Gender Specialist at Policy Innovation Centre (PIC)

The Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) is the first national institutionalised behavioural initiative in Africa supporting government and stakeholders to make behaviourally informed decisions and generate evidence for impact driven interventions in critical thematic areas (Governance, Health, Gender & Social Inclusion, Education, Digital & Financial Inclusion). The PIC is positioned to support the delivery of better policies and innovative solutions for high impact interventions across Africa. The PIC is an initiative of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), a leading think tank in Africa redefining evidence based policy advocacy.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Gender Specialist

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Employment Type: Contract

Job Description

The Gender Specialist will ensure gender-sensitive research approaches, integrates gender perspectives into data analysis, and provides recommendations to promote equity and inclusion.

Job Responsibilities

• Ensure all programmes, policies, and interventions incorporate gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches in design, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Provide expert technical guidance to teams on applying gender frameworks and standards in development programming.
• Collaborate with programme leads to mainstream gender in project logical frameworks, performance indicators, and results measurement tools.
• Conduct gender analyses, social inclusion assessments, and context-specific studies to inform programme design and policy advocacy.
• Ensure gender-sensitive research methodologies are applied, and that findings reflect the lived realities of women, men, and marginalized groups.
• Integrate gender perspectives into data collection, analysis, and reporting processes.
• Produce high-quality analytical reports, policy briefs, and evidence-based recommendations to promote equity and inclusion.
• Serve as the organization’s primary resource on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and social inclusion issues.
• Support programme and policy teams to identify gender gaps and develop targeted interventions that promote inclusive outcomes.
• Review project proposals, concept notes, and donor reports to ensure compliance with gender policies and funding requirements.
• Design and deliver training sessions and mentoring programmes on gender equality, inclusion, and safeguarding for staff, partners, and stakeholders.
• Support the institutionalization of gender-sensitive practices, including development of internal policies, guidelines, and accountability mechanisms.
• Lead or support periodic gender audits and organizational capacity assessments.
• Build and maintain partnerships with relevant government ministries, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and development partners to advance gender equality and inclusion.
• Represent the organization in national and international technical working groups, forums, and policy dialogues related to gender and women’s empowerment.
• Facilitate collaboration between internal teams and external partners to ensure synergy in implementing gender-responsive initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of policy papers, advocacy strategies, and communication materials that promote gender equality and inclusive governance.
• Support the design and implementation of advocacy campaigns addressing gender-based barriers to social and economic participation.
• Provide evidence-based input to strengthen the organization’s position on gender-related policy issues.
• Ensure adherence to donor and organizational gender equality, safeguarding, and anti-discrimination standards.
• Track implementation of gender action plans and report on progress against key performance indicators.
• Provide timely updates to management on gender mainstreaming achievements, challenges, and recommendations for improvement.

Qualifications/Job Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Economics, Statistics, Development Studies, Public Policy, or other relevant social science or quantitative field.
• Minimum of 7–9 years of professional experience managing applied research projects, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Proven experience in designing research methodologies and supervising large-scale data collection exercises.
• Demonstrated ability to ensure data quality assurance, compliance with ethical standards, and adherence to institutional review board (IRB) requirements.
• Strong background in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, with proficiency in analytical software such as Stata, SPSS, R, or Power BI.
• Experience leading research teams, mentoring staff, and managing relationships with external partners and field teams.
• Track record of producing high-quality research outputs, including technical reports, policy briefs, and publications.
• Experience working with donor-funded programmes, government agencies, or research institutions (e.g., UN, USAID, FCDO, World Bank).
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• High professional integrity, attention to detail, and commitment to quality and research ethics.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Professional development opportunities.
• A supportive and collaborative working environment.

Application Closing Date
24th November, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Application Instructions
Please send your CV on no more than 2 A4 pages (Minimum font size 10) AND an accompanying covering letter of no more than 2 pages (Minimum font size 10) answering the following questions to:

• What is your motivation for wanting to join the PIC?
• What are the top three key attributes you would bring to the PIC?

Note

• Only qualified candidates will be contacted.
• PIC may be unable to notify every applicant of the result of their application. If you have therefore not been contacted within 8 weeks of the closing date, then you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful. However, we may retain your data and contact you for future openings that match your skills and competencies.
• Equal employment opportunity statement: PIC is an equal employment employer. We do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, colour, religion, gender, disability, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, genetic information or any other status or characteristic protected under applicable laws.