Gender and Agriculture Researcher (F/M/X)

Oxfam is a global movement of people who are fighting together against inequality to end poverty and injustice.

Together with Oxfam’s teams on the ground, local partner organisations and allies, we work towards sustainable change by accompanying vulnerable communities on their way to taking control of their destiny. Oxfam Belgium focuses on a combination of humanitarian aid, structural change projects and campaigns to influence policy and raise awareness. With a network of almost 250 shops, Oxfam Belgium also promotes fair and sustainable trade and supports the circular and social economy.

Oxfam Belgium has been working for many years with a wide network of partners who are fighting for economic, gender, food and climate justice in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia.

What does the position entail :

Within the Programs and Advocacy department, you will be part of the Policy team. This position contributes to the SWIFT project (Supporting Women-led Innovations in Farming and rural Territories). This project addresses gender inequalities in agriculture and rural development by improving the representation of women farmers in agricultural and rural development policies, as well as their access to subsidies and decision-making spaces. The project aims to demonstrate the transformative added-value of women-led rural initiatives. SWIFT will work with 21 women-led initiatives and 14 partners, including Oxfam Belgique/België (OBE).

OBE has many years of experience working on food system transformation and gender justice, in collaboration with other civil society actors, and these topics are at the core of our 2021-2027 strategy. Within SWIFT, OBE is co-leading on the work package dedicated to policy work and is particularly in charge of conducing a gender-responsive budgeting analysis of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and three national CAP action plans detailing its planned implementation in Spain, Austria and Poland.

Your responsibilities :

• To ensure the representation of Oxfam within the SWIFT consortium, in collaboration with the Head of Policy and the institutional funding team.
• To conduct research and organize gender responsive budgeting work and policy analysis of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and three national CAP action plans (Spain, Austria, Poland).
• To collaborate in particular with the University of Wageningen, co-lead with Oxfam of the policy work package of the project.
• To establish and build good relations with the women-led rural initiatives across the SWIFT project notably with the three countries selected for the national action plans analysis.
• To identify the relevant decision-makers on the CAP and its implementation at European and national level, and follow the relevant policy developments to enhance impact of project outcomes.
• To share your thematic expertise within the Policy team, Oxfam Belgium as well as the confederation, including the Oxfam International EU office.
• To identify and liaise with Oxfam country offices that have developed an expertise on gender responsive budgeting, and identify areas for mutual capacity-building in this field.

Your profile :

• You know, and align with, feminist principles and the rights-based approach,
• You hold a Master’s degree in a relevant subject areas (e.g. sociology, food studies, feminist studies, economics, political science),
• You are familiar with agricultural and rural policies in a European context. Knowledge of the Common Agricultural Policy is an advantage,
• You have experience with gender-responsive budgeting processes (design, implementation and/or analysis),
• You have capacity and interest in the analysis of public budgets,
• You are collaborative, comfortable with facilitating participative approaches and know how to develop trust with diverse project partners. Previous experience working with farming/rural communities is a plus.
• You have proven research and written communication skills in English (knowledge of Spanish, Polish or German is an advantage). Basic knowledge of French or Dutch is required.
• You are proactive and can work independently,
• You adhere to the Oxfam values.

Oxfam can offer you:

• A temporary full-time contract (2,5 years – 38 hours/week),
• A monthly gross salary aligned on the NGO sector: min. € 2.826,34 – max. € 4.775,46 (with 30 years of relevant experience), participation to transportation costs, Christmas and holiday bonus (‘thirteenth month’), meal vouchers (8€/day), group insurance, supplementary holidays, flexible hours, structural homework, and support for staff training.
• The opportunity to work for a leading NGO in the field of development cooperation and to play a role in major and inspiring changes. You will be part of a motivated and passionate team, which feels committed to its mission,
• A challenging and exciting job in a company that pays great attention to work-life balance,
• Start date: January 2023.