Senior Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Safeguarding Officer

POSITION TITLE

Senior Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Safeguarding Officer

POSITION LOCATION

Nairobi, Kenya

REPORTS TO

Project Director

CONTRACT TERM

2 years

EXPECTED START DATE

May 2026

POSITION LEVEL

PRO2

APPLICATION DEADLINE

12 April, 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, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 100 staff in Canada and more than 250 staff internationally, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors and philanthropic foundations.

Project Description

The Strengthen Skills Training Ecosystems & Pathways (STEP) project in Kenya is a seven-year initiative led by World University Service of Canada (WUSC), which supports economic development and youth employment initiatives globally. The ultimate outcome is improved economic well-being for displaced and host-community youth in Kenya. STEP will leverage Canadian expertise and market linkages to strengthen pathways to technical, vocational, and digital employment for refugees and host community youth in the Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and Dadaab displacement settings in Turkana and Garissa counties. The project design provides a uniquely Canadian approach to economic inclusion, connecting displacement-affected youth to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in Kenyan, Canadian, and global markets. It will support over 10,000 young refugees and host community members to access quality market-oriented technical and vocational education and training (TVET), acquire in-demand technical, vocational, and digital skills, and access contextually relevant business incubation services and support. It places a critical focus on creating sustainable conditions for and delivering programs that link young people to meaningful work.

Role Purpose

The Senior Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Safeguarding (GESI) Officer provides technical leadership to ensure the STEP project is inclusive, equitable, safe, and responsive to the needs, capacities, and aspirations of displaced and host-community youth, particularly young women, young people with disabilities, and other groups facing intersecting barriers. The role leads the operationalization of the project's GESI and safeguarding commitments across program design, implementation, partnerships, monitoring, learning, and external engagement.

The candidate will work closely with project staff, implementing partners, TVET institutions, employers, community structures, women-led organizations (WROs), refugee-led organizations (RLOs), and local authorities to identify and address exclusion risks, strengthen accountable and accessible programming, and promote safer pathways to skills, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Key Areas of Responsibility

GESI Mainstreaming, Technical Leadership, & Strategy Implementation

• Lead implementation of STEP's GESI and Safeguarding strategy and action plan across project components, translating commitments into practical approaches, tools, annual work plans, budgets, partner expectations, and field-level actions.
• Provide technical advice to project teams and partners on gender equality, disability inclusion, youth inclusion, displacement considerations, conflict sensitivity, and intersectional analysis in program design and delivery.
• Identify structural, institutional, social, cultural, and practical barriers affecting participation, retention, progression, and outcomes for displaced and host-community youth, and support teams to implement mitigation measures.
• Ensure project interventions, especially TVET, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and market linkage activities, are designed and delivered in ways that are inclusive, accessible, contextually relevant, and responsive to risk.
• Support integration of inclusive selection criteria, reasonable accommodation, accessible communication and learning materials, referral mechanisms, flexible delivery options, and measures that reduce barriers such as care responsibilities, mobility, safety, stigma, and documentation constraints.

Safeguarding and Safe Programming

• Support implementation of safeguarding, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and do-no-harm standards across STEP activities, partners, events, and engagement with participants.
• Work with project leadership and partners to identify and monitor safeguarding and protection risks in training environments, digital engagement, internships, work placements, entrepreneurship support, community outreach, and private-sector engagement.
• Strengthen awareness of safe disclosure, confidential complaints handling, survivor-centred response, referral pathways, and safeguarding roles and responsibilities among staff and partners.
• Contribute to risk mitigation plans for women, girls, young men, young people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, and other participants who may face heightened exposure to harassment, exploitation, abuse, backlash, or exclusion.
• Promote safer and more inclusive learning and work environments, including attention to accessibility, transport, sanitation, assistive needs, psychosocial well-being, online safety, and dignity.

