Gender Equality & GBV Technical Specialist - Readvertisement

TITLE: Gender Equality & GBV Technical Specialist– Sudan Country Office TEAM/PROGRAMME: Sudan LOCATION: Port Sudan (or another field location if preferred by the post holder) with up to 40% travel time in the field GRADE:  3 (Competitive Package) Department: Programme Development and Quality  CONTRACT LENGTH: 1 year, with possibility of extension. REPORTS TO:  Reports to the Head of Technical Team (with dotted line of reporting to the Regional Gender Advisor).

Child Safeguarding:  

Level 3 - the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or four days in one month or more) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country /field office programs.

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The current context in Sudan shows severe instances of abuse against women, girls and boys. Gender based Violence and protection services are necessary to enhance. Save the Children wants to ensure that we mainstream gender and the mitigation and prevention of GBV across our programming and that we establish programming to prevent, mitigate and respond to the specific needs of girls, boys and children of non-binary gender identities. It would like to influence others to do the same. We therefore seek to be gender aware and transformative in the way we design and implement programmes as well as ensuring that our colleagues and key partners also benefit from gender transformative training and support. The Gender Technical Specialist will ensure strong programme in gender based violence risk mitigation as well as gender considerations are mainstreamed in our work taking a Child Rights perspective and framework. The Gender Technical Specialist is responsible for supporting technical and implementation colleagues. S/he will coordinate national level gender-related advocacy activities and initiatives with clusters, government, CSOs and national level partners. In collaboration with the MEAL, Advocacy and child protection colleagues, s/he contributes to monitoring the gender situation, as well as programme quality, initiating and participating in gender assessments, monitoring and data collection, audits and studies; S/he will also ensure documentation and dissemination of innovations and good practices, and lessons learnt. S/he will contribute to gender advocacy through networking and collaboration with relevant civil society organisations and other institutions. 

Staff directly reporting to this post: N/A

The role holder will provide technical support and coaching to gender focal points across projects, thematic and field offices

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Strategic Programming:

• Undertake and maintain a Humanitarian Gender Analysis and use recommendations to inform the development of a Gender Action Plan.  Ensure that recommendations are integrated into the Humanitarian Response Plan and Advocacy Strategy.  This should include actions that that will be taken across all areas of programming to prevent and mitigate the risk of GBV to girls, boys, women and men.
• Provide technical support in the design and implementation of gender-sensitive and gender transformative programming, ensuring gender and GBV considerations are understood and mainstreamed in Save the Children’s programme, and monitor gender equality and equity in programme design and evaluation.
• Enhance SCI and others’ protection and response services for GBV survivors, as well as prevention programmes.
• Contribute to the development of Save the Children’s Country Strategic Plan, and  Save the Children Humanitarian Plan Gender consideration guided by SC Gender Equality Policy, context and needs.
• Work together with business development, technical specialists and Operations teams to initiate and design high quality, cost-effective, and innovative funding strategy that can feed into project proposals and concept notes in line with SC response strategy, SC humanitarian plan, SC Country Annual Plans and Country Strategic Plans.
• Coordinate and ensure that gender assessments, monitoring, grave violation data collection, analyses and audits for all programme and projects integrate findings into programme design and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) and communications. Where possible, engage in inter-agency research to avoid research fatigue/duplication; 
• Support regional/country offices to develop gender action plans (with accompanying accountability mechanisms) to address gender equality and GBV considerations emerging from the gender analysis and other data collection exercises.

