Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist (GSIS) – Value Chain for Northern Nigeria Programme at Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS)

Federal Ministry of  Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) – Primarily funded by the Federal Government, the Ministry currently superintends almost fifty parastatals operating as either key departments or agencies across the country. The Ministry has 2 major departments namely Technical and Service Departments. Technical Departments: Agriculture (Trees and Crops), Fisheries, Livestock, Land Resources, Fertilizer, Food Reserve & Storage and Rural Development. Service Departments: Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, PPAS (Plan, Policy, Analysis & Statistics) and Co-operatives

Applications are invited from suitable candidates to fill the position below for the National Programme  Management Unit of the Value Chain for Northern Nigeria Programme:

Job Title: Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist (GSIS) – Value Chain for Northern Nigeria Programme

Location: Wuse 2, Abuja (VCN National Programme Coordination Office (NPCO))
Job Type: Contract
Reports to: Directly to the Director, FDDPP of FMAFS
Participating States: Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi and Kano.

Background
The Value Chain for Northern Nigeria (VCN) Programme is a flagship initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, implemented through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) in partnership with the International Fund for  Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the French Development Agency (AFD). The overall development objective of VCN is to increase incomes, food security, and resilience of smallholder farmers and other value chain actors in Northern Nigeria through competitive, climate‑resilient, and inclusive agricultural value chains. Specifically, the Programme aims to transform priority agricultural value chains in Northern Nigeria to drive food security, employment, and inclusive economic growth, with a strong focus on women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

The Programme is financed through multiple financing sources, including IFAD and AFD loans and will run until 31 March 2034 (financial closure: 30 September 2034). Implementation of the programme will be based on a decentralised approach through federal and state programme implementation units under the coordination of the Federal Department of Development Partners Projects (FD‑DPP). The National Programme Coordinating Office (NPCO) will be based in Abuja, and the State Programme Implementation Unit (SPIU) in each participating state. The participating states are: Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi and Kano.

The NPMU will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including: National Programme Coordinator, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, Agricultural Production and Rural Infrastructure Specialists, Rural Institutions Development Specialist, Knowledge Management and Communication Specialist, Food & Nutrition Specialist, ICT4D Support Specialist, Gender & Social Inclusion and GALS Specialists, Climate & Environment Specialist, Financial Controller, Accountant, Finance Officer, Senior Internal Auditor, Procurement Specialist and Officers, and National administrative and HR support staff. State Programme Implementation Unit will mirror these functions (with a few exceptions) at the state level, ensuring strong fiduciary oversight, timely reporting from SPIU, and harmonized accounting procedures resulting in an effective last‑mile delivery.

Governance and accountability will be anchored in a National Steering Committee, supported by technical committees as required, to provide policy guidance, ensure alignment with national priorities, and resolve strategic bottlenecks. The implementation of the project will include high-risk operating environments, hence project staff/specialists at both National and State levels must possess the skills and expertise to work in fragile areas, demonstrating a high level of sensitivity to conflict and crisis situations.

Additionally, prior experience of project staff/specialist in remote project monitoring and implementation using dedicated tools to effectively track project activities would be crucial.

Position Overview

• Reporting to the National Programme Coordinator (NPC), the GSIS is to lead the integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) across all components of the VCN, ensuring alignment with the project’s Gender Action Plan (GAP) and Gender Assessment.
• The GSIS will support inclusive project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting – with a focus on empowering vulnerable groups such as women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized populations.
• S(he) will be responsible for coordinating all activities to ensure that all outreach processes are implemented in alignment with the  project targeting strategy; and ensure that all measures considered in project design, or thereafter, to render the projects gender transformative, youth sensitive, and fully inclusive are effectively implemented and results delivered.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate all mobilization and beneficiary selection processes to guarantee social inclusion, and no elite capture.
• Coordinate with project colleagues in core project areas to ensure that strategies and approaches used are sensitive to the socially inclusive nature of the project.
• Coordinate all activities related to the  management and delivery of quality results of the GALS methodology.
• Ensure that Gender and Social Inclusion Officers at State level are technically equipped to carry out their duties at local level; technically oversee their performance and support as necessary.
• Identify emerging opportunities to reach male and female youth and promote gender equality and wider social inclusion in programme activities.
• Support State Project Coordinators to become leaders for gender equality and social inclusion.
• Lead the implementation of a gender analysis in the project’s target areas (e.g., by integrating gender-focused questions into baseline surveys and assessments)
• Design and deliver tailored training sessions and workshops on gender sensitization, women’s empowerment, and prevention of Gender-Based Violence or Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse for project staff, project partners, and beneficiaries.
• Facilitate inclusive and participatory stakeholder engagement throughout the project, ensuring that women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable or under-represented groups are actively consulted and engaged in project decision-making processes
• Liaise with sector authorities ( agriculture, women and social affairs, youth, and any other necessary ones) to ensure that project interventions support policy implementation, and that field experience supports policy development.
• Contribute to regular project reporting by integrating gender and social inclusion aspects into progress reports, technical reports, and the project’s annual reports.
• Collaborate closely with other technical specialists on the project to ensure that gender and social inclusion are integrated in their work streams.
• Participate in project team meetings, workshops, and field missions as required, providing expertise on how to address gender and inclusion issues in real time.
• Participate in national-level fora related to youth empowerment and gender equality so as to ensure that NOPP is aligned with emerging policies and lessons learnt from other programmes and actively shares best practices and lessons learnt to feed into policy development processes.
• Provide technical support on gender-responsive planning and budgeting

