Gender Specialist – Zambia

Aninver Development Partners SL (www.aninver.com) is looking for a Gender Specialist for a monitoring evaluation consultancy assignment financed by UNDP in Zambia.

Aninver Development Partners is preparing a proposal for an upcoming evaluation assignment commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Zambia. The evaluation will assess portfolio-level contributions to women's and youth empowerment, spanning a retrospective look at the country programme document period 2016–2022 and ongoing implementation under the current framework. We are seeking a qualified Gender Specialist to join our multidisciplinary evaluation team.

The successful candidate will provide core technical expertise in gender equality programming, gender analysis, and gender-responsive evaluations. The role involves analyzing upstream policy support and downstream pilots across inclusive growth, governance, resilience, and green transitions, ensuring that gender dimensions and the principle of leaving no one behind are robustly integrated throughout the evaluation process.

Aninver is preparing a proposal for this assignment. The selected expert will be part of the proposed team; the engagement is conditional on the contract being awarded to Aninver. The full Terms of Reference for the position are shared with shortlisted candidates.

Objectives of the assignment

• Assess portfolio-level contributions, results, and pathways of change regarding women's economic empowerment, leadership, and participation.
• Examine gender-specific linkages within gender-based violence prevention and response, digital inclusion, and climate or green livelihoods initiatives.
• Evaluate gender mainstreaming approaches and adherence to national gender policies across the assessed programming periods.
• Formulate actionable, forward-looking recommendations to optimize gender-responsive delivery and inform future country programme designs.

Scope of work

• Reconstruct and test portfolio-level theories of change and contribution claims concerning women's empowerment outcomes.
• Analyze secondary quantitative datasets, such as labour force surveys, demographic and health indicators, and gender-disaggregated administrative data.
• Conduct qualitative inquiries including key informant interviews with institutional stakeholders and focus group discussions with diverse women beneficiaries.
• Participate in field missions to representative provinces and districts to capture grassroots perspectives on gender-focused interventions.
• Apply UNEG ethical guidelines, informed consent protocols, and do-no-harm principles in all gender-focused data collection and analysis.

Your role as Gender Specialist

• Lead the gender-responsive dimensions of the evaluation design, methodology, data collection tools, and analysis frameworks.
• Conduct rigorous gender analysis of policy documents, project reports, and monitoring data across the evaluation portfolio.
• Lead key informant interviews and focus group discussions with a strong focus on women and vulnerable groups, ensuring safe and ethical engagement.
• Examine integration of the National Gender Policy and gender mainstreaming practices across upstream policy support and downstream pilots.
• Contribute gender-specific findings, lessons learned, and good practices to the inception, draft, and final evaluation reports.
• Collaborate with team members to synthesize portfolio-level findings and draft forward-looking recommendations for women's empowerment.

Requirements

• Education: Master's degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or a related field
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in gender equality programming, gender analysis, and gender-responsive evaluations
• Languages: English

Desirable

• Previous evaluation experience within the United Nations system or other multilateral development organizations.
• Familiarity with the socio-economic and institutional context of Zambia.

An experienced Gender Specialist with a strong background in gender-responsive evaluations, portfolio analysis, and UN-supported programmes, eager to deliver actionable insights for women's empowerment in Zambia.

Assignment details

• Location: Zambia
• Financed by: UNDP
• Sector: Monitoring evaluation
• Estimated duration: 2 months
• Expected input: Up to 25 working days
• Contract: individual consultancy (conditional on award)

About Aninver Development Partners

Aninver is an international development consulting firm headquartered in Spain. It supports governments, development banks, UN agencies and bilateral donors with feasibility studies, technical assistance, evaluations and capacity building across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia-Pacific, working with a network of international and national experts.

Why apply

• Join a multidisciplinary team on a UNDP-financed project in Zambia.
• Individual consultancy: flexible, output-based engagement with an experienced proposal team.
• Your CV stays in Aninver's expert network for future assignments that match your profile.

How to apply

Sign in (or create a free account) and upload your CV in English. Add your LinkedIn profile, indicative daily rate and availability to speed up the assessment. Aninver will contact the shortlisted candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Is the position confirmed? The engagement depends on the contract being awarded to Aninver. Shortlisted experts are included in the proposal with their consent.

Can I apply if I am not based in the country? Yes, unless the requirements say otherwise; relevant regional experience is an asset.

What happens with my CV? It is used to assess your fit for this and future positions and is not shared with third parties without your consent.