Project: Organics Mobilized: Accelerating Social Transformation towards a Circular Bioeconomy
Start Date: November 2026
End Date: August 2028
Project Background
The Organics Mobilized: Accelerating Social Transformation towards a Circular Bioeconomy project supports Armenia’s transition toward sustainable organic waste and biomass management through integrated circular economy approaches. The project is implemented by the American University of Armenia (AUA), through the Acopian Center for the Environment, in partnership with UNDP Armenia, with funding from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Food and Nutrition Challenge, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) initiative.
The project aims to reduce methane and other climate pollutant emissions from the organic waste sector by strengthening national and municipal capacities, improving source separation and valorization of organic waste, piloting decentralized circular bioeconomy solutions, promoting sustainable cold-chain technologies, and facilitating behavioral and institutional transformation through Living Labs and Learning Communities.
Objective
To ensure that gender equality and social inclusion are systematically integrated throughout project implementation by establishing gender and inclusion baselines, promoting equitable participation in project activities, advising on gender-responsive monitoring and reporting, and supporting the development of inclusive policies and regional strategies aligned with Armenia’s National Gender Strategy.
Develop a baseline methodology and conduct a gender and social inclusion assessment relevant to organic waste management, agriculture, food loss reduction, and circular bioeconomy solutions.
Collect and analyze sex-disaggregated and other relevant inclusion data on the roles of women and men in waste handling, farming, and decision making, as well as their levels of exposure, access to resources, and participation in related value chains. Identify barriers and opportunities affecting the participation of women and other potentially underrepresented groups and their access to resources, opportunities, and project benefits.
Prepare a baseline assessment report presenting key findings and practical recommendations for integrating gender equality and social inclusion into project design and implementation.
Advise AUA and UNDP on mainstreaming gender-responsive and inclusive approaches across project activities, including Living Labs, Learning Communities, municipal biowaste management initiatives, and cold-chain solutions.
Support the integration of gender equality and social inclusion into the project’s monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework, including proposing appropriate gender-sensitive indicators and targets to track participation, access to resources and opportunities, and the distribution of project benefits.
Review relevant national policies, strategies, and regulatory frameworks related to gender equality, waste management, agriculture, and circular economy development, and provide recommendations to align regional strategies and national guidance developed through the project with Armenia’s National Gender Strategy and relevant gender equality commitments.
Develop or contribute to training materials and deliver training sessions or workshops on gender-responsive and inclusive approaches in organic waste management and circular bioeconomy initiatives.
Support from AUA
The Advisor will work under the supervision of the Project Manager and in close coordination with UNDP Armenia, the Biowaste Systems Specialist, the Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Technical Expert and other relevant consultants and stakeholders. The Advisor will provide cross-cutting guidance on gender equality and social inclusion without assuming responsibility for technical assessments, technology selection, infrastructure design, or financial feasibility studies assigned to other specialists.
Expected Deliverables
Deliverables will be agreed with the Project Manager according to the project work plan and may include:
Gender and social inclusion baseline assessment methodology and report, including key findings and actionable recommendations.
Recommendations for integrating gender-responsive and inclusive approaches into project activities, including Living Labs, Learning Communities, and pilot interventions.
A set of gender-sensitive indicators and targets, with recommendations for collecting and reporting sex-disaggregated data within the project’s monitoring framework.
Gender-responsive recommendations and contributions to regional strategies, national guidance, policy briefs, and advocacy materials aligned with Armenia’s National Gender Strategy.
Training materials and delivery of capacity-building sessions for relevant project staff and stakeholders.
The timing, format, and level of detail of each deliverable will be agreed with the Project Manager in accordance with the project work plan.
Advanced university degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Sociology, or a related field.
At least five years of relevant professional experience in gender equality, social inclusion, gender mainstreaming, or related development initiatives.
Demonstrated experience conducting gender analyses, baseline assessments, stakeholder consultations, or social inclusion assessments.
Experience developing gender-responsive indicators, monitoring frameworks, and reporting tools.
Knowledge of gender-responsive policy development and familiarity with national gender equality strategies and relevant international commitments.
Experience designing or delivering capacity-building activities on gender equality and social inclusion.
Strong analytical, research, report-writing, and communication skills.
Excellent written and spoken Armenian and English.
Please submit your CV and Portfolio via AUA career platform here.
AUA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active non-discrimination program within the institution