Gender Associate

at  EngenderHealth

COMPANY SUMMARY

EngenderHealth’s vision is a world where sexual and reproductive health rights are respected as human rights, and women and girls have the freedom to reach their full potential. This emphasis on rights directly underpins EngenderHealth’s values and principles: choice, quality, and excellence. To achieve transformational change leading to true social and economic progress, EngenderHealth partners with diverse organizations across sectors with the shared goal of highlighting women’s value to sustainable development.

PROJECT SUMMARY

EngenderHealth is leading a consortium of partners to implement the Gates Foundation-funded project that aims to create a stronger policy and financing environment for gender-responsive health systems that uphold health commitments and contribute to the achievement of the agendas of the PHC Transformation Strategy and Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Initiative in the deep focal states of Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos and other supported states. The project expects to utilize advocacy and accountability strategies at national and subnational levels to improve PHC service delivery and health outcomes for women, children, adolescents, and the broad communities.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Program Manager, the Gender Associate will support the integration of gender mainstreaming into the EngenderHealth PHC and Health advocacy project in Nigeria. The Gender Associate will assist in project management and technical activities, focusing on gender, youth, and social inclusion (GYSI) assessments and evaluations. Responsibilities will include contributing to the development of work plans, facilitating stakeholder engagement, drafting proposals, and documenting project activities. Additionally, the role will involve monitoring and research to inform implementation and enhance the project’s effectiveness, ensuring that gender considerations are embedded in all aspects of the program.

REQUIREMENTS

Must possess the following requirements with or without a reasonable accommodation.

• First degree in gender studies or other relevant degree.
• Minimum of 5 years experience providing technical leadership on gender youth and social inclusion for an international NGO.
• Experience in working in consortium and external representation including with donors and coordination meetings.
• Demonstrable technical expertise in the assessment of, design, and project implementation, including monitoring and evaluation.
• Have a good understanding of gender and demonstrated experience in working with government authorities at all levels.
• Demonstrated skills in gender program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Ability to analyze information, evaluate options, and think and plan strategically.
• Inter-personal skills to influence and guide staff and partners in identifying gender programming opportunities and resolving gender program challenges.
• Commitment to the values and mission of Engenderhealth.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Fluency in English is required.
• Demonstrated capacity and experience in capacity-building approaches in their technical area (training, on-the-job support, mentoring) including the development of individual capacity-building plans.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in stressful environments.

ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILLS

• Committed to EngenderHealth’s core organizational values of reflection, inclusion, integrity, respect, and transformation
• Demonstrated ability to work collegially with other technical staff, experts, and counterparts from the public, private, and NGO sectors.
• Exceptional interpersonal communication, and teamwork skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language
• Excellent in GYSI analysis and reporting
• Excellent in gender assessment processes.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent ability to communicate and maintain diplomatic and productive relations with the team; resourcefulness, flexibility, and ability to work in a changing and challenging environment.
• Internet proficiency, as well as proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Creates a strong sense of purpose and commitment within the team and with stakeholders,
• Demonstrates a high degree of professionalism/integrity.
• Strategic thinking and effective contribution to own work and Organizational development.

PREFERRED SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND FUNCTIONS

• Experience engaging Ministries of Health on project implementation and sustainability.
• Experience working with other INGO partners on similar MNCH programs in Bauchi and Sokoto.
• Experience coordinating different stakeholders to deliver focused results. Holds self and others to account to deliver on agreed goals and standards of behavior.
• Strong emotional intelligence including self-awareness.
• Strong commitment to continuous learning.
• Flexible with a ‘can-do’ and problem-solving approach

• Lead in conducting the gender, youth, and social inclusion (GYSI) assessment on the project and ongoing analysis to identify gender, age, and social marginalization-specific needs, barriers, and opportunities within the project target districts to be used in the development of the resulting plans and activities.
• Oversee the implementation of gender strategies and action plans to address identified gender, youth, and social inclusion issues and promote gender equality, youth participation, and inclusion.
• Support the implementation using gender-appropriate strategies with a gender youth and social inclusion lens ensuring equity in participation of all groups.
• Ensure equal access and equitable participation of all groups to achieve better project outcomes and ensure that all areas of the programming are sensitive to gender and youth equity and equality.
• Coordinate and collaborate with other technical teams to ensure that all project activities integrate women, men, adolescents, young people, and socially marginalized groups.
• Lead the implementation of the safeguarding processes and measures in line with the do-no-harm framework (DNHF).
• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion to train and mentor staff and partner on GYSI, DNHF, and other gender and inclusion approaches.

Capacity Building and Training

• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion to provide capacity building and facilitate workshops on gender equality, and related topics for staff, partners, and stakeholders in the region.
• Participate in the creation of capacity-strengthening materials and resources to support gender training.

Representation and Advocacy

• Participate in all relevant Government and partner-led coordination platforms and technical advisory groups to integrate gender equality, youth, and social inclusion issues and share information.
• Collaborate with Local partners and stakeholders in campaigns to lobby gender-sensitive practices and behavior change
• Support communications and advocacy teams to promote targeted advocacy messages on gender equality and social inclusion tailored to each state context.
• Advocate to the Government and partners on behalf of women, youth, and other marginalized groups.
• Contribute to the design of advocacy briefs.
• Coordinate and communicate women’s, youth, and other marginalized groups’ feedback, learnings, and other interests to stakeholders to inform decision-making.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning

• Work with MEAL and Technical teams to integrate gender equality, youth participation, and social inclusion into all MEAL processes including gender equality-specific indicators, quality benchmarks, and response monitoring and evaluation tools, including Real Time Reviews, and lead the process of analyzing data and adapting programming to respond to identified gaps and risks.
• Monitor and ensure gender, and youth considerations are woven throughout project activities implementation in the states.
• Regularly work with the MEAL team to collect monitoring and evaluation of sex and age disaggregated data from the engagement of women, men, girls, boys, and local communities and lead on the analysis and presentation to project and other stakeholders.
• Ensure a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning plan for gender equality indicators by working together with the MEAL team.
• Integrate Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) Marker to support ongoing monitoring of the project implementation.
• Document implemented gender equality approaches and share best practices and innovations for replication and advocacy purposes among partners.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director Gender Equality and Social Inclusion to disseminate research findings and good practices at the regional level including district local government, Private sector partners, and community opinion leaders.

Partnership:

• Establish and maintain close linkages with relevant national, state, and local government departments and civil society partners in the management and implementation of the Project.
• Collaborate with the partnership team to carry out partner mapping, and support capacity-building plans for partners in gender Equality.
• Document best practices and unique experiences for sharing and learning.