Program Support Specialist- Include Her Project

Job Description

1. Introduction and Background

Gambia Participates (GP) is implementing a Gender Institutional Strengthening Project titled 'Include Her Project' aimed at enhancing gender equality and inclusive governance within four (4) political parties and four (4) civil society organizations (CSOs/CBOs), particularly youth-led organizations. The project also includes the launch and coordination of a National Political Mentorship Program connecting 60 aspiring female leaders with 6 experienced mentors, establishment of a Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform and organization of a National Women's Political Forum engaging 100 participants.

The project includes comprehensive gender assessments, development or revision of institutional Gender Policies, validation workshops, and adoption processes.

To ensure effective coordination, documentation, stakeholder engagement, and quality control of deliverables, GP seeks to hire a Program Support Specialist for a period of twelve (12) months to provide technical, administrative, and coordination support throughout the implementation cycle.

2. Objectives of the Assignment

The assignment has the following objectives:

• (a) To provide programmatic, coordination, and technical support across all project components.
• (b) To ensure timely and effective implementation of gender assessments, mentorship programming, and national convenings.
• (c) To coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication among political parties, CSOs, mentors, mentees, and partners.
• (d) To support monitoring, documentation, and reporting of project activities and performance indicators.

3. Scope of Services

The scope of services is organized into five phases:

Phase 1: Support to Institutional Gender Assessments and Policy Development

• Coordinate scheduling of assessments across 8 organizations.
• Facilitate communication between GP, the Gender Specialist, and target institutions.
• Support dissemination and tracking of surveys (minimum 100 members).
• Support coordination of leadership interviews (minimum 30 leaders).
• Organize and document 8 validation workshops for Gender Policies and Action Plans.

Component 2: National Political Mentorship Program (Months 1-3)

The Program Support Specialist will:

• Support development of mentorship program operational framework and timeline.
• Coordinate open call, screening, and selection of 60 mentees.
• Support identification and onboarding of 6 mentors.
• Facilitate systematic matching based on:
  • Political interests
  • Geographic location
  • Compatibility factors
• Develop and maintain mentor-mentee tracking system.
• Prepare mentorship guidelines and session reporting templates.
• Track participation rates and engagement quality.
• Compile mentorship progress summaries.

Component 3: Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform

The Specialist will:

• Coordinate participant onboarding and engagement guidelines.
• Support development of discussion themes and facilitation calendar.
• Track participation and knowledge exchange outputs.
• Document best practices, shared lessons, and collaboration outcomes.

Component 4: National Women's Political Forum (Months 4-5)

GP will organize a National Women's Political Forum bringing together 100 participants, including:

• Female politicians
• Aspiring candidates
• CSO leaders
• Development partners

The Program Support Specialist will:

• Support development of Forum concept note and agenda.
• Coordinate invitations and participant registration (target: 100 participants).
• Liaise with speakers, facilitators, and partners.
• Coordinate logistics (venue, materials, communication).
• Support preparation of background materials.
• Document proceedings and prepare comprehensive Forum Report.
• Track participation diversity (political, geographic, sectoral representation).

Component 5: Monitoring, Reporting, and Documentation

The Specialist will:

• Develop and maintain a results tracking dashboard covering:
  • 8 institutional assessments completed
  • 8 Gender Policies drafted/revised
  • 60 mentees matched
  • 6 mentors onboarded
  • 100 forum participants engaged
• Provide monthly progress reports.
• Maintain structured digital archive of policies, records, forum documentation.
• Contribute to consolidated Project narrative report.

4. Deliverables

The table below lists all deliverables expected from the Specialist.

5. Timeline

The total duration of the assignment is 4 months, commencing on [TBD] and concluding on [TBD].

Requirements

6. Qualifications and Experience of the Service Provider

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Development Studies, Gender Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in program coordination, governance, or gender-related projects.
• Experience working with political parties, CSOs, or governance institutions is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience organizing workshops and multi-stakeholder engagements.
• Strong monitoring and reporting skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills.
• Familiarity with political party and CSO environments in The Gambia is highly desirable.

7. Reporting and Communication

• The Program Support Specialist will report directly to the Executive Director.
• Periodic coordination meetings will be held with the Gender Specialist and GP program team.
• All deliverables must be submitted in English in electronic format (PDF and editable Word/Excel).

8. Payment Schedule

The total contract value for this 12-months assignment is D249,675.00. Payments will be made as follows:

• Monthly Payment: Twelve (12) monthly equal installments subject to satisfactory completion of milestones. Payments are subject to applicable taxes.
• Performance Conditions: Payments are contingent on satisfactory performance and approval of monthly deliverables by the Director of Finance and Administration.
• Withholding Clause: GP reserves the right to withhold or adjust payment in cases of unsatisfactory performance or failure to submit required deliverables.

9. GP's Responsibilities

GP will provide the following to facilitate the assignment:

• Access to relevant available documents and information as needed.
• Timely review and feedback on deliverables.

10. Ethical Considerations and Compliance

• 10.1. The Service Provider shall adhere to the highest ethical standards throughout the assignment.
• 10.2. The Service Provider shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations of The Gambia.
• 10.3. The Service Provider shall adhere to Gambia Participates' policies, including but not limited to, those on Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Sexual Harassment, Code of Conduct, and Confidentiality. The Service Provider will be required to sign relevant declaration forms.

11. Confidentiality

All information shared by GP with the Service Provider, and all information generated during the course of the assignment, shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to any third party without the prior written consent of GP. This obligation shall survive the termination of the contract.

12. Intellectual Property Rights

All intellectual property rights arising from the services rendered under this TOR, including but not limited to reports, data, and other materials, shall be the sole property of Gambia Participates.

13. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following weighted criteria:

Additional Information