Gender, Safeguarding & Inclusion (gsi) Lead

JOB DESCRIPTION

Location: Amhara- Bahir Dar, Oromia- Addis Ababa, South Ethiopia- Arba Minch, Tigray- Mekelle

Number of Positions: Four (4)

Salary: As per the organization's salary scale

Employment Type: Full-time

Summary

The Gender, Safeguarding and Inclusion (GSI) Lead provides strategic, technical, and operational leadership to ensure that the LiTE project is gender-transformative, inclusive, and fully compliant with national and international safeguarding standards. The role is responsible for embedding Gender Equality, Disability, Social Inclusion, and Safeguarding (GEDSIS) principles across all LiTE components, including teacher professional development, school leadership strengthening, student support systems, and community engagement.

Reporting to the Regional Technical Lead, the GSI Lead ensures that girls, learners with disabilities, refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other marginalized groups are equitably reached, meaningfully supported, and protected from harm. The position plays a critical role in shaping organizational culture, systems, and accountability mechanisms related to safeguarding and inclusion.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Policy Development

• Lead the design, implementation, and periodic review of the LiTE Gender, Safeguarding and Inclusion Strategy, ensuring alignment with national policies and global best practices.
• Provide strategic guidance to ensure GSI principles are systematically integrated across all LiTE program pillars, including teacher training, school leadership development, student mentoring, and transition support.
• Advise the Regional Technical Lead and senior program leadership on emerging GSI risks, opportunities, and innovations.
• Ensure that GSI commitments are clearly reflected in project plans, budgets, donor reports, and partnership agreements.

Safeguarding Systems, Risk Management, and Compliance

• Lead comprehensive safeguarding risk assessments across LiTE-supported regions, schools, and community interventions.
• Establish, strengthen, and oversee safeguarding prevention, reporting, and response mechanisms in line with national law and international safeguarding standards.
• Ensure the availability of survivor-centered, confidential, ethical, and culturally appropriate response pathways, including referral to relevant services.
• Develop and roll out safeguarding policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), codes of conduct, and reporting tools.
• Monitor safeguarding compliance among staff, partners, consultants, and school-based actors, and address gaps in a timely manner.

Capacity Building and Awareness Raising

• Design and deliver safeguarding and GSI training for LiTE staff, implementing partners, teachers, school leaders, and community stakeholders.
• Build the capacity of regional and cluster-level teams to identify, prevent, and respond to safeguarding risks and inclusion barriers.
• Provide ongoing coaching and technical backstopping to school-based facilitators and program teams.
• Promote safe organizational culture through continuous awareness, reflection, and accountability initiatives.

Gender Equality and Inclusive Education Programming

• Lead the design and implementation of gender-responsive pedagogy and leadership development initiatives within LiTE-supported schools.
• Oversee school-based interventions such as girls’ safe spaces, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) programs, and psychosocial support initiatives.
• Ensure disability-inclusive education approaches are embedded in teacher training, learning environments, and student support services.
• Collaborate with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), refugee-serving agencies, government structures, and community-based organizations to strengthen inclusive delivery.
• Support context-responsive interventions for refugees, IDPs, and other vulnerable populations within LiTE project target areas.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Adaptation

• Develop and oversee GSI-related indicators, tools, and data collection systems in collaboration with MEL teams.
• Monitor inclusion outcomes and safeguarding performance across regions and schools, identifying trends, risks, and gaps.
• Use evidence and learning to recommend adaptive programming and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to high-quality reporting for donors, government counterparts, and internal learning processes.

Coordination, Partnerships, and Representation

• Serve as the technical focal point for gender, safeguarding, and inclusion within LiTE project.
• Coordinate with government bodies, civil society organizations, UN agencies, and donors on GSI-related matters.
• Representing LiTE Project in relevant technical working groups, networks, and forums.
• Ensure effective collaboration and information flow between regional teams, cluster officers, and school-level actors.

Gender Equality Commitments

• Promote gender equality and equal access to opportunities, information, and resources.
• Ensure fair evaluation, development, and promotion based on merit and performance.
• Respect all individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect cultural diversity.

Safeguarding Commitment. Imagine1day has zero tolerance for violations of Child and Adult Safeguarding, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and the Code of Conduct. All recruitment processes include robust safeguarding checks to ensure the protection of children and vulnerable adults.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master's degree in Gender Studies, Social Development, Law, Special Needs, Inclusive Education, Education, Sociology, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and safeguarding within education or child-focused development programs in international NGOs.
• Demonstrated experience designing and leading safeguarding systems and survivor-centered response mechanisms.
• Proven track record of working with girls, learners with disabilities, refugees, IDPs, and other marginalized groups.
• Strong understanding of the Ethiopian social, cultural, and policy context, particularly in education and child protection.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong strategic leadership, analytical, and advisory skills.
• Excellent facilitation, training, and capacity-building abilities.
• High ethical standards, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple regions and with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

Skills Required:

• Education / Teaching / Training
• Legal / Law
• Social / Science / Project / Management / Development