Project Overview
CAUSE Canada’s project, EmpowerHER is a gender transformative (GE3) 7-year initiative designed to eradicate child marriage and strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among adolescent girls and women in rural Sierra Leone. Despite legal prohibitions, child marriage remains prevalent, driven by deep-rooted social norms. This practice contributes to poor health outcomes, high maternal mortality, and limits girls’ education and autonomy.
EmpowerHER will scale up a proven innovation that engages community leaders, men, and women to challenge harmful norms related to child marriage, while building health system capacity to deliver gender- and age-responsive SRH services. The project aims to reach 280,000 community members across seven districts, train health professionals, teachers, and local leaders, and strengthen Mothers’ Clubs to support girls’ education and economic empowerment.
Why This Role Is Critical
Gender equality is central to EmpowerHER’s success. The Consultant will support gender-transformative approaches to be embedded in the day-to-day practices of local staff teams. Throughout the project, the Consultant will guide gender strategies, monitoring frameworks, and capacity-building efforts. By mentoring and providing on-going support to the in-country Gender Advisor and training the local project teams, the Consultant will strengthen gender-responsive practices and support sustainable impact beyond the life of the project.
CAUSE Canada envisions that most of this contract will take place during 2026 and 2027. With potential additional time in year 5 of the project (2029-30).
Key Deliverables:
- Capacity Building & Mentorship
- Deliver structured training sessions on gender equality principles, tools, and best practices for the project team.
- Mentor and coach the in-country Gender Advisor to strengthen technical expertise and leadership in gender integration.
- Participation in Project Governance
- Provide actionable recommendations to improve gender integration and accelerate progress toward project goals.
- Participate in occasional project review meetings to assess progress on outputs, outcomes, and impact.
- Knowledge Sharing
- Develop training materials, and guidance documents tailored to Sierra Leone’s context.
- Facilitate learning sessions and contribute to knowledge products capturing lessons learned.
Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Gender Studies, Social Development, or related field.
- Minimum 7–10 years of experience in gender mainstreaming within large-scale international development projects.
- Proven track record in capacity building and mentoring.
- Strong analytical, facilitation, and communication skills.
- Familiarity with SRHR and child marriage prevention, and experience working in West Africa are considered assets.
Level of Effort and Location
- Up to 70 days over the life of the project (ending 2032).
- The consultant is expected to provide remote support however there is potential for in-country visits to Sierra Leone if required.
How to apply
Interested candidates should submit the following documents to [email protected]:
- Cover letter expressing interest and demonstrating alignment with the ToR.
- Updated CV with relevant experience.
- Three professional references.
- Technical proposal outlining methodology and work approach.
- Financial proposal.
Applications will be reviewed in mid-January with an expected start date in February 2026.