Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor in London

GOAL has responded to the world's major humanitarian crises since its founding in 1977, working with vulnerable communities in 14 countries across the globe with a dedicated team of personnel. While GOAL continues to be an agile first-responder to humanitarian crises, it is also committed to working with vulnerable communities to help them survive crises and support them on the road to recovery. GOAL is committed to ensuring its programming and operations are responsive to the diverse needs and circumstances of all individuals and communities it serves. We are dedicated to promoting inclusive participation and seek to continually improve our ability to deliver effective, accountable assistance by identifying and addressing barriers that may limit access for particular groups.

Job Purpose

The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor (GESI) is responsible for guiding approaches that ensure responsiveness to a range of social and contextual factors across GOAL's strategies and operations. You'll provide expert direction and support to enhance context analysis, program design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning, ensuring that no group is inadvertently left behind.

The successful candidate will collaborate with multiple GOAL teams—Head and Country Offices, including senior management, program operations, technical specialists, and MEAL teams to develop, communicate, support, and track the integration of inclusive approaches, activities, and benchmarks. This role reports to our Head of Programme Technical Team (PTT) and will be part of a team of specialist advisors who serve as a resource for technical guidance and external engagement, including donors, technical networks, and relevant fora. Please note this role can either be based in our HQ in Dublin (Ireland) or remotely from the UK.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Strategy and Design – Strengthening Inclusive Practice
  • Support validation of GOAL's policies to ensure inclusive, accountable programming.
  • Develop operational plans and guidance to embed inclusion in program design tools.
  • Assist country and HQ teams in integrating inclusivity into strategic plans.
  • Recommend strategy adjustments based on monitoring insights.
  • Ensure MEAL systems track demographic data and equity indicators.
  • Coordinate with Safeguarding to strengthen protection and risk management.
  • Identify and address access barriers for marginalized groups.
  • Advise on inclusion-related strategy and policy development.
  • Provide updates to senior management and the Board.
• Resource Mobilisation and Donor Engagement
  • Provide technical input across the business development cycle.
  • Support proposal reviews and risk management.
  • Represent GOAL in external technical and design forums.
  • Share evidence and stories to support fundraising.
  • Advise on budgeting to support inclusion priorities.
• Technical Support and Capacity Building
  • Lead research on access barriers and support integration into programs.
  • Help establish inclusion-focused working groups in country offices.
  • Conduct visits to monitor and support inclusion strategies.
  • Build staff capacity through training and HR collaboration.
  • Ensure clear communication of inclusion principles.
• Learning, Networking, and Representation
  • Guide learning processes and share best practices.
  • Represent GOAL in external networks and forums.
  • Ensure evaluations assess inclusion effectiveness.
  • Advise on integrating empowerment in program phases.

Key Performance Objectives

• 75% of Country Offices have inclusion-focused groups.
• 100% complete inclusion audits; 75% have improvement plans.
• 75% implement internal inclusion initiatives.
• 100% reference inclusion in Annual Plans.
• Two learning papers or case studies produced.

Requirements

• Proven experience in a similar role, demonstrating success strengthening inclusive practice in humanitarian or development programming.
• Strong track record of tailored, high-quality technical input.
• Advanced training related to inclusion, equitable access, or protection.
• Experience leading cross-departmental initiatives and working effectively at all organizational levels.
• Experience providing technical representation in external technical networks, donor forums, or partnerships.
• Strong analytical skills with a focus on identifying and mitigating risks and barriers to participation and equitable outcomes.
• Seven years of experience in humanitarian and/or development organizations.
• Postgraduate degree in a closely related field.
• Proficiency in Spanish, French, or Arabic.
• Skilled in research design and applied learning.
• Technical familiarity with related sectors (e.g., resilience, behavior change, health, nutrition, WASH).

We strongly encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every single requirement listed. At GOAL we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment.hq@goal.ie.

GOAL commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: GOAL is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We foster an inclusive culture where all voices are heard and valued, and we are particularly eager to receive applications from women and other underrepresented groups. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.