Resource Mobilisation:  

• Work with the Proposal/ Business Development team to identify new funding opportunities and develop a good relationship with potential donors – including private donors. 
• Support the fundraising process, ensuring that Gender Equality is mainstreamed in all proposal and concept notes using the Gender Equality Marker (GEM) scores accordingly. 
• Design stand-alone targeted gender equality actions with a specific emphasis on promoting equitable participation and context specific gender interventions. 
• Support the PDQ team, and maintain excellent professional contacts with strategic and potential donors and key technical agencies to continuously leverage support and resources for girls, boys, women and men in Sudan programme.
• Support the PDQ and MEAL team in documentation and profiling of thematic briefs, research papers, and programme models for replication and in with the SDG 5, and the Regional and Global Theory of Change agenda.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

• In collaboration with Child Protection, and Health colleagues, establish or develop referral pathways for GBV in programme locations. Support setting GBV Case management systems, and building capacities of case workers on caring for child survivors 
• Promote integration of GBV across other sectors, by reviewing/updating thematic integration matrix, and training other thematic staff on GBV non-specialist package.
• Work with Child Protection and other technical colleagues to assess SGBV programming needs, internal and external capacity to respond to needs and potential risks to children, communities and our presence in responding.   Use this as a basis to identify prevention, mitigation and response activities.
• Support the enhancement of protection and response services for GBV survivors (also bringing boys’ survivors specific considerations in the picture) across SC and influence partner’s programmes through active participation in the GBV cluster.
• Provide technical guidance during implementation of programmes using gender appropriate strategies with a gender lens ensuring equity in participation of all gender groups.
• Ensure that all areas of the programming are sensitive to gender vulnerabilities, and equity/equality where all gender groups are able to participate and build program synergies.
• Contribute to the strategic technical monitoring of projects/programmes and provide direction and training to field teams involved in delivering projects focusing on gender appropriate approaches and methodologies. 
• Identify gaps in staff and partner capacity on gender equality and GBV and coordinate with the Regional Gender Advisor to address the identified capacity gaps.
• Develop a staffing structure of Gender focal points across field offices and technical sectors. 
• Develop a gender capacity building and support plan for all staff and Gender focal points.  This should include working with Child Protection and CSG colleagues to deliver training on Safe Identification and Referral of risks to children. 
• Train and mentor partner and Save the Children staff and partners on the SC Gender Equality Policy, the Gender Equality Marker (GEM), the IASC GBV Guidelines and IASC Gender Handbook;

Representation and Advocacy

• Participate in internal and external for a including donor meetings (as appropriate) and represent Save the Children in all relevant coordination platforms at national, sub-national and regional levels including with the Cluster / Working Groups to integrate gender equality issues and share information about the SC’s Gender equality intervention with stakeholder’s; government and at National/sub national and international level.
• Plan and lead gender related campaigns to lobby on gender-sensitive practices and behavioural change.
• Support communications and advocacy teams to promote relevant advocacy messages on gender equality and GBV and ensure our communications are gender-sensitive and promote gender equality.
• Participate in the identification of key opportunities and events for Save the Children on Gender Equality and SDG 5 nationally and internationally.
• Work and coordinate with members, wherever applicable, to further Save the Children’s Gender equality mission, designing initiatives which will raise awareness of global gender and GBV standards across the CO programme informed by the approaches and strategies in the IASC GBV Guidelines and IASC Gender Handbook;
• Ensure that the voices of children guide research, advocacy and policy change objectives.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning

• Work with MEAL and sector Technical Advisors to integrate gender considerations into all MEAL processes including gender equality specific indicators, quality benchmarks and response monitoring and evaluation tools, including Real Time Reviews, and lead the process of analysing data and adapting programming to respond to identified gaps and risks.
• Work with MEAL colleagues to promote age, gender and diversity disaggregation of data collected against indicators.  Use the analysis of data gathered to guide further action on gender.
• Ensure a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning plan for gender equality indicators in both emergency and development contexts working together with the MEAL team.
• Identify assess SGBV programming needs and potential risks to children in our operation areas and advise in programme modifications.
• Collaborate with CP and CSG colleagues to undertake periodic safety audits in programme locations.
• Support field teams in measuring achievement and progress towards program goals and results through the MEAL Action Planning and Tracking system.
• Support field teams in collecting GBV data as part of grave violation reporting.
• Support the field teams, guiding them in introducing innovations in gender equality approaches in programme documentation, sharing best practices and innovations for replication and advocacy purpose.
• Work with MEAL and sector Technical Advisors to design and rigorously document learning regarding gender sensitive and gender transformative programming. Ensure learning is disseminated widely internally and externally and that learning is used to improve quality programming and to influence how other stakeholders address gender equality.
• Provide technical support to design and implement gender-sensitive and gender transformative programming ;Ensure all proposals and concept notes use the Gender Equality Marker and are scored accordingly;
• Facilitate the dissemination of research findings and good practices, documentation in the projects internally and externally to donors, governments, partners and other actors for immediate and sustainable development of children in Sudan.

