant, the quality and feasibility of the proposed approach and work plan, the relevance of previous work examples and the most competitive proposal. Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview or request additional information before final selection. This opportunity is open for all applicants.

• Fluency in Arabic strongly desired.