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PRACTICAL ACTION
ABOUT US
We are an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.
We are committed to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment through all our work. This includes programmes, knowledge sharing, advocacy, external communications, and our own organisational development. At a minimum, we ensure that all our work is gender sensitive, seeking gender transformative approaches as our overall ambition and in accordance with context.
We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.
OUR AIMS
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:
- Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living
- Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
- Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
- Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods.
PRACTICAL ACTION IN KENYA
In Kenya, Practical Action has a long history of addressing systemic barriers that prevent people from accessing energy that transforms their lives, helping communities and government make cities healthier and safer, making agriculture and markets work better for small holder farmers and supporting communities and government to become more resilient.
We use a mix of programming with communities and consultancy services with shapers of policy and practice to achieve our aims in Kenya, with offices in Nairobi, Kisumu and Kakamega.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Working under the guidance and supervision of the Project Manager, the GEDSI Project Officer is responsible for the implementation of gender disability and social inclusion mainstreaming of the Project. They will work with partners/stakeholders to ensure that gender equity principles are incorporated into all project activities, policies, plans and budgets. They will plan, implement and follow up on gender and advocacy-related activities and provide support to counterpart staff, partners and other stakeholders on mainstreaming gender in their programs, policies, plans, budgets and activities, including design and implementation of trainings project on gender mainstreaming.
SCOPE
Job Title: Project Officer – Gender, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI)
Reporting to: Project Manager
Matrix management: Gender & Social Inclusion Coordinator
Direct reports: N/A
Relationships:
Internal: Programme Delivery Teams, Impact & Influence Team, Business Development team, Communications team, Finance & Systems, People and Culture and Operations functions
External: Strategic Partners relevant to PA strategies
Financial scope: N/A
Location: Nairobi
Grade: 5
Travel requirements: Frequent travel within geographic scope (and others as required)
Position Status: Full-time
ACCOUNTABILITIES
Key Responsibilities
- Promote and facilitate gender and social inclusion mainstreaming and gender transformative approaches in the day-to-day activities of the Project.
- Ensure that the different inclusive perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the stake holders are reflected in the project strategies and implementation plans.
- Build the capacity of staff on Engendering the County Energy plans through training and technical assistance on gender and social inclusion and ensure they embrace gender mainstreaming in all their operations.
- Lead in conducting gender technical studies and assessments.
- Represent the Project in coordination meetings and other related forums to ensure gender and inclusion issues in are captured and acted upon.
- Take lead in establishing dialogue, sensitizing, lobbying and supporting gender mainstreaming and social inclusion among community organizations and partners at local, sub-national and national level to mobilize their support and participation in the project’s advocacy and influencing agenda.
- Contribute to the development of technical guidance tools and approaches and coordinate the operational roll out of the same.
- Network and maintain dialogue with relevant Government Institutions in the five project counties, National and International Development Organizations to ensure collaboration, synergy and sharing of experiences on GEDSI.
- In collaboration with the communications and impact and influence team, contribute to the production of GEDSI related content i.e. knowledge products, success stories, etc.
- Represent Practical Action in the project area to County governments, local communities, NGOs and other actors when requested to do so.
- Contribute to visibility/positioning of Practical Action as a thought leader in gender, clean energy management, including representation at sub/national, regional and international forums.
- Collaborate efficiently and effectively with partners for learning and adoption of innovative interventions to improve project delivery.
- Support the timely and accurate preparation and utilization of project activity budgets.
- Support the preparation of donor project reports and other internal reports as required.
- Keep abreast of information and knowledge specifically in gender and energy synthesize, document and share both internally and externally.
- Perform any other duty as assigned by the supervisor.
Sensitivity on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion:
Should have respectful beliefs regardless of their gender, age, sex, race, ethnic background, culture, different ability, nationality, religion, and marital status. Is sensitive and adaptable to gender and social inclusion and adopts inclusive practices. Responds and behaves appropriately in different situations.
Safeguarding
It is all staff’s shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work with, including vulnerable adults and children.
Practical Action believes that it is unacceptable for anyone to experience exploitation or abuse in any form, anywhere. All staff members undergo mandatory Safeguarding training and are expected to always commit/adhere to our Safeguarding Policy whilst working for or on behalf of Practical Action.
PERSON PROFILE
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:
Experience & Knowledge
- Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies or related degree with focus on gender equality in international development, energy, social work, anthropology or related area, or equivalent experience.
- At least 3 years’ experience (including field experience) providing technical leadership for the design and implementation of development programmes focused on advancing gender equality in agriculture, WASH, energy or any related sectors.
- At least 3 years’ experience of leading the design and implementation of development GEDSI in projects.
Essential
- Strong understanding of gender equality principles and practices, the gender equality sector, policy priorities and key gender inequalities impacting women in Kenya.
- Proven senior level experience leading diverse, complex initiatives and virtual teams to achieve agreed objectives, including demonstrated experience designing, implementing and reporting on GEDSI.
- Significant experience in GEDSI training, capacity building and mentoring, and a demonstrated ability to make complex concepts compelling and accessible.
- Skilled at networking, representation and partnership development in order promote GEDSI issues with partners/ networks
How to apply
A detailed Job Profile can be accessed from Practical Action Website – Career Section
If you are ready for an exciting challenge with an organisation whose mission and values are particularly relevant in these rapidly changing times, please forward your application, curriculum vitae and cover letter to: Practical Action, Kenya Office by email: [email protected] no later than Friday 25th July 2025 indicating ‘Practical Action: ‘GEDSI Officer – Integrated County Energy Planning (INEP)’ in the subject line of the email. Your cover letter should outline why you feel you are the right candidate for this position. Please include the names of 3 referees in your CV. All information/data given will be handled in the strictest confidence and will only be used for recruitment purposes.
Additional Information
Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups. We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.