Gender Equality Advisor – Lebanon

KEY INFORMATION

Job Title: Gender Equality Advisor – Lebanon

Position/ Contract Type: Long Term Consultancy

Duration of Initial Contract: 12 months, starting ASAP (up to a total of 40 days)

Position Location: Lebanon

Language Required: Arabic, English (French will be an advantage)

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

Launched in December 2021 and implemented by Cowater International, the Middle East Support Services Project (ME-FSSP) will primarily support the development and humanitarian objectives of Canada’s Middle East Strategy by providing administrative, financial, procurement, and logistical services in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the region.

BACKGROUND

The Government of Canada released a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to respond to the ongoing crises in Lebanon and Syria and their impact on the region, including on Jordan and Lebanon. Under the strategy for engagement in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria (2016-17 to 2018-19), also known as the Middle East Strategy.

On June 9, 2017, Canada launched its Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), which targets gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Feminist International Assistance Policy recognizes that supporting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is the best way to build a more peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous world. To do this, it supports targeted investments, partnerships, and innovation and advocacy efforts with the greatest potential to close gender gaps and improve everyone’s chance for success. For more information on FIAP, please visit https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/priorities-priorites/policy-politique.aspx?lang=eng.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this consultancy is to provide Gender Equality technical support and advice to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) programs in Lebanon to enhance program effectiveness and resource efficiency. This involves integrating Gender Equality considerations into program and project activities, ultimately contributing to improved development outcomes in Lebanon. A key focus is ensuring the consistent incorporation of gender equality as a cross-cutting theme.

SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES

Services Description

The Advisor must provide technical advice and support in the area of Gender Equality and address any additional services requested by GAC’s Technical Authority (TA) or Program Technical Leads (PTLs). Service Requisitions, based on an outline tracking table, will outline expected results, timelines, and deliverables related to the services requested by the TA or PTL.

The provision of technical advice and support includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Technical Support to GAC:

• Review Global Affairs Canada (GAC) development programs in Lebanon, and to a lesser extent, humanitarian assistance program documents requiring gender analysis and integration of Gender Equality measures and provide written analysis and advice on best practices and approaches to achieving results, potential risks, issues, constraints, opportunities, lessons learned, and possible synergies with other programs and sectors.
• Support the International Assistance in Lebanon team in the review and analysis of project proposals in the different thematic areas of programming. This support includes drafting project proposals Gender Equality form and providing comments and recommendations to improve the quality of gender strategies and analysis as well as gender considerations integration into all project planning documents including Logic Model, Performance Management Framework, Risk Matrix, and Budget.
• Provide advice to the International Assistance in Lebanon team on opportunities, needs and entry points for action on gender equality issues, including on possible cooperation with other donors.
• If required, provide technical assistance to incoming missions from Canada. Provide written and oral briefings and accompany visiting GAC staff, Canadian Government officials and consultants on field trips and meetings. Prepare meetings notes and field visit reports and make recommendations about any needed corrective measures.
• Review and provide written analysis on emerging gender equality issues and challenges in Lebanon, as well as on Gender Equality policies, strategies and planning documents, outlining linkages with GAC’s policy framework and country program priorities.
• Attend donor and technical group discussions on gender equality as a resource person, contributing to knowledge-building/sharing and policy dialogue.
• Provide advice to the International Assistance in Lebanon team on gender equality issues to be raised in policy dialogue and advocacy with government, other donors, civil society organizations and private sector.

Quality Assurance:

Support the application of and compliance with local sector and thematic regulatory and policy frameworks; contribute to various levels of program and project reporting, monitoring and evaluation; and support and foster policy and program coherence within Lebanon. This includes:

• Provide technical support and advice related to the monitoring and evaluation of projects and program implementation in terms of approaches, resources and contributions to gender equality results and addressing gender equality considerations. This may encompass advising on indicators, reviewing project implementation plans, annual work plans, progress and evaluation reports, participation in project monitoring and mid-term review missions as a resource person, meeting with implementing partners and carrying out field visits.
• Review Gender Equality program and project documents and advise on the quality and integrity of information and on compliance with country and/or regional regulatory and policy framework.
• Provide guidance to GAC projects’ implementing partners and Executing Agencies on GAC and programming countries’ Gender Equality policy, legal and administrative requirements.
• Contribute to the preparation of the Gender Equality Annex of the Annual Country Report and other products and reports highlighting GAC’s contributions to gender equality results in Lebanon.
• Participate and contribute to regional discussions on policies and program coherence related to Gender Equality.

Knowledge Management:

Contribute local perspective and lessons learned to broader GAC knowledge pool and recipient country partners, and help maintain/provide in-depth knowledge of recipient country partners and Gender Equality networks. This includes:

• Develop training material related to gender equality and deliver presentations and training.
• Research, collect, analyze, update and exchange country and region-specific Gender Equality information and perspective with GAC field staff, HQ officers, including relevant Gender Equality Specialists and recipient country partners as relevant.
• Collect and analyze information from gender equality programs and/or gender equality integrated programs implemented by local governments, GAC, other donors and organizations, including identification of best practices, new approaches and lessons learned (operational and developmental) related to Gender Equality to achieve better results in gender equality programming. Share this information internally with GAC staff and/or externally with other stakeholders through roundtable discussions.
• Organize roundtable discussions and/or meetings in order to share and discuss key programming achievements and challenges related to gender equality with the wider gender equality network.

