Gender Equality, Diversity, & Social Inclusion Advisor – Ukraine Response

About Mercy Corps:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Program/ Department Summary:

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Ukrainians and other conflict-affected people where they are: displaced inside Ukraine, refugees in Poland, Romania, and Moldova, or trapped behind the frontlines. We aim to reach 500,000 vulnerable people with multi-purpose cash assistance, in-kind humanitarian support, and protection services across four countries. Almost all our impact will be delivered in partnership: with Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian, and Moldovan civil society organizations through a granting program that matches humanitarian action with capacity strengthening, and with peer international NGOs through a consortium in Ukraine. Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine crisis with large-scale consortium programming (the “Ukraine Cash Consortium,” or UCC) with a focus on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). The Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective cash and other humanitarian assistance programs to support people affected by the Ukraine crisis within Ukraine.

General Position Summary:

The Gender Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion Advisor will use their in-depth contextual understanding, technical/practical expertise and relationship building skills to define and support the collective delivery of a gender transformative program. The role will lead the program’s gender equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy design and support to its implementation, providing technical guidance to all program components to ensure high quality programming that will advance gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment through cash programming. The role provides leadership to ensure that the program is grounded in intersectional gender and power analysis and supports the design and implementation of gender transformative monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our team and partners. They will also specifically oversee the implementation of the gender, inclusion, and women’s empowerment workstream and provide gender and inclusion training and support to partners and key stakeholders as required.

Essential Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Build a feminist, inclusive, and gender transformative program strategy and implementation plan in collaboration with the team and key stakeholders.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and contribute to an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed, where the project teams work together, exchange information and coordinate activities.
• Lead the gender equality, diversity, and inclusion working group within the consortium structure; ensure regular meetings of the working group to develop guidance, plan activities, share lessons learned, and incorporate these into program delivery.
• Support internal and external communication efforts (articles, case studies, conferences, and forums) to highlight to Mercy Corps’ gender work through the UCC.
• Participate in the development and implementation of a program advocacy strategy to advance key gender equality, diversity, and inclusion issues with government, donors, and others that reflect the program ’s priorities and learnings.
• Participate in the development and implementation of program learning activities.
• Support the program to implement Mercy Corps’ global Gender Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion Strategy.

Technical Guidance for Implementation

• Provide oversight and guidance to the program implementation teams to ensure that thematic components are technically sound and grounded in gender and power analysis; ensure the inclusion of women and men from a diversity of identity groups and communities; approach the subject matter from an intersectional feminist perspective; and ensure that implementation methods are consistent with national and global strategies, feminist principles, and acknowledged good practice.
• Deliver regular training and ongoing mentorship to program team members and partners to promote capacity, ownership, and commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Regularly review program workplans, reports and data collected, analyzing outcomes and desired impact making crucial recommendations to maximize gender transformative potential.
• Work closely to guide and support the program ’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and Community Accountability teams to design and implement a feminist MEL and Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism; to carry out gender and power analysis (or use the results of this or previous analyses to inform program activities); to develop innovative program quality and monitoring tools; and to conduct monitoring and evaluation activities using participatory methodologies that promote gender equality and social inclusion.
• Contribute to donor reporting and ensure submission of reports that effectively communicate the program ’s gender equality, diversity, and inclusion work across all program components.
• Support the incorporation of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion within the program’s operational policies and practices.

Team Strengthening

• Support the incorporation of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion requirements within the program’s job descriptions and performance management systems.
• Support in recruiting, mentoring, and onboarding new team members, ensuring they are set up for success and familiar with the program ’s gender equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy and how this relates to their role.
• Provide ongoing supervision, leadership, support, guidance, and mentorship to direct reports.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Support national staff development so that national staff are increasingly taking decisions and in management roles, including the ultimate nationalization of the Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisor role in this or future programs.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and treat each other with respect.

Coordination and Representation

• Represent Mercy Corps and the program at relevant external meetings and events, including in coordination bodies connected to protection and GBV.
• Establish and maintain formal and informal communication mechanisms with government, community, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Lead in documenting and coordinating information dissemination activities that share program achievements in and results.
• Prepare and deliver presentations to stakeholders about program approaches, best practices, and learnings related to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Supervisory Responsibility:

Directly Supervises: GEDSI Officers

Accountability:

Reports Directly To: Program Performance and Quality Lead

Works Directly With: Community Accountability team members, Program technical leads; Program Management; MEL team; Human Resources; headquarters and regional technical support units.

Accountability to Participants & Stakeholders:

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field programs.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills:

• Advanced academic qualification in Women and Gender Studies, or related, or equivalent work experience.
• At least 5 years experience (including overseas) providing technical leadership for the design and implementation of emergency programs focused on advancing gender equality in Cash modalities.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills related to intersectional gender and power analysis, and to the design, piloting, implementation and evaluation of innovative technical tools and resources to advance gender equality in emergencies.
• Significant experience in gender and inclusion training, capacity building and mentoring, and a demonstrated ability to make complex concepts compelling and accessible.
• Proven ability to work effectively with a multicultural and diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Internationally recognized qualification in program or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work, is preferred.
• Solid knowledge and application of established inter-agency standards and guidelines relevant to protection and the prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
• Knowledge of BHA as well as feminist donor (e.g. GAC, Sweden, AFD) gender equality policies, standards, and tools an advantage.
• Knowledge and understanding of gender and diversity in Ukraine and the surrounding region, along with prior work experience in Ukraine is a significant advantage.
• Fluency in English is required, knowledge of Ukrainian/Russian is preferred but not required.

Success Factors:

The Gender Advisor will have the ability to work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly fluid work and security environment. S/he will have the capacity to champion ambitious and innovative gender transformative approaches whilst understanding the nuances and sensitivities of the cultural context. They must be able to provide strong technical guidance in a manner which is grounded in the reality of the operating environment and with implementation at the forefront. The successful candidate will have strong communication and interpersonal skills and must be adept at building resilient relationships and advocating for change at all levels. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living / Environmental Conditions:

This position will be primarily based in either Kyiv or Lviv, Ukraine – but location within Ukraine is subject to reassessment given the dynamic context. This position will likely require occasional travel to surrounding countries (Poland, Romania, and Moldova) as security permits. Given the emergency context, this position may require exceptional work schedules, including evenings and weekends as needed.

Ongoing Learning:

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.