VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EIGHT (8) REGULAR ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional grouping of 21 African States which have agreed to promote regional integration through trade development and trade facilitation. More information can be obtained from the COMESA website www.comesa.int.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced professionals from COMESA Member States for the following eight (8) positions:

2. JOB DESCRIPTION ONE (1): DIRECTOR OF GENDER AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

Job Title : Director of Gender and Social Affairs
Grade : P5
Division : Gender and Social Affairs
Duty Station : Lusaka
Basic Salary Scale : COM$ 81,251.76 – COM$ 95,881.25 per annum.
Report to : Assistant Secretary General (Programmes)

A. JOB PURPOSE

To provide the Division with strategic leadership and technical direction on Gender and Social Affairs matters.

To build partnerships, coordinate and implement Council decisions in Member States, undertake advocacy to ensure women’s and youths’ empowerment, health, education and other social affairs thematic areas are achieved in line with COMESA’s strategic objectives.

B. MAIN DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Assistant Secretary General (Programmes) and the overall supervision of the Secretary General, the incumbent of the post will perform the following duties:

i. Provide input into long-range strategic and policy priorities/ issues relating to COMESA’s role in supporting development in Member States in order to realize the regional integration agenda;

ii. Consolidate Divisional Annual work plans and budget inputs in order to gain management’s approval and funding of work plans required to execute division mandate;

iii. Monitor the implementation of Division work programs and budgets to ensure that the Division mandate is executed in line with COMESA’s strategy within approved budget limits;

iv. Develop and provide capacity building programs, tools, and technical advice to all key stakeholders to strengthen gender mainstreaming;

v. Develop and distribute mainstreaming toolkits to all key stakeholders and play a strong role in advocacy and disseminate information on gender programmes through publications and press releases. Ensure the Gender website is updated and coordinate the publication of a newsletter on key developments in the region every quarter;

vi. Lead the COMESA efforts on youth empowerment in the Region focusing on research, youth employability, entrepreneurship, engagement and participation in political, social and economic development processes;

vii. Formulate and submit project proposals and negotiates for funding in collaboration with team members and other relevant divisions and units, to strengthen resource availability for the portfolio;

viii. Identify, develop and maintain partnerships with Member States, private sector, civil society, organizations, cooperating partners to mobilize resources for various projects on Gender, Women Empowerment, Youth Empowerment and Social Affairs;

ix. Collaborate with different stakeholders to share priorities, knowledge and monitor projects implementation of regional initiatives, global commitments and initiatives on Gender Equality, Women Empowerment, Social development, Youth Empowerment and other areas to ensure coherent approach to implementation and reporting on commitments;

x. Facilitate development/review of Gender Policy, HIV and AIDS Policy, Health Policy, Youth Policy, Social Charter and other gender, youth and social affairs policies and programs to incorporate emerging issues and priorities in the respective thematic areas;

xi. Convene/Service Ministerial and Technical meetings on Gender and Women’s Affairs, Youth and Social Affairs, and Health to facilitate review and approval of policy documents, programs, projects, and progress reports, and decisions to guide programs;

xii. Oversee and coordinate the development and implementation of education and social protection programs for migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons by ensuring that gender equality is integrated into all programs, with particular attention to the specific needs and challenges faced by women, children, and vulnerable groups;

xiii. Facilitate and coordinate sharing of experiences by Member States on Gender and Women empowerment, Youth and Social Affairs to enable learning and sharing of good practices, and tracking progress towards the achievement of gender equality, women and youth empowerment;

xiv. Oversee the management of the COMESA Health Desk and promote sustainable institutionalization of health matters in the COMESA regional integration mandate;

xv. Facilitate and coordinate policy making in health, monitoring of its implementation, and networking with stakeholders at national, regional, continental, and global levels for seamless and well-coordinated programmes on health;

xvi. Collaborates with the Human Resource and Administration Division in the recruitment, training and development of Division staff to ensure staff disposition is aligned to achieving key mandates;

xvii. Manage the performance management process in the Division to ensure the achievement of Division objectives that support COMESA strategy and ensure team and individual performance through technical monitoring, setting performance targets and standards, and supervision;

xviii. Motivate, engage and build staff into a high performing team through coaching, effective communication and providing frequent feedback on work and promotes adherence to administrative procedures, processes and standards, and cultivates a culture of forward thinking, consultation, teamwork among staff; and

xix. Perform any other duties as assigned by Executive Management from time to time.

C. MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

i. Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Human Rights Law or other related fields; and

ii. A Ph.D. in any of the above fields would be an added advantage.

D. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Minimum of fifteen (15) years’ experience in gender equality, women empowerment, youth engagement or other related fields with at least five (5) years in a senior management role in an international, public, intergovernmental or regional institution.

E. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Specialized knowledge in any of the following areas:

i) Gender analysis and mainstreaming techniques;
ii) Regional and global gender equality and women empowerment frameworks, protocols, and declarations;
iii) Knowledge of issues affecting youth and social development issues in Africa and strategic frameworks to address them;
iv) Regional and International Human Rights Legal Frameworks;
v) Project management; and
vi) Lobbying and Advocacy.

10. WORKING LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL THE POSITIONS

Applicants must be fluent in English and/or French and/or Arabic (speaking and writing). A combination of any two (2) or all these languages will be an added advantage.

11. ELIGIBILITY FOR APPLICATION

Applicants must be citizens of a COMESA Member country and aged below fifty-five (55) years at the time of submitting the application.

Short-listed candidates by the Coordinating Ministries should reach the address below by 27th March 2026 at least by 18.00 hours Lusaka time:

The Director of Human Resources and Administration
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
COMESA Centre,
Ben Bella Road,
P.O Box 30051,
Lusaka
Zambia

Email : [email protected]