Consultant, Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion

TERMS OF REFERENCE:

CONSULTANCY POSITION

Position Title: Consultant, Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion

Position Location: Remote

Reports to: Director, Human Resources

Contract Term: October 2022 – February 2023

Application Deadline: September 30, 2022

Expected Start Date: October 1, 2022

Budget Range: ~$20,000

Background

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization that works towards a world where young people can grow up in safe, secure, supportive environments, where they can learn, work and play a vital role in their community and country’s development. Founded in 1957 and currently working in 25 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately $40 million dollars, WUSC’s internationally recognized programs support youth, women and other marginalized populations, focusing on three thematic areas of education, economic opportunities, and empowerment.

WUSC has a strong commitment to anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion in our organization’s operations, policies, practices, programming and public facing work. In our 2018 update to our Gender, Age, and Diversity Policy and Guidance, we made the commitment to take an intersectional approach to our understanding of diversity and inclusion. As the policy defines: the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, gender, and class as they apply to a given individual or group, create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

WUSC opposes all forms of discrimination, prejudices, and racism and is dedicated to ensuring racial equality across all aspects of the organization’ policies, and practices, and our programming. We recognize that we still have a lot of work to do on the path to becoming a truly anti-racist, diverse, and inclusive organization. We commit to undertaking a thorough examination of our internal systems, structure, and procedures and our engagement externally, to further understand where our work and practices are actively promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and where we may also unconsciously be perpetuating and reinforcing systemic racism and discrimination. In doing so, we recognize the need to also examine power and privilege as it relates to our work, including the relationships we have with funders, project participants, partners, staff, students, and volunteers.

The Anti-Discrimination, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

In fall 2020, the Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (ADDI Committee) was formed, led and organized by WUSC staff across the globe who have self-identified interest in participating in the Committee. The ADDI Committee is envisioned to be a permanent committee, with a clear liaison to WUSC’s management team.

The ADDI Committee has identified 3 primary areas of work. These areas of work were identified through several all-staff participatory and inclusive discussions of interested potential members. These areas of work became the Subcommittees, each envisioned to have two nominated or self-nominated “Subcommittee Co-leads.” The Subcommittee Leads meet monthly to discuss and coordinate across the ADDI Committee, supported by a Secretary (also a volunteer staff member).

• Subcommittee #1: Culture & Community
• Subcommittee #2: Internal Operations
• Subcommittee #3: Decolonizing & Development

After the formation of the ADDI Committee, the Committee was able to move forward on a few key organizational priorities including (but not limited to):

• conducting focus group discussions across WUSC’s global team to identify key areas of work for the Committee;
• collecting data on demographics and salary scale across WUSC;
• providing recommendations on how to improve diversity on WUSC’s Board of Directors; and;
• feeding into WUSC’s Organizational and Departmental Work plans.

One key area to work that has emerged in these initial pieces of work is the need for inclusive participatory capacity strengthening sessions or the global WUSC team to deepen understanding, knowledge, skills, capacities, and awareness of unconscious bias, how to address and integrate anti-racism and anti-discriminatory principles actively in our day-to-day work.

Roles and Responsibilities

The mandate of the Consultant, Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion will be to develop and provide an inclusive and transformative participatory training program for all staff with different modules to deepen understanding and awareness of unconscious bias, how to address and integrate anti-racism and anti-discrimination principles into everyday work.

Key areas of support for this consulting position will include:

• Develop guidelines for inclusive training.
• Develop an initial participatory training for the global WUSC team addressing anti-racism and discrimination, and integration of these principles into our day-to-day work
  • Facilitate several capacity strengthening sessions for all WUSC staff (on topics relating to DEI and unconscious bias)
  • Develop or co-develop an online training module for new staff onboarding.
• Design a ‘train the trainer’ participatory training session based upon the initial training to be delivered to new staff or volunteers and partner staff.
• Recommend additional training modules to be determined in collaboration with WUSC such as:
  • Additional online training modules for new staff, supervisors, core ADDI officials, and refresher training.
  • Sr. Management, Board of Directors training
  • Country Directors, Project Directors, Supervisor training
  • Human Resources staff
  • Technical Advisors
  • Campus and Local Committees

Thematic priorities

• Unconscious bias / Microaggressions / passive aggression (in speech, online, email etiquette, meetings, within team dynamics etc)
• Anti-racism (BIPOC) but also more detailed issues relevant to country offices like colourism, tribalism, nepotism
• Indigenous Peoples
• Anti-Discrimination (disability, SOGIESC / 2SLGBTQ, religion, etc.)
• Gender and age
• Power, Privilege and intersectionality (management, supervisors, and expats)
• Decolonizing Development and the links between international development and colonialism (to try and preemptively address gender, SOGIESC / 2SLGBTQ, pushbacks)

Qualifications

• Experience working with international development organizations in the areas of diversity and inclusion, and familiarity with the unique positioning of international development organizations working in the Global South;
• Significant experience in supporting organizations to strengthen their policies to address issues related to anti-racism, discrimination, diversity, decolonization of aid;
• Demonstrated experience in training and capacity strengthening of organizations;
• Good understanding of safeguarding issues
• Experience working with global and remote teams in a cross-cultural environments; and
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in human resource, sociology, organizational administration, international development, or a related field;
• Strong English and French communication and writing skills required

Application Process

Suitably qualified and experienced consultants are invited to submit their narrative and financial proposal inclusive of CVs of proposed staff within one MS Word or PDF file (budget in Canadian dollars).

This proposal and any questions can be sent to Irene Njoroge at [email protected].

The deadline for the submission of only electronic proposals is 30 September 2022 (5PM Eastern Standard Time).

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, consultants, representatives and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion and sexual exploitation and abuse of any form.

WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and from those in the Black, Indigenous, or people of colour (BIPOC) communities.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

No telephone calls please.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CONSULTANCY EVALUATION CRITERIA

See our website for detailed table of criteria and scores weight.