Expertise France (EF) is seeking a Gender and Social Inclusion Expert to support the project team in advancing gender-transformative approaches throughout the PSD Liberia project lifecycle. From the inception phase onward, the Expert will ensure that gender equality and social inclusion considerations are not only mainstreamed but actively used to challenge and transform structural inequalities across all project components, including Public–Private Dialogue (PPD), and across the cassava, fisheries, and wood value chains.

Working closely with the Programme Manager, the Technical Coordinator/PSD Lead, the Head of the Fisheries Component, and value chain coordinators, the Expert will identify and address structural and systemic barriers affecting women, youth, and persons with disabilities, with the objective of shifting power dynamics, strengthening voice and agency, and promoting equitable access to resources, markets, and decision-making. The Expert will provide technical advisory support for the design and implementation of gender-transformative interventions, contribute to capacity-building efforts, and ensure the integration of gender-responsive and transformative indicators within the MEAL framework.

Important note: For the purposes of this project, the term gender encompasses issues related to the inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

The main tasks of the Gender and Social Inclusion Expert are as follows - these tasks are indicative and may evolve as the project progresses:

• Gender Stakeholder Mapping and Lessons Learned: Conduct a dedicated gender and social inclusion stakeholder mapping analysis and systematically capture lessons learned from relevant initiatives and programmes, in order to inform project implementation, avoid duplication, and strengthen alignment with existing efforts.
• Gender Analysis and Baseline Establishment: Conduct a comprehensive desk review and gender assessment to identify the structural, legal, and socio-cultural barriers to business creation while mapping the influence of key stakeholders. The mapping would include government ministries and entities (e.g. Commerce & Industry, NIC, Agriculture, Gender, NaFAA), international donors, and advocacy groups for youth and persons with disabilities. The aim is to establish a granular baseline of participation across the cassava, aquaculture, and wood value chains, and to use these insights to build on existing studies to fill critical data gaps regarding resource ownership and decision-making power.
• Gender Action Plan (GAP) development: Develop the project GAP in coordination with key project stakeholders to establish a cross-cutting objective for reducing gender inequalities. This plan will translate the objective into precise, operational activities integrated across all project components and the logical framework. The GAP must specify human and financial resources, implementation responsibilities, required capacity building, and a robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism, supported by a narrative where necessary. The GAP will be aligned with the EU Gender Action Plan 2021–2025 (GAP III) and the AU's strategy for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE). 
• Gender and Social Inclusion Technical Advisory : Provide technical guidance on designing and implementing gender-transformative interventions and contribute to business environment and regulatory reform discussions, supporting targeted analytical work on gender, Inclusion and related intersectional aspects to ensure that issues are systematically identified and integrated into the scope of policies, regulatory frameworks, PPD discussions, and project activities.
• Capacity Building and Awareness: Organize workshops and awareness-raising activities to ensure a Gender and Inclusion transformative approaches to promote sensitive communication, equity, economic benefits of empowering women, youth, persons with disabilities and minorities. These capacity-building activities will target a range of stakeholders, including project staff, implementing partners, public sector counterparts, private sector actors, MSMEs, and targeted communities.
• MEAL Alignment: Conduct a comprehensive review of core monitoring and evaluation documents in close collaboration with the MEAL manager, including the logical framework and MEAL plan, to ensure all indicators and evaluation criteria effectively align with gender equity parameters and GAP requirements.

Synergy and Coordination: Facilitate collaboration with other gender and inclusion-focused initiatives to maximize impact and avoid duplication of efforts. 

Methodology :

The Expert shall propose the methodology that s/he considers most appropriate for the design and delivery of the desired results. However, the proposed approach should include:

• The detailed timetable of the activities to be carried out
• Information on the missions to be conducted

A scoping meeting on the methodology proposed by the expert will be organised with the key actors, in order to confirm that it is in line with the expected results and consistent with the methodology of other experts mobilized, if required. 

Suggested deliverables - indicative:

• Inception Report with a detailed workplan
• Gender and Social Inclusion Assessment & Baseline Report
• Gender Action Plan (GAP)
• Inclusive Capacity-Building Toolkit
• Inclusive Awareness-Raising & Advocacy Package
• Training & Mission Reports
• Final Impact & Integration Roadmap