Gender Equality Mainstreaming Consultant

Location: Kingston, Jamaica

Project Title: Caribbean Organizations for a Resilient Environment (CORE) Project

Reports to: Project Coordinator, CORE Project

Status: Consultancy 6 months (April 1, 2025 – October 30, 2025)

Language Requirements: English is essential

INTRODUCTION

The Caribbean Organizations for a Resilient Environment (CORE) Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by Cuso International in partnership with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), aims to build the capacity of National Conservation Trust Funds (NCTFs) in eight Caribbean countries to implement nature-based climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions. The project emphasizes gender-responsive strategies to ensure that women, youth, and marginalized groups are included in resilience-building efforts.

Gender inequality is a significant barrier to effective environmental and climate change adaptation, and the CORE Project seeks to mainstream gender considerations in the operations of NCTFs. The consultant will support the development and implementation of gender-responsive strategies and provide technical assistance to project partners.

Objectives of the Assignment

The primary objectives of the Gender Mainstreaming Consultant are:

1. Create individualized gender strengthening plans for each participating NCTF to enhance organizational capacity.
2. Ensure gender considerations are integrated into the implementation and monitoring of the objectives of the NCTFs as well as the CORE Project in alignment with best practices in gender equality and empowerment.
3. Develop a comprehensive gender policy for each NCTFs.
4. Develop capacity-building tools, policies, and training materials to support gender mainstreaming for environmental conservation NGOs in the Caribbean.
5. Provide tailored technical assistance to NCTFs on integrating gender into their operations.
6. Develop a self-paced gender mainstreaming course for continuous training across participating organizations.

Scope of Work and Key Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks, working in collaboration with agreed volunteers, with deliverables submitted based on the timeline agreed upon:

1. Gender Strengthening Plans for NCTFs

• Collaborate with each NCTF to develop a customized gender equality mainstreaming and strengthening plan using the results of the WEP analysis previously conducted by Cuso.
• Deliverable:
  1. 1. Draft gender equality mainstreaming and strengthening plan by April 30, 2025.
     2. Final gender equality mainstreaming and strengthening plan by May 30, 2025.

2. Training Manual on Gender Mainstreaming

• Develop a comprehensive gender equality mainstreaming training manual tailored to the needs of environmental conservation NGOs in the Caribbean.
• Deliverable:
  1. 1. Report summarizing findings of consultations with NCTFs May 15
     2. Draft Manual developed by May 15, 2025
     3. Final manual completed by June 30, 2025.

3. Gender-Sensitive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Tools

• In collaboration with the M&E Expert, advise on gender-sensitive indicators and data collection methods to assess the impact of the NCTFs project interventions.
• Deliverable: Finalized gender-sensitive M&E tools by July 15, 2025.

4. Capacity Building for NCTFs

• Provide training to Conservation Trust Funds (CTFs) and their identified EWROs on gender equality mainstreaming, including in-person and virtual workshops.
• Deliverable:
  1. 1. Detailed training Plan including topics and focus areas for each session
     2. At least two training sessions conducted by July 30, 2025 for all NCTFs and EWROs.
     3. Additional trainings conducted as needed

5. Self-Paced Gender Equality Mainstreaming Course

• Develop material for an online, self-paced gender equality mainstreaming course for continuous learning among project partners.
• Deliverable:
  1. 1. Draft material developed for gender equality mainstreaming course by July 30, 2025.
     2. Fully developed course with accessible content by September 15, 2025, completed with assistance from a graphic Designer.

6. Workshops and Knowledge Sharing

• Facilitate workshops to raise awareness on gender-responsive practices in environmental resilience and share knowledge products.
• Deliverable: At least one workshop completed, and knowledge products shared by September 15, 2025.

7. Gender Policy Development

• Develop one comprehensive gender policy for each NCTF (8 in total), in collaboration with volunteers, ensuring that gender considerations are fully integrated into their governance and operations.
• Deliverable:
  1. 1. Draft gender policy completed for all NCTFs by August 30, 2025.
     2. Final gender policy for all NCTFs by September 30, 2025.

Timeline of Deliverables

Deliverable                                                                 Due Date

Draft gender equality mainstreaming plan                April 30, 2025

Final gender equality mainstreaming plan                May 30, 2025

Report summarizing consultation findings                May 15, 2025

Draft training manual                                                May 15, 2025

Final training manual                                                June 30, 2025

Report on input to Finalized M&E tools                    August 15, 2025

Training plan                                                             By July 30, 2025

Training reports & registers                                      By July 30, 2025

Additional reports                                                      September 30, 2025

Draft course material                                                July 30, 2025

Fully developed course                                             September 15, 2025

Workshop report                                                       September 15, 2025

Draft gender policy                                                    August 30, 2025

Final gender policy                                                   September 30, 2025

This table outlines the key deliverables and their corresponding due dates for each task.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree in sociology, gender studies, international development, environmental management, or related fields.
• At least 2 years of experience in gender mainstreaming and capacity building, ideally within the Caribbean context.
• Strong knowledge of regional and international gender equality frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 (Gender Equality).
• Proven experience in developing training manuals, courses, and facilitating workshops.
• Excellent communication skills in English.

Reporting and Supervision

The Gender Mainstreaming Consultant will report to the CORE Program Manager and work closely with project stakeholders, including Cuso International, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, and identified volunteers. Regular meetings will be scheduled to track progress on deliverables.

Budget and Payment Schedule

The budget will be based on the consultant’s qualifications and experience, and payment will be disbursed upon submission and approval of deliverables according to the agreed timeline.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae to Shanice Bedward at shanice.bedward@cusointernational.org by March 24, 2025.

SDG Impact