Regional Gender and Inclusion Specialist

THE ORGANIZATION

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Plan believes that gender equality and inclusion are central to advancement of children’s rights and equality for girls and a world in which all children especially girls and young women realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity. Plan aims to actively promote gender equality and inclusion in every sphere of its programmes, partnerships and organisational culture.

Plan recognizes that targeted and strategic investments in the promotion of gender equality and inclusion can improve the quality of our work, as a core part of our programme and influence approach, and significantly contribute to poverty reduction and the realisation of human rights. Adopting a gender transformative approach ensures that our work results in positive changes and sustainable outcomes for girls and for everyone. We work together with girls, boys, women and men to achieve these objectives.

THE ROLE

This role will seek to help 15 countries in Middle East, Eastern and Southern Africa Region(MEESA), to think and pursue improvements in gender transformative programming. It seeks to empower country teams to build confidence in internalising and demystifying gender transformative approaches using available programme tools within Plan. It will provide advisory and technical support to countries on gender transformative approach across all areas of Plan’s programme work. The Adviser will work with country programme teams and gender focal points to ensure that Plan’s programming in the region effectively integrates gender transformation as a core part of the Programme and influencing approach, and becomes well known for quality, innovation and results.

The role will also support the integration of gender transformative approaches in the transformation processes across the region and in building Plan’s reputation in the region as a thought and practice leader on children’s rights and equality for girls.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

• Works with country programme teams in the MEESA region to enhance staff understanding of Plan’s gender transformative approach and its integration across core areas of the organisations programme and influence work.
• Supports and prompts capacity-building efforts across the countries in the region to enhance Gender and inclusion analysis and integration in all areas of programming and influencing work.
• Work with COs to build a clear and consistent vision, message and coherent approach to gender transformative work across programme and influencing work in the region.
• Provides simplified analysis of key programme information to facilitate monthly and quarterly review of country performance and support on gender and inclusion work.
• Supports country and regional management teams to build Plan’s reputation in the MEESA region as a thought and practice leader on gender transformative programming and influencing.
• Interacts with Regional Leadership Team on matters pertaining to Gender Transformative programming and analysis.

ACCOUNTABILITIES.

Capacity building

• Help countries in the MEESA region to internalise, demystify gender transformative programming and build the confidence of country programme staff in utilising the available gender transformative tools.
• Support COs in resourcing and capacity building for gender transformative programming and influencing.
• Support programme teams across the region to develop a clear vision, consistent message and coherent approach to gender transformative programming in alignment to global guidance.
• Support Disaster Risk Management teams to mainstream gender transformative programming disaster preparedness planning and response.
• Facilitate networking sharing and learning on gender transformative programming and best practices between different parts of the organization.

Programme Development

• Provide advice and support to countries, Regional Hub influencing and Disaster Risk Management teams in developing evidence based advocacy strategies targeting key institutions and power holders building on gender transformative experiences from our work in development and humanitarian settings.
• Provide support to relevant country technical/thematic advisers to ensure that they are able to introduce and apply Plan’s tools including gender transformative marker and the gender rapid assessment in development and humanitarian work with a focus on the rights of girls and young women.
• Act as a focal point from the MEESA region on Gender and Inclusion and contribute regional perspectives and experiences with other parts of the organisation and externally.
• Working closely with country programme teams and gender advisers, consolidate and document our knowledge and experience on gender transformative programmes for effective engagement at country and regional level platforms, generating and sharing learning on emerging knowledge and practices.
• Work with the influencing teams and Centres of Excellence (COE) in the region to connect with feminist and girls’ movements and strengthen Plan’s profile among donors, governments, partners and other CSOs as a thought leader on gender transformative programming.
• Help to identify research topics on gender transformation and the establishment of positions to advocacy efforts in the region in collaboration with Plan’s Liaison office at the Africa Union, regional influencing team and country programme teams within the framework of the Pan African Advocacy Strategy.

Change management

• Work closely with the Regional Hub Management team to drive integration of gender transformative programming and influencing in change management as needed.

Additional tasks

• Support the Regional Programme Quality Lead on any other related programme tasks assigned

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Proven experience and technical competence in gender equality/justice with ability to apply pertinent knowledge in the context of programming and influencing in the MEESA region.
• Sound understanding and commitment to gender equality, inclusion and children’s rights within Africa, and the work of non-governmental organisations and other players in the sector.
• Experience in analysing, designing, monitoring and evaluating of gender and inclusion in development and humanitarian work.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering successful advocacy and influencing strategies particularly at sub regional and regional levels using regional and international legal frameworks in support of children’s and women’s rights.
• Minimum 5 years of direct experience of working in similar role in both development and humanitarian contexts.
• Experience in providing advisory support to both senior managers and project staff and well-developed ability to facilitate learning and knowledge management.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of feminist approaches to supporting programme quality in all its dimensions, including program design and development, monitoring, evaluation and learning, partnership, gender mainstreaming, achieving advantage through influence and ensuring impact at scale.

Skills

• Excellent conceptual and analytical skills and demonstrable ability to think strategically, innovatively and practically to improve programme quality.
• Flexible and creative approach in recognising and responding to challenges and opportunities, coupled with a drive to achieve results.
• Strong capacity development and facilitation skills and ability to represent Plan at a strategic level and in high-profile spaces
• Strong interpersonal, diplomacy, negotiation and team engagement skills that enable optimal influencing and engagement with colleagues at different levels across the organization.
• Ability to network effectively and develop a wide range of relevant contacts and relationships internally and externally.
• Influential communicator with excellent written English and oral communication skills
• Proficiency in computer skills and use of Microsoft applications.