The African Climate Foundation is recruiting for a Gender Audit and Gender Strategy Consultant: Apply Now!

Closing Date: 15 June 2026

The African Climate Foundation is recruiting for a Gender Audit and Gender Strategy Consultant: Apply Now!

Introduction

The African Climate Foundation (ACF) is an African-led regional climate foundation working at the nexus of climate change and development, enabling African-led climate solutions through strategic grant-making. ACF is guided by its mission to support interventions that deliver long-term socioeconomic transformation and inclusive development across the African continent and its vision of a climate-resilient Africa where sustainable and equitable growth is realised. ACF’s Africa-centred approach is anchored in African leadership, systems thinking, ecosystem building, strategic partnerships, policy engagement, narrative shift and fiscal stewardship with a focus on strengthening a thriving and interconnected climate ecosystem.

As part of its 2026–2030 strategy, ACF seeks to embed gender equality and African feminist-informed approaches across its governance, operations, grant-making, partnerships, communications and thematic work. ACF recognises that gender integration is not a technical add-on but requires institutional transformation, including shifts in systems, decision-making and organisational culture.

ACF seeks a consultant (or firm) to undertake an organisation-wide gender audit and support the development of a comprehensive Africa-centred gender strategy and a mainstreaming architecture grounded in lived realities, African feminist perspectives and aligned with ACF’s strategic priorities.

Background and Purpose

The purpose of the assignment is to design and deliver a comprehensive, evidence-based and actionable package that enables ACF to embed gender equality and feminist-informed approaches across its work, including:

1. An organisation-wide gender audit
2. The development of an ACF Gender Strategy (organisational and programmatic) aligned with the 2026–2030 strategy.
3. A practical gender mainstreaming framework, policy and toolkit
4. A sequenced implementation roadmap
5. Gender-continuum MEL indicators for the strategy and implementation plan

Objectives and Scope of Work of the Assignment

The Gender Audit and Gender Strategy Consultant will:

1. Conduct a gender audit assessing capacities, gaps, opportunities and risks across:
   o Governance and leadership
   o Programme design and delivery
   o Grant-making systems and partner engagement
   o Communications and narrative
   o HR systems, organisational culture and ways of working
   o Partnerships and external ecosystem engagement

2. Undertake extensive internal and external consultations with:
   o ACF staff across teams and levels
   o Grantees and partners, including projects that have to date focused on gender outcomes.
   o African feminist and women-led organisations
   o Gender experts and actors across ACF thematic areas
   Consultations must be conducted ethically and reflect diverse lived realities across the continent.
3. Develop concise, decision-oriented strategic option papers across key components of gender integration, each presenting clear options, associated trade-offs, risks and implications, resource requirements, and a recommended pathway with rationale.
4. Support ACF in the development of a Gender Strategy that reflects agreed institutional decisions, clearly defines strategic priorities and areas of focus, including explicit exclusions. The strategy must align with ACF’s 2026–2030 strategy and provide a coherent foundation for implementation.
5. Develop a practical Gender Mainstreaming Framework, Gender Policy that highlights commitments, definitions, governance and accountability and Toolkit aligned to ACF systems (HR, grants, MEL, communications)
6. Develop a prioritised implementation roadmap with sequencing, timelines and responsibilities
7. Design a gender-responsive MEL framework, including indicators, qualitative learning approaches and guidance for integration into existing systems
8. Conduct an implementation readiness assessment identifying capacity gaps, institutional risks, resistance and resource implications

Eligibility Criteria

ACF invites proposals from African-based African-led consultants, firms or consortia. Applicants must meet all compulsory eligibility requirements and submit all mandatory documents listed in the proposal submission requirements below.

Compulsory eligibility requirement

African-based with demonstrated experience across Africa. Experience in ACF priority countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa) is strongly preferred

Gender Audit and Gender Strategy Consultant profile/expertise

The consultant/firm should demonstrate:

• Relevant academic qualification
• Proven experience delivering gender audits and gender strategies for African or comparable institutions, ideally within climate, development, philanthropy or policy ecosystems.
• Deep understanding of intersectional and feminist approaches, including experience engaging African feminist and women-led organisations ethically.
• Demonstrated understanding of the climate and development ecosystem in Africa and the ability to integrate gender across climate priority areas (for example, adaptation, climate finance, just transitions, critical minerals, forests, and related themes)
• Strong experience in multi-stakeholder consultation and facilitation, including engaging senior leadership, staff across functions, partners and grantees.
• Ability to produce practical mainstreaming tools and embed recommendations in systems (HR, grants, comms,MEL, governance).
• Experience designing implementation roadmaps and change management plans.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Fluency in French is a plus

Click Here To Apply

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