Local Systems:

• Maintain ongoing communications with HQ and Regional GE specialist(s) as appropriate.
• Coordinate and consolidate local information flow to and from region and HQ.
• Collaborate, when appropriate, in the provision of technical advice, analysis and support to the program; and keep abreast of activities in the wider Gender Equality community of practice.
• Assess the capacity of local organizations and institutions implementing gender equality initiatives to achieve meaningful results, and identify potential partners with appropriate gender equality programming capacity.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Advisor:

The Advisor is responsible to deliver the services described in section 4 of this TOR according to the agreed timelines, expected results, and deliverables outlined in the Service Requisitions/ tasking table, and any additional services as requested by the TA/PTLs. The Advisor will provide technical support and advice to GAC’s programming teams in the area of Gender Equality. The Advisor must work in close collaboration with the field staff and GAC HQ’s programming teams and assigned HQ Specialists, and whenever necessary with other consultants (including the experts on environment and education).

Roles and Responsibilities of The Technical Authority (TA), Program Technical Lead (PTL):

The TA/ PTLs, identified by the International Assistance in Lebanon team, is responsible for:

• The provision of service requisitions to the Advisor, including the approval of the Advisor’s assigned work and deliverables.
• Reporting to GAC and ME-FSSP on the completion of services and deliverables against the approved tasking as set out in the online Tracking Table and Service Requisition forms. A detailed reporting schedule will be agreed upon and attached to the contract.

Roles and Responsibilities of ME-FSSP team:

• Managing the competitive process of identifying and hiring the Advisor, including signing the contract.
• Communicating/disseminating key documents related to GAC policies, programming approaches and processes, regulatory or reporting requirements
• Delivering initial and periodic information sessions and ‘updates’ on GAC’s policies, programming approaches processes and, regulatory or other reporting requirements for Gender Equality relevant programming.
• Review and approve payments based on the invoices and timesheets submitted by the Advisor.

REPORTING/ DELIVERABLES

The Advisor is expected to work in close cooperation with GAC in Lebanon to produce the deliverables as follows:

The Advisor reports directly to ME-FSSP (Project Manager) who has full responsibility for the administration of the contract, including the approval of timesheets and invoices. Technical assignments including the Tracking Table, Service Requisitions and deliverables, evaluation of the quality of services and deliverables against the Tracking Table, etc. are approved by GAC’s TA/PTLs in Lebanon. Deliverables include, but are not limited to:

• Financial reporting which consists of a detailed monthly invoice, covering the Advisor’s fees for the services rendered during the previous month indicating the date, the day and the number of hours worked for each day as well as any necessary and reasonable expenses incurred during the previous month, including all original receipts in support of the expenses claimed.
• Research or analytical narrative reports, as requested by GAC.

LOCATION, TIMELINES AND ESTIMATED LEVEL OF EFFORTS

• This contract will be valid for 12 months of signature.
• Preference will be given to applicants residing in Lebanon.
• The Advisor must be ready to travel to different locations in Lebanon to support GAC’s development and, to a lesser extent, humanitarian assistance programs’ planning and monitoring activities and to meet with partners.
• The ME-FSSP PM must approve all travel before the travel.
• The basis for payment and payment schedule will be based on a fixed-time rate contract.
• The level of effort is estimated at up to 48 days depending on the needs and activities of the program.
• No activities/tasks should be undertaken without GAC Lebanon TA/PTL’s approval.

ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

• The Advisor will be contracted under the ‘Middle East Field Support Services Project’ (ME-FSSP) administered by Cowater International on behalf of Global Affairs Canada.
• The contract will be administered through the ME-FSSP, and the Advisor will be accountable for delivering the agreed-upon services and deliverables to the Global Affairs Canada team at the Embassy of Canada in Lebanon.
• The Advisor is expected to use their own workspace, equipment, and materials, as office space will not be provided.
• Payment to the Advisor will be made according to the agreed daily rate, reflecting the level of effort outlined in monthly financial timesheets and reports. All activities and services must align with approvals from the TA/PTLs.

EXPERIENCE

To qualify for this role, the Advisor must possess extensive experience across the full project cycle, with a specific focus on applying Gender Equality principles in development projects in Lebanon and the MENA region. Additional qualifications include:

• A minimum of 5 to 8 years of experience offering advice to donors on Gender Equality policies.
• A minimum of 5 of experience assessing project proposals, with a focus on gender analysis, inclusion of gender equality results and gender-sensitive indicators. (experience assessing GAC projects is a plus).
• A minimum of 5 years of experience providing Gender Equality project monitoring and evaluation services.
• Experience in conducting or drafting gender-based analyses of projects or programs.
• Experience in conducting Gender Equality knowledge-building activities such as training, coaching, and mentoring for development programs.
• Experience and knowledge and experience in working on women’s empowerment and rights.

EDUCATION

A minimum university degree in gender equality studies or a related discipline (Examples: women’s studies, policy and administration, international development/relations, political science, human rights).