Gender Specialist - CrossBoundary Group

CrossBoundary Group is a mission-driven investment and advisory firm that unlocks the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. CrossBoundary Advisory provides transaction and investment advisory services, having developed a specialized expertise in unleashing investment across all sectors in these markets. CrossBoundary Advisory has advised on over US$8bn worth of transactions across 75 countries globally, serving our clients from 20 offices spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Our advisory clients include governments, development finance institutions, private equity firms, Fortune 100 companies, and research institutions.

Our investment platforms, CrossBoundary Energy, CrossBoundary Energy Access, and CrossBoundary Educational Infrastructure, directly finance projects to bring cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable electricity, as well as education infrastructure, to developing countries. Anchoring the Group’s work in the renewable energy sector, CrossBoundary Energy is currently active in more than 10 African countries and has a portfolio of over US$100 million of renewable energy projects for commercial and industrial clients across the continent.

CrossBoundary Energy Access uses blended finance and an innovative project financing structure to unlock capital for mini-grids with a mission to bring electricity for the first time to more than 170,000 people. Learn more at www.crossboundary.com

About The Program

BRIDGE-in Agriculture is the first pillar of Mastercard Foundation’s Youth Entrepreneurship Development in Agriculture (YENDA) program. It is a partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and CrossBoundary, in a consortium with banks, business development service (BDS) providers, and a technology provider to implement a five-year program designed to facilitate access to affordable capital for SMEs in agriculture and adjacent sectors in Ghana.

Through training, the program will also equip those SMEs with core and access to finance support and provide young people (at least 70% women) with the skills to secure dignified and fulfilling work. The program will

(i) incentivize commercial banks to lend to AgriSMEs at single-digit interest rates

(ii) train AgriSMEs and upskill youth and women to gain fulfilling employment, and

(iii) create an environment for stakeholders to collaborate. SMEs will leverage this affordable and inclusive financing to expand operations and create new jobs, leading to poverty reduction among the youth and women in Ghana.

Job Description

CrossBoundary Advisory is seeking a dedicated full-time Gender Specialist. The ideal applicant should possess a minimum of 3 years of experience in gender inclusion and safeguarding, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, finance, or development programs. In this role, you will develop and implement a comprehensive gender strategy, train partners, and offer ongoing technical assistance to achieve gender-related outcomes and maximize the impact of our programs.

Who We Are

The CrossBoundary team is a unique group of people who are genuinely excited by the opportunity to make a difference in some of the world's most challenging yet exciting markets. Team members come from diverse backgrounds but share several qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive gender strategy for the BIA program in collaboration with Banks and BDS providers with clear strategies for supporting young women to access the interventions under the program
• Train program staff, partner banks, and BDS providers on gender inclusion and safeguarding
• Provide ongoing technical assistance to program staff, partner banks, and BDS providers for the implementation of gender-transformative approaches towards achieving the program’s objectives
• Serve as the program’s focal point for safeguarding, ensuring compliance with policies that protect minority groups, including women, youth, and persons with disability
• Collaborate with the MEL team to track progress on gender-related outcomes and share findings with program stakeholders
• Support the development of knowledge products (example, case studies, lessons-learned documents, etc.) to document and share key learnings from the BIA program
• Contribute to donor reports and presentations by highlighting gender-related achievements and challenges.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field required
• At least 3 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, social inclusion, and safeguarding, preferably in agriculture, finance, or development programs
• Experience in developing gender strategies and conducting training on gender and inclusion
• Experience working with donor-funded programs and engaging with diverse stakeholders, including financial institutions, BDS providers, and community organisations
• Strong knowledge of gender-sensitive approaches, tools, and frameworks
• Great at building and maintaining relationships with colleagues and clients in the sector and/or region
• Willing to take on new types of work, even without prior experience or direct supervision
• Excellent presentation skills: ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to deliver high-quality output within time constraints
• Familiarity with safeguarding principles and implementation