Gender Equity / Social Inclusion Technical Advisor

ACTED is implementing a four-year Non Formal Education Project “Leave No Girl Behind’’ LNGB in the selective districts of Sindh and NMDs/KP for the adolescent age out of schools girls.

The project is funded by DFID.

• The Technical Coordinator Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion is responsible for leading the strategic planning and technical guidance for mainstreaming gender equity and social inclusion standards across all project activities.
•  The coordinator will provide key inputs in the project and tool design, inception and implementation stages of core project activities.
• She will help senior management to build capacity and technical know-how of implementing partners on GESI standards at the policy and field level.
• On the whole the coordinator will ensure fairness, equal access and gender inclusion across activities to overcome ethnic, religious, socio economic and cultural challenges in the intervention areas.

Objectives

• To develop context specific Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming and programming strategy for ACTED `s LNGB project.
• Ensure delivery of all GESI focused interventions across LNGB project.  
• To coordinate and take lead on  ACTED’s Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming policies and procedures
•  Ensure coherent Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion implementation modalities, tools and methodologies , build the capacity of staff on mainstreaming Gender Equity and Social Inclusion.

Duties and Responsibilities

External Positioning

. External Relations

• Act as key ACTED representative on mainstreaming Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion programming in Pakistan.
• Ensure external representation of ACTED in Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion programming, vis-à-vis country and local authorities, other project stakeholders, donors and partners
• Participate in and report (internally) on Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion technical and sectorial meetings, clusters and working groups involving all relevant stakeholders such as NGOs, UN Agencies, inter-governmental institutions.
• Ensure effective coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders and partners, i.e. NGOs, civil society organizations, community groups, and government counterparts who are working on Gender Equality,  Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming.
• Identify opportunities to collaborate and coordinate efforts with other organizations who represent the subgroups of girls we may be working with, for example local Disabled People’s Organisations’ (DPO’s) etc to ensure our activities build upon - rather than replicate the work of others.

 Project Development and Implementation  

• Based on primary and secondary research compile a comprehensive gender and social inclusion analysis for specific locations where ACTED will be operating. GESI coordinator in the inception phase will conduct assessments to suggest key inputs for LNGB`s overall policy framework.
• Provide technical input into project design where practical or strategic opportunities exist to ensure the activities are sensitive, and where possible transformative, in terms of gender equity and social inclusion. Identify the needs of the most educationally marginalized beneficiaries’ by ensuring that the initial need assessment is informed from a GESI (Gender and Social Inclusion) lens. Ensure that all capacity building initiatives (trainings, workshops, follow up interventions etc) aimed at implementing partners and field staff are reviewed and designed keeping in mind GESI requirements and sensitivities.
• The coordinator will closely work with M&E staff to segregate data across multiple GESI fields. Ensure that data from monitoring & evaluation, GESI assessment tools is fed into appropriate adaptations and improvements at policy and intervention level.

 Internal Coordination

• Develop and monitor operationalization of a coherent Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion programming strategy across ACTED's areas of intervention in Pakistan.
• Promote harmonization of approaches and methodologies across the different Gender Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming activities. Projects to create opportunities for experience sharing and learning.
• Provide technical inputs into regular program meetings and decision making forums.

 Technical Leadership

• Define Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion implementation modalities and methodologies (including, but not limited to technical specifications, identification and registration of beneficiaries, distribution and sensitization)
• Lead the development of all technical tools related to Gender Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming initiatives
• Analyze the appropriateness, adequacy and potential impact of all interventions from a Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming lens.
• The coordinator is expected to monitor all activities against the GESI`s minimum standards’ criteria set up for field interventions and capacity building initiatives. She will ensure that implementing partners build adequate capacity to deliver on agreed standards during the inception stage.     
• Liaise with field based staff on a regular basis to ensure technical assistance is provided for interventions when needed, especially while developing a GESI sensitive intervention strategy with partners and monitoring progress on key GESI indicators. (The framework will explicitly aim at removing cultural, religious, socioeconomic and ethnic barriers to girl’s education while ensuring inclusive learning opportunities for all irrespective of their disability). During the inception phase the coordinator working with IP`s will ensure that all intervention frameworks, protocols and SOP`s are mainstreamed from a GESI lens.
• Disseminate tools, research, best practices and lessons learned internally and externally through networks, working groups, events, and conferences.
• To advise monitoring staff on an appropriate retention and tracking system to have visibility of who may be dropping out and why, and advising on the design of measures to try and reengage girls in project interventions

 Staff Capacity Building

• Provide training on Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming  to project staff members
• In coordination with Project Managers identify individual training needs and ensure access to training and professional development opportunities appropriate to the skill gaps and needs
• Develop training material for different trainings on Gender Equity and Social Inclusion mainstreaming
• Develop capacity-building programs for local actors (including partner NGOs and relevant local services providers) on mainstreaming Gender Equality, Equity and Social Inclusion especially in Non-Formal education environment
• Coordinate with external specialist groups or organizations to provide training for in-house staff/ partners as appropriate- e.g. Disabled People’s Organizations and other minority groups
• ACTED is commitment to zero tolerance to all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff.
• ACTED is equal opportunity employers.
• Final selection will be based on security clearance of the candidate.