BACKGROUND

About Cowater International

Cowater International is a leading global development consulting company. and has successfully delivered a portfolio of over 2500 projects and assignments in more than 95 countries. We work with governments, private sector actors and communities implementing projects that support socio-economic development, institutional strengthening, environmental improvements and advance equal opportunities for all. We are a diverse and experienced team committed to building a better tomorrow for the people we serve.

About the GREAT program

GREAT, a 10-year flagship initiative of Australian Government, managed by Cowater International since 2016, focuses on women's economic empowerment (WEE) in Vietnam's ethnically diverse north-west region. Using a market systems development (MSD) approach, it primarily benefits ethnic minority women in Son La and Lao Cai provinces, particularly targeting ethnic minority communities, which are home to twelve and twenty-six ethnic groups respectively.

The objectives of the GREAT Program are:

Objective 1 – Ethnic minority women living in Son La and Lao Cai, have improved economic benefits.

Objective 2 – Ethnic minority women living in Son La and Lao Cai, have increased confidence and social status, including more balanced workloads and greater decision-making within the home, workplace, and community.            

Objective 3 – Ethnic minority women and household members living in Son La and Lao Cai benefit from more gender-responsive, inclusive, and effective provincial and national policies, plans, strategies, and programs.

The program is in its second five-year phase and GREAT 2 will continue its focus on agriculture and tourism, identifying specific sectors that lend themselves to opportunities for women’s economic empowerment and work with multiple stakeholders to address constraints, generate opportunities, drive market growth and increase productive value of the sector. Selected  agriculture sectors (bamboo, cinnamon and medicinal plants) will be targeted, along with tourism sectors (hospitality training and destination management). Cross-sector investments such as women, access to finance, digital transformation, policy advocacy and behaviour change will complement the sector investments. Further information can be found here: https://equality.aus4vietnam.org/

Ensuring a strong GEDSI lens throughout GREAT’s programming is critical to achieving WEE and inclusive MSD impacts. Cowater is seeking a highly qualified technical advisor on GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion) to support the implementation of GREAT 2 Program. 

GREAT’s GEDSI Strategy and Sub-Strategy for Disability Equity highlights our two-prong approach for both targeted and mainstreamed GEDSI interventions. Our targeted GEDSI project investments include women’s entrepreneurship and leadership and behaviour change for inclusive markets. Our GEDSI mainstreaming includes ensuring GEDSI measures are integrated across: 

• all sector and subsector projects in their design, implementation and evaluation

• sector strategies, policies and partnerships

• systems and processes for capacity building, stakeholder engagement, safeguarding, communications, 

• monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL).   

The GREAT program includes a GEDSI unit to drive the above agenda and provide technical support to project teams and partners implement their projects. The GEDSI Technical Advisor will join this unit to manage a targeted investment, act as the technical focal point for selected investments for effective GEDSI mainstreaming and support the unit in general implement GREAT’s GEDSI agenda.

STATEMENT OF DUTY: 

Reporting to the International GEDSI Manager, the GEDSI Technical Advisor (TA) will be part of the GEDSI unit.

They will take on the role of Project Officer for the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership project for Lao Cai and Son La, support the Policy portfolio by providing GEDSI technical advice for policy projects DCCI and DARD, and provide TA support for Digital Inclusion as needed. 

They will also provide technical advice to other project sectors as needed, contribute to the GEDSI team’s work program in capacity building, GEDSI reporting for MERL.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

1. Project Officer for the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership projects in Lao Cai and Son La:

• Technical Lead and strategic steering

• Partnership management

• Project oversight: AWP implementation, reporting, communications

2. Working with the GEDSI Manager and Policy Portfolio Lead, the GEDSI TA will serve as GEDSI TA Focal Point on the following: 

• National Target Program Implementation Support project – providing technical advice for: Thematic Studies; Capacity building in GEDSI awareness, advocacy and policy planning; mainstreaming in the design, management and implementation of Production Support Projects in the National Target Program and related policies; Technical Workshop to Develop Guidelines for the Implementation of Gender-Responsive Production Support Projects

• Departmental Commune Competitive Index (DCCI) project – technical advice and coaching for ensuring continuation of GEDSI in next DCCI survey launch, particularly data analysis and coaching on survey report development; TA for translating survey results into targeted agencies’ Action Plans and their implementation. 

• Digital Inclusion and other projects as needed - providing technical input, analysis and assessments, identifying program solutions to systematically address GEDSI within supported market systems, collaborating with project officers and partners on reporting and communications addressing the multi-dimensional nature of WEE and GEDSI responsive programming

3. Working with the GEDSI unit to support project officers with MERL activities:

• TA and building capacity of project officers and partners to better report on, and evaluate GEDSI outcomes, as per project Impact Narrative and GEDSI Measurement Matrix during reporting periods. 

• Data review and results assessments of assigned projects during reporting periods

• Data retrieval and analysis for reporting and communications activities

4. Other work in capacity building, safeguarding, partnership management and communications as needed. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least a Bachelor’s degree in a social science fields and development, preferably with specialisation in gender responsive, culturally appropriate and/or disability equitable development; 

• At least seven (07) years’ experience working GEDSI responsive development programming and or policy development

• Advanced and applied knowledge of GEDSI issues in Vietnam, particularly for ethnic minority women and people with disabilities

• Advanced and applied knowledge of Vietnam’s national and provincial policy settings, priorities and working with national and local government partners

• Experience in data monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and deriving policy and programming recommendations for practical adaptive management; 

• strong inter-personal and communications skills and providing value-add, impactful technical advice;

• strong spoken and written communication skills (both English and Vietnamese)

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates are encouraged to apply by sending applications to recruitment@aus4equalityvn.org no later than 5pm Hanoi Time (GMT+7) Monday 20^th October 2025. Please indicate in the subject “GEDSI Technical Advisor”. We thank all applicants, however, only those making the shortlist will be contacted.

Applications must include:

• A cover letter responding to the selection criteria.

• A Curriculum Vitae.

• Contact details of three referees. 

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.

For more opportunities, please visit our website at https://equality.aus4vietnam.org/career/