Gender Lens and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Advisor

Position Title: Gender Lens and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Advisor

Position Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Reports To: Deputy Project Director / Investment Lead

Contract Term: 01 Year, Renewable

Languages Required: Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required

Expected Start Date:
[May, 2026]

BACKGROUND

WUSC is a Canadian global development organization working to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. We bring together and collaborate with a diverse network of partners (including students, volunteers, schools, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses) who share this mission. Together, we influence systems change and foster inclusive, youth-centered solutions that enable young people to thrive and belong. We work with all young people, with a focus on women and displaced populations. WUSC currently operates in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 350 staff, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors and philanthropic foundations.

The AGILE Project

The Advancing Growth, Innovation & Leadership for Enterprises in Vietnam (AGILE) project is a four-year initiative (2025–2029) implemented by WUSC with support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The project aims to contribute to the increased resilience of Vietnam's climate-vulnerable populations by fostering a more effective and inclusive business ecosystem that supports the growth of Climate Enterprises (CEs), especially those that are women-led or serve women.

AGILE operates at the intersection of gender-lens investment, climate adaptation finance, and enterprise growth. The project pursues three interlinked pathways to achieve systemic change:

• Outcome 1100: Strengthened support from ecosystem actors to Climate Enterprises (CEs), embedding gender and climate criteria into enterprise support models.
• Outcome 1200: Increased investment in gender-responsive and inclusive CEs by developing pipelines of investment-ready enterprises and reducing perceived risks for investors.
• Outcome 1300: Increased deployment of funds using a gender lens by strengthening investor capacity to apply Gender Lens Investing (GLI) principles.

WUSC is seeking to recruit a Gender Lens & Inclusive Entrepreneurship Advisor (GLIEA) to work for the AGILE Project in Vietnam.

NATURE AND SCOPE

As the focal point for Outcome 1300, the GLIEA will be primarily responsible for the overall technical design, implementation, monitoring, delivery, and reporting of all activities related to Outcome 1300: Increased deployment of funds using a gender lens by strengthening investor capacity to apply Gender Lens Investing (GLI) principles.

In terms of committed targets, the GLIEA is collectively responsible for contributing to achieving the
“Number of staff from ESOs/CSOs led by women trained in Gender Lens Investment (ID7)”; “Number of investors receive technical support to integrate gender considerations into their investment processes. (ID8)”; and “Number of CEs focusing on women are trained and coached in pitching and fundraising negotiation skills (ID9)”; contributing to
increased resilience of Vietnam's climate-vulnerable populations.

The GLIEA will lead the partnership with the Women’s Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship (WISE) and work closely with Sarona Asset Management, BK Holdings, other ESOs, investors, and CEs to co-plan, design, organize, implement, monitor, evaluate, and report on related activities. Additionally, the GLIEA will liaise with the Ministry of Finance’s Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperative Development (APED) to implement the relevant project’s activities.

This position reports directly to the Deputy Project Director/Investment Lead (DPD). The incumbent will collaborate with other project technical and operational staff as well as cross-cutting team members (MEL, Communications, Volunteers, etc.).

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Gender Lens Investing (GLI) & Ecosystem Capacity Building

• GLI Training for Ecosystem Actors: Lead the partnership with WISE to co-design and deliver GLI training modules for Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) to build their capacity to support women-led businesses.
• Investor Technical Assistance: Act as the technical lead in providing advisory support to partner investors, helping them develop and integrate gender analysis tools into their due diligence and decision-making processes.
• "Translator" Function: Develop the "Business Case for Gender" content to persuade investors to move from "intent" to "action," thereby facilitating capital deployment to women-led, women-owned, and inclusive ventures.

Women’s Leadership & Investment Readiness Coaching

• Pitching & Negotiation Coaching: Design and oversee the specialized "Pitching and Negotiation" coaching program to equip women entrepreneurs with specific skills to navigate investor meetings.
• Gender-Responsive Accelerator Design: Collaborate with BK Holdings to review and adapt accelerator curricula to ensure the training environment addresses specific barriers women face, such as bias, limited networks, or time poverty.

Investment Mobilization and Climate Resilience Integration Support

• Pipeline Diversity: Collaborate with the BGEA and Sarona to ensure the investment pipeline remains gender-balanced, reviewing potential deals against the project's gender criteria.
• Inclusive Climate Action: Work with the Climate Entrepreneurship Advisor (CEA) to ensure that climate resilience strategies proposed by CEs are gender-responsive, inclusive, and do not inadvertently disadvantage women.
• GLI in Climate Finance: Advise investors on the intersection of gender and climate, demonstrating how empowering women contributes to better climate resilience outcomes.

Safeguarding and Do-No-Harm

• Promote Safe participation: Ensure entrepreneurship activities integrate safeguarding, GBV risk mitigation, and safe engagement practices for young women and equity-deserving groups through practical guidance and oversight.

Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting

• Planning & Reporting: Lead the development of inputs and contributions from Outcome 1300 for the project's annual work planning process, semi-annual operations reports, annual reports, and other communications/knowledge products.
• Data Collection Support: Support the execution and accurate data collection for key Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) indicators (specifically GESI indicators), in close collaboration with the AGILE Project MERL Manager, and document lessons to strengthen adaptive management.
• Other Duties: Perform other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Business Administration, or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred but not required.
• Experience: A minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience in gender equality, women’s economic empowerment (WEE), or inclusive business in Vietnam.
• Specific Expertise: Experience in designing training or coaching programs for women entrepreneurs, with exposure to business development or private sector partnerships.
• Technical Skills: Strong facilitation and coaching skills. Ability to translate gender concepts into practical business language for private sector audiences.
• Sector Knowledge: Interest in or moderate understanding of the investment landscape and Gender Lens Investing (GLI) principles is preferred.
• Ecosystem Experience: Basic experience working with CSOs, ESOs, or business associations supporting women in Vietnam.
• GLI/GESI Knowledge: Deep understanding of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) principles. Openness to learning technical financial aspects of GLI is required.
• Networking: Moderate networking and partnership development skills, particularly with women's networks.
• IT Skills: Experience using Google Workspace and AI-powered tools is an advantage.

Languages: Professional fluency in both English and Vietnamese is required.

APPLICATIONS

WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment, and empowerment. WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.