Capacity Strengthening, Partner Support, and Key Actors Engagement

• Design and facilitate practical learning sessions, coaching, and accompaniment for staff, partners, TVET providers, employers, and community actors on GESI, safeguarding, accessibility, and inclusive service delivery.
• Support refugee-led organizations, community-based organizations, and training providers to strengthen their internal policies, staff capacity, outreach approaches, and accountability mechanisms related to inclusion and safeguarding.
• Work with public and private sector actors to promote inclusive recruitment, retention, workplace practices, and support systems for displaced and host-community youth, particularly young women entering non-traditional sectors.
• Engage community leaders, caregivers, youth groups, and other influencers to address harmful norms, reduce backlash risks, and strengthen enabling environments for young women's economic participation and leadership.
• Represent STEP in relevant technical forums, coordination mechanisms, and learning spaces on gender equality, inclusion, disability inclusion, safeguarding, youth employment, and displacement.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL)

• Work closely with the MERL team to strengthen the collection, analysis, interpretation, and use of sex-, age-, disability-, and status-disaggregated data, as well as other relevant inclusion indicators.
• Contribute to inclusive and ethical research, assessments, focus group discussions, and learning processes, ensuring methodologies are accessible, appropriate, and safeguarding-sensitive.
• Document emerging risks, lessons learned, good practices, participant feedback, and evidence of change related to GESI and safeguarding across the project lifecycle.
• Draft and review GESI- and safeguarding-related inputs for call for proposals, work plans, partner tools, annual reports for donor submissions, and learning products.
• Support adaptive management by translating evidence and community feedback into concrete improvements in project design, implementation, and partnership management.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Social Work, International Development, Education, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in gender equality and social inclusion programming, preferably within skills development, economic empowerment, market systems, TVET, or youth employment initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience working in refugee, displacement-affected, or fragile contexts and applying conflict-sensitive and context-responsive approaches.
• Strong practical experience in integrating disability inclusion and accessibility into project design and implementation, including reasonable accommodation and inclusive participation strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in safeguarding, PSEA, protection mainstreaming, and do-no-harm approaches, including risk identification, mitigation, and referral considerations.
• Experience supporting partners, institutions, or employers to strengthen inclusive policies, practices, and service delivery.
• Experience facilitating training, coaching, and engagement processes with diverse audiences, including community actors, government representatives, and private sector partners.
• Strong writing and analytical skills, including experience contributing to technical reports, donor reporting, guidance notes, assessments, or learning products.
• Fluency in English and Swahili is required. Knowledge of Somali, Turkana, or other relevant local languages is a strong asset.

Core Competencies

• Strong technical grounding in gender equality, intersectionality, social inclusion, disability inclusion, youth inclusion, and safeguarding.
• Ability to translate strategy into practical implementation guidance, field support, and accountable follow-through.
• Excellent facilitation, relationship management, and influencing skills, with the ability to work across teams, communities, institutions, and sectors.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and ability to handle sensitive issues ethically and professionally.
• High level of cultural humility, respect, adaptability, and commitment to inclusive and participatory ways of working.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and deliver high-quality outputs in a fast-paced environment.

Why Work with WUSC?

Join Us. Our work is important, cutting-edge, and fast-paced. We encourage curiosity, innovation, and flexibility, and we provide a phenomenal learning experience.

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 in the lives of youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment.

WUSC's office in Kenya is located in Westlands, off Waiyaki Way. Here is some of what you can expect working with us:

• 40-hour workweek, some ability to work flexible hours, and a hybrid work arrangement
• 21 days of annual leave
• Health insurance coverage
• Free access to an e-learning platform with 350+ courses on various topics
• Get to know and exchange with people from all over the world
• Being part of a friendly, caring, and enthusiastic team!

Applications

WUSC's activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives, and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence, and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced criminal record check where appropriate.

Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process, or those needing job postings in an alternative format, may e-mail a request to hr-rh@wusc.ca.

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please note that only the candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.