Gender, Inclusion & Safeguarding (GESI) specialist

Position Summary:

The Gender, Inclusion & Safeguarding (GESI) specialist will lead transformational change across Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) and our partners in MENA, to be more inclusive and responsive to the needs of women; ensure Habitat’s programs and impact are inclusive and strive to remove barriers to participation for marginalized groups; and ensuring organizational policies and processes related to gender, safeguarding, protection and inclusion are understood, owned, and applied across the region.

The Advisor will lead the regional safeguarding and gender equality planning and implementation across the Middle East operations, with significant capacity building and adherence to compliance within all respective operating entities. This will include coordinating capacity building, promoting safe and gender inclusive programming, ensuring safe partnerships, delivering trainings, establishing metrics, ensuring donor compliance, risk management, supporting the mainstreaming of safeguarding and gender equality throughout operations, especially when engaging directly with communities and through partners. Additionally, this role will focus on global capability enhancement through working closely with the global technical teams to develop systems/procedures and enhance standards.

The GESI specialist will work closely with global, regional and country teams to understand existing practices, identify barriers to change, and lead on the development and delivery of respective GESI action plans. Working closely with technical and program team members, the specialist will also ensure that GESI principles, processes and practices are applied and mainstreamed across all of Habitat’s programs in the region, whilst developing strong relationships with Habitat counterparts at HQ and in other Area Offices

The GESI advisor will report to the Senior Manager: Middle East & North Africa, with close accountability to the Global Head of Safeguarding.

Note:

This contract is for an initial 1-year with the intent to extend based on job performance.

This position is based in Jordan, and is open to citizens, residents and those with the ability to work in Jordan.

Citizens, residents and those with the ability to work in Egypt may also be considered – and would therefore be based in Egypt.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Gender Equality and Inclusion

· Understand current practices and identify barriers within HFH and partner programs with regards to gender equality and inclusion

· Create and/or support the roll-out of global, regional and country level strategies and processes to improve gender inclusion across all departments and programs

· Build the capacity of project staff on gender equality and considerations for gender sensitive and transformational programming

· Conduct gender assessments/benchmarking, providing training and coordinating the development and delivery of country and project level gender and inclusion action plans.

· Identify and support a team of gender and inclusion champions across the region

· Foster the application of a gender and inclusion-lens in project and program design, identifying exclusions within the identified project areas

· Collaborate with the MEAL teams to ensure monitoring data and research captures current-state and impact of Habitat’s programs on gender equality and inclusion.

· Act as key focal point for the Middle East for inputting to gender equality technical support strengthening processes for the global organization; and for rolling out and socializing guidance materials across the region, through trainings and ongoing advisory support.

· Liaise with regional gender technical advisors from peer organizations, for shared learning which contribute to further strengthening of the regional approach.

Safeguarding and Protection

· Working closely with Habitat’s Global Head of Safeguarding and regional safeguarding focal points, ensure local compliance with Habitat’s Safeguarding and protection Policies.

· Establish safeguarding implementation plan/annual plan for the Middle East region and monitors progress against plan.

· Review and strengthen safeguarding systems including local reporting procedures; conduct mapping and risk assessments within the project offices and in partner offices.

· Adapt strategies, projects, tools and training to the context for countering Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA);

· Champion Safeguarding policies and accompanying policy guidance support materials, including strong advocacy for safeguarding across all levels of business to promotes a culture of safeguarding.

· Provide quality and accessible advice, support and guidance to managers and staff ensuring that adequate safeguarding measures are integrated into office operations, processes and programs as outlined by Habitat’s Safeguarding Standards and other core documents.

· Act as a reporting avenue for safeguarding related issues, concerns or experiences and ensure all potential safeguarding misconducts are reported as per Habitat’s Safeguarding Policy

· Represents Habitat regionally in Safeguarding matters.

· Create, support, and nurture a network of safeguarding focal points across the region at the country and program levels.

· Undertake and or support the development of local safeguarding procedures in line with mapping of local external environment (legislation, cultural considerations, etc.) and global guidelines.

· Ensure that training on safeguarding policies and procedures to relevant stakeholders across the program (staff, volunteers, private sector actors, partners, consultants, service providers and communities) are delivered and tracked.

· Support partners and service providers in introducing and maintaining safeguarding standards by supporting risk assessments, trainings and technical advice

· Support and co-create Community and Complaints Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) across the region and at a project level.

· Promote accountability in the program by ensuring mechanisms for disseminating information to and receiving information from participants are in place

· With respect to Safeguarding investigations, provide advice on case assessment and recommendations, and support fact-gathering under as needed based on consultation with the investigations team.

Internal communication and influence

· Facilitate and organize internal events, workshops, and programs focused on the sense of belonging in the organization.

· Actively gather, document and disseminate good practice across the region of fostering gender equality and inclusion across the Habitat network

· Master’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, development studies, gender studies or a related field

· A minimum of 5 – 10 years of progressively responsible experience on gender and women’s economic empowerment, inclusion, safeguarding and/or protection.

· Background or extensive understanding of humanitarian aid sector, with strong knowledge of global sector standards related to Gender Equality, and Inclusion, safeguarding and protection

· Experience at the national level, providing advisory and technical support in planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs

· Empathy for the challenges survivors face in reporting and for the pressures an investigation places on stakeholders in general, including the alleged perpetrator and management.

· Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to develop positive relationships with local and remote team members at multiple levels in the organization. Experience in working collaboratively and/or advocating with other sectors and teams.

· Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures

· Excellent planning, coordination, and reporting skills, with the ability to organize a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities

· Ability to work with country and regional offices, companies, governments and international organisations in a supportive manner

· Demonstrated experience facilitating trainings and workshops. Good team building skills and knowledge of participatory approaches.

· Highly proficient in MS Office suites, including Outlook and Office 360 suite

· Ability to travel as required across the MENA region.

· Active support of HFHI Values:

o Humility – We are part of something bigger than ourselves

o Courage – We do what’s right, even when it is difficult or unpopular

o Accountability – We take personal responsibility for Habitat’s mission

· Safeguarding: HFHI requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguarding our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work. Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct.