Palladium recruits a Gender Advisor, CATALYZE: Market Systems for Growth

Palladium recruits a Gender Advisor, CATALYZE: Market Systems for Growth

Company Overview:

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits. 

For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved – and is committed to continuing to improve – economies, societies and most importantly, people’s lives. 

Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status. 

Project Overview and Role:

CATALYZE is a $250 million 5 to 8-year program, designed to mobilize $2 billion in private capital for blended finance investments across a range of key economic sectors. All initiatives will be have a ‘gender lens’ to ensure that women and men equally benefit from funded projects  CATALYZE provides services to USAID missions and bureaus that “buy in” to tap the CATALYZE investment and pay-for-results project management expertise. Our aim is for investors to explore and find commercially viable opportunities and approaches to creating jobs, developing sustainable social services, tightening and rationalizing supply chains, and advancing inclusive growth.

CATALYZE: Market Systems for Growth (MS4G) will drive private enterprise expansion to contribute to Ethiopia’s future economic growth and prosperity. MS4G intends to catalyze private enterprises that have high growth potential and the capacity to create jobs for young people. MS4G, help to build the financial sector with a concessional fund to crowd-in private investment; complimented by business advisory services that can respond to real-time challenges faced by companies expanding traditional exports or looking to diversity into new sectors. The program has an estimated life of project funding of $55-$70 million and is expected to operate for five years.

While focus sectors will be finalized in collaboration with USAID during the inception phase, it is anticipated that they could include agribusiness, light manufacturing, and telecommunications & ICT (including fintech). Across all initiatives, there will be a cross-cutting focus on inclusion: ensuring that women and men have equal access to project activities; and, the geographical outreach to Ethiopia’s regions as second cities continue to grow and contribute to economic growth.  

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

The Gender Advisor, CATALYZE: MS4G will report directly to the Country Director and is a member of the senior technical team. S/he will be responsible for the integration of gender into all aspects of technical work, serving as a resource to all other technical leads as they develop and implement key activities.

As a senior technical specialist, contributes to the design of all activities to ensure a gender lens is applied to all aspects of activity design;

• As a senior technical specialist, contributes to the design of all activities to ensure a gender lens is applied to all aspects of activity design; 
• Recommends evidence-based technical designs to ensure they are gender mainstreamed:  1) Coordinates and contributes to the quality of all gender-sensitive technical activities; 2) Provides recommendations, feedback and support to ensure success; 3) Facilitates continuous quality assessment and improvement and ensures that program best practices are documented and disseminated throughout the program cycle; 4) Contributes to developing and addressing learning questions on gender empowerment in inclusive economic development; 
• Serve as a technical liaison as part of  the MS4G team, across private sector partners, the government, USAID and other key stakeholders; 
• Proactive liaison between Ethiopian Universities, training institutions, and youth-serving organizations and the MS4G program to ensure young women and men can access jobs in the growing private sector; 
• Regularly reports to USAID on key gender inclusion topics and lessons learned, providing regular written/oral program progress updates; 
• Ensures that USAID’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy and other relevant gender principles, policies and regulations are applied consistently throughout the project cycle.  

Required Qualifications:

• Understanding of the financial and regulatory constraints facing private sector companies in Ethiopia;
• Understanding of how the different economic challenges facing young women and men in Ethiopia looking for private sector jobs—preferably with experience in ways to address them in enterprise development, workforce development, and private sector investment; 
• Strong ability to manage and deal with diverse stakeholders. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Amharic and English required (other Ethiopian languages a plus); 
• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills;
• Ability to mentor young people, and provide constructive critique. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• BA or MA in professional field: law, engineering, economics, finance or similar field; 
• 10 years of management experience overseeing large, complex projects and diverse personnel, ideally in the private sector. 

Apply here