Required Qualifications and Experience
Academic Education:

• At least a Master’s or high-level university degree in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Rural Development, Women’s Studies, or a similar field.

Professional Certification:

• An active member of gender and social inclusion professional body such as the Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Practitioners Association (NASA), Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Practitioners Association (NASA), Institute of Equality and Diversity Professionals (IEDP), Society of Gender Professionals (SGP), or equivalent professional body is an added advantage.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience, including seven (7) years in a similar role in managing and implementing gender and social inclusion initiative/activities of internationally funded agricultural development projects, preferably with IFAD, World Bank, AfDB, or similar multilateral development organizations.

Other Requirement:

• Proficient in English (oral and written)
• Proficiency in the main local northern languages from the target area will be an advantage.
• Committed, motivated, empathetic, interested in transforming the lives of project beneficiaries.
• Experience in training and capacity building.
• Experience of interacting with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills and basic knowledge of M&E.
• Experience in conducting GALS training
• Computer Literacy: Possesses very good computer literacy in Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Email Clients (Microsoft Outlook), Video Conferencing (Zoom, Microsoft Teams), and Web Applications.
• Team player, but self-driven to achieve results in challenging contexts.
• Results-driven leadership: Ability to drive results in a time-constrained environment with multiple competing priorities.
• Problem-solving orientation: Proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues systematically.
• Excellent communication: Ability to convey complex information clearly to all stakeholders and to engage constructively with government counterparts.
• Integrity and independence: Commitment to fiduciary standards with the ability to maintain professional independence.
• Team builder: Capacity to mentor staff, standardize practices across dispersed teams, and foster accountability.
• Results-driven leadership: Ability to drive results in a time-constrained environment with multiple competing priorities.
• Problem-solving orientation: Proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues systematically.
• Excellent communication: Ability to convey complex information clearly to all stakeholders and to engage constructively with government counterparts.
• Integrity and independence: Commitment to fiduciary standards with the ability to maintain professional independence.
• Team builder: Capacity to mentor staff, standardize practices across dispersed teams, and foster accountability.

Terms and Conditions

• Contract Duration: The duration of the assignment will be a two-year staff contract with annual evaluation of performance in line with the respective job description in accordance with the recommendation of the FMAFS and renewable depending on satisfactory performance.
• Travels: Regular travel to State PCOs in Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi and Kano. Occasional travel for IFAD / AFD missions and training.

Undertaking:

• This is a full-time position, and the  Project Coordinator for this assignment must not be engaged in any other on-going assignment in Nigeria or elsewhere at the time the employment contract comes into force.
• Non-compliance would lead to cancellation of the contract by the Federal Ministry of  Agriculture and Food Security.
• Falsifying personal data will also lead to disqualification.
• The Project Coordinator should not have a current business relationship with potential FBOs or any other  project partner.

Reporting and Location

• Located in Abuja, the FCT, and will report directly to the National Programme Coordinator.

Remuneration

• Competitive package commensurate with qualifications and experience, in accordance with FGN/IFAD/AFD salary scales for nationally recruited project staff.

Application Deadline 
6th September, 2026 at 12:00 noon.

METHOD OF APPLICATION 
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) applications in ten (10) copies, including one original and nine (9) photocopies, properly sealed and clearly marked at the top right-hand cover “EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF NATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT UNDER THE FGN/IFAD/AFD-VCN PROJECT.”

Each envelope should include a CV and an application letter with a cover letter suited for the position being applied for.

The sealed envelope should be addressed and delivered to:
The Permanent Secretary,
Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Food Security,
c/o Director, Federal Department of Development Partners Projects,
Fadama House, No. 1, Eldoret Close, Off Aminu Kano Crescent,
Wuse II – Abuja