Women's Economic Empowerment & Gender Specialist

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Date: 19 Jul 2026

Location: Unguja & Pemba, Mainland TBC, Tanzania

Company: Plan International

The Organisation

 

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

 

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

 

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

 

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

 

Project Background

The anticipated project is for Advancing Gender Equality in Tanzania (PAMOJA) a World Bank-IDA financed initiative implemented by the Government of Tanzania through the Prime Minister's Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups (MoCDGWSG).

 

Spanning 40 district councils across 10 regions in Mainland Tanzania and 8 districts across 4 regions in Zanzibar, PAMOJA seeks to advance women's economic empowerment and strengthen gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response services. At the heart of the project is a capacity-building and Business Development Services (BDS) program designed to equip approximately 7,500 Community Microfinance Groups (CMGs) predominantly women-led with the governance, financial literacy, and business skills needed to become creditworthy and access sustainable financing. Through a “Train-the-Trainer” model, the program will strengthen the capacity of local government authorities and community-based facilitators to deliver high-quality, context-appropriate training and mentoring, enabling women micro-entrepreneurs to build resilient, climate-informed businesses and improve their economic agency and livelihoods across Tanzania.

 

Plan International Tanzania therefore is recruiting for the two  Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) & Gender Specialists for Mainland and Zanzibar. The applicants should note that the employment offer is conditional, subject to contract award.

 

Role Purpose

The WEE and Gender Specialist ensures that gender-transformative principles are embedded throughout the assignment, from market and training needs assessments to curriculum design, ToT delivery and mentorship. The post-holder brings a deep understanding of the socio-cultural barriers facing women in Zanzibar, integrates GBV-sensitive approaches into economic programming, and safeguards the central objective of empowering women entrepreneurs to participate meaningfully and safely in the coastal economy.  

 

Accountabilities 

  • Lead the integration of gender-transformative approaches across all assessments, curricula, ToT content and mentorship frameworks. 

  • Ensure recommended business models account for women's safety, household responsibilities and retained decision-making power, including community-based processing hub approaches. 

  • Advise on the safe integration of GBV prevention and response considerations within economic empowerment activities, in line with the wider PAMOJA project. 

  • Contribute gender analysis to the market and value chain assessments and the Training Needs Assessment across all eight districts. 

  • Conduct Gender Equality and Inclusion Analysis 

  • Support the design of group institutional modules on governance, leadership and collective financial management that strengthen women's group dynamics. 

  • Provide technical inputs to the Team Leader and coordinate closely with the Women Economic Empowerment Specialist (PIT Focal Point). 

  • Enhance community and local government engagement and grievance mechanisms 

  • Establish/ strengthen multi stakeholders forums and local governance structures. These forums will also provide a platform for dialogue among stakeholders to identify budget gaps and agree practical actions, with commitments such as allocations for gender sensitive services documented and tracked over time 

  • Strengthen gender responsive systems for the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH), safeguarding, human rights due diligence, labour standards and community protection that aligned with global performance standards and UN Guiding principles on Business and Human rights. 

  • Strengthen gender responsive governance, including support for Gender Responsive budgeting (GRB) from ward level, district and regional level. 

  • Provide gender training to CMGs, VSLAs, VAWC members and CRPS 

 

Technical Expertise, skills & Knowledge 

Essential 

  • Bachelor's degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies, or Social Work. 

  • Minimum of five (5) years' experience in gender-transformative approaches, GBV integration in economic projects, and women's group dynamics. 

  • Successful completion of at least two (2) similar assignments in the three years involving women's and gender economic issues. 

  • Deep understanding of the socio-cultural barriers facing women in Zanzibar. 

  • Experience working in Zanzibar 

  • Experience of working with CMGs, VSLAs and VAWC 

  • Experience in the World Bank or other international donors 

Desirable 

  • Experience integrating GBV prevention within World Bank or comparable donor-funded programmes. 

  • Working proficiency in Kiswahili. 

  • Strong English writing and presentation skills 

  • Established relationships with women's networks and community structures in Zanzibar. 

  • Familiarity with green economy financing mechanisms. 

  • Familiarity with the Blue economy and community based empowerment models 

 

 

Location: Unguja & Pemba, Mainland TBC

Reports to: Team Leader - Business Development Services

Grade: 13

Closing Date:26th July, 2026

 

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

 

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

 

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

 

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

 

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

 

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.