Partnership:

• In collaboration with Partnerships colleagues, strengthen existing and develop new partnerships with national and local women's rights organisations that are active in the response.
• Establish, maintain and / or strengthen linkages with relevant government departments and civil society partners at state and local levels.
• Actively participate to the GBV sub-cluster effort.
• In collaboration with the partnership focal point and other PDQ teams, carry out partner mapping, identify capacity gaps and support capacity building plans for [potential] partners in gender Equality.
• Support the identification and development of strategic partnerships with women’s rights, gender equality and GBV local organisations;
• In collaboration with the Partnership Coordinator, Business Development team, establish, maintain and expand donor relations in Gender equality as a standalone and crosscutting thematic area.
• Document best practices and unique experiences for sharing and learning.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal as well as vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willingness to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency.

Occasional duties Perform any other duties as may be assigned from time to time. Judgement and Decision-Making

• The jobholder has a middle level of decision-making authority and is authorised to make decisions/take actions on the majority of programme and operational management matters relating to their specific programme and portfolio.
• Strategic decisions (operational issues, policy/procedural changes, budget approvals, disciplinary issues, financial decisions outside the budget etc) require consultation with the line manager and other relevant staff as may be appropriate. 

Competencies:

• Awareness of complex and dynamic conflict setting and related gender considerations.
• Ability to deliver trainings to various types of audience – may include armed actors if considered safe to do so.
• Delivering results: Takes personal responsibility and holds others accountable for delivering our ambitious goals for children, continually improving their own performance or that of the team/ organisation.
• Problem solving and decision-making: Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation.
• Working effectively with others: Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives; knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.
• Applying technical and professional expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shares best practice within and outside the organisation.
• Communicating with impact: Develops written and oral presentations, guidance materials, learning documents and reports to communicate lessons learned, results and outcomes for children.

Academic Background, Experience and Person Specifications: 

• Minimum of a Bachelor Degree in an appropriate social and development field such as Social Science, Sociology, Gender/ Women Studies, Development Studies, Community Development or Rural Development, Public Health, International Development, or equivalent experience.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in Gender Equality and GBV program management, coordination, policy advocacy, technical assistance in women rights and programming around gender equality and transformative approaches and with an international development organization;
• Relevant experience in gender equality mainstreaming and GBV programming.
• Demonstrable financial, planning and budget management skills.
• Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas, occasionally under strenuous conditions including extra hours when working on specific pushes.
• Experience in coordination and advocacy.
• Experience with proposal writing, reporting and MEAL.
• Strong public speaking and negotiating skills, and representational experience. 
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, to remain flexible to a changing environment, and to make decisions independently.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in a dynamic environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Proven record of enabling/facilitating change through influencing, inspiring and mobilising others;
• Proven record of programme design in a humanitarian context;
• Experience conducting assessments - including gender analysis - and revising monitoring and evaluation tools to capture gender and protection considerations for different sectors;
• Effective communication skills, written and verbal, and the ability to present arguments clearly and effectively to a wide range of internal and external audiences;
• Fluent written and spoken English; Arabic is an advantage.
• Commitment to and understanding of gender equality, child rights, the aims and principles of SC, and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the IASC Guidelines. 
• Commitment to comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Contacts: 

Internal contacts:

• The jobholder is expected to work with senior management team, technical specialists, other partnership managers and with staff throughout the country programme.

External contacts

• The jobholder will be expected to develop and maintain personal and professional links and effective relationship with cluster members, UN agencies, NGOs, CBOs, Partners and key stakeholders, counterparts, donors, government authorities of the programme areas.