Gender Specialist

The Organisation

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 it’s 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 85 years, and are now active in more than 75 countries.

ROLE PROFILE

Title    GENDER SPECIALIST – ECW CONSORTUIM
Functional Area    Program Department
Reports to    EiE Project Manager
Location    Littoral: Douala
    Travel required    
Effective Date    When contract is signed    Grade    D1

ROLE PURPOSE

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 girls are the 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 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries. Plan International aims to reach as many children as possible, particularly those who are excluded or marginalized with high quality programs that deliver long lasting benefits by increasing its income, working in partnership with others and operating effectively. Plan is committed to responding to children affected by emergencies in the countries of our operation.

Since 1996, Plan has worked with over 1,239 communities in Cameroon. With field offices in NW, SW, Littoral, East, North, Far North, Plan has operational presence in 10 regions, with integrated multisectoral programmes. Given the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon, schools have closed in several localities and some of which never opened their doors. Teachers and students who attempted to go to school in many localities have faced security threats and this situation has forced many parents to send their children to other regions like the West and Littoral to study and for survival while those who can’t afford have stayed and remained out of school.
The ECW’s Multi-Year Resilience Program (MYRP) for Cameroon is a multisectoral intervention in selected municipalities affected by various crisis, to enhance the access to quality inclusive education for school aged boys and girls. The overarching objective of the plan is to provide an integrated and holistic support package (education, WASH, protection, mental health and psychosocial support, gender, nutrition, agriculture) to promote continuous and inclusive access to quality, safe education and protective environment for children and adolescents of school age, girls and boys affected by the three crises in Cameroon (including internally displaced, returnees, refugees and children living with disabilities). The MYRP aims at creating and showing successful and replicable models to enhance – through education and protection – the human capital in the selected communities.

 Plan International believes that it is critical to directly address gender-based discrimination and promote gender equality to advance our vision for a world where the rights of children and equality for girls is advanced. Plan International recognizes that gender inequalities are exacerbated in times of crises and create major barriers for sustainable development. We work to ensure all our programs, across the humanitarian-development spectrum identify and account for the different needs, abilities and opportunities of all children particularly girls in all their diversity. Through a gender transformative approach in programmes, Plan International tackles the root causes of gender inequality and aims to reshape unequal gender and power relations to achieve the full realisation of girls’ rights and equality between all children, young people and adults regardless of their gender.
Plan International is engaged in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance through protection, education and psychosocial support. Our operations are implemented in key sectors of Education, Child Protection, SGBV, Food Assistance and Nutrition, Livelihood, WASH and NFIs in coordination with all other humanitarian organisations. Plan International is looking to continue supporting vulnerable children amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – particularly girls – and assess how Plan can further expand the way these girls and boys are supported through education. Plan’s response in these crisis-affected regions also consists in a high commitment in coordination mechanisms with a special focus on Education and Child Protection.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

Gender specialist, supported by a Global Gender Specialist of the Gender Lead Organisation, will support ECW consortium members through the project lifecycle. Utilising learning & success from previous EiE interventions and through utilization of i) SCI Humanitarian Gender Equality Marker during the project design & planning phase; ii) SCI Gender Equality Policy & Programming Toolkit; iii) Other grantee resources as relevant, iv) ECW requirements on gender. The objective of such a role is to ensure that during the MYRP implementation phase, enough resources will be allocated to strengthen gender capacity at country level within the MYRP country team and ensure dedicated gender technical support, monitoring, training, and knowledge management/ production is available to all grantees and sub-grantees.

The incumbents will be responsible for effective interventions, strategic and operational guidance and technical advice. Ensure the implementation of all the gender deliverables in the MYRP (gender mainstreaming and gender targeted strategies); Lead on capacity building and knowledge building and management on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in EiEPC ; Provide strategic advice to MYRP steering committee for the integration of gender; Serve as quality assuror in MYRP implementation ensuring gender issues properly addressed. Support in creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of resource mobilization strategies. He/she will work directly with the Project Coordinator and the MYRP task force involved in the Consortium. He/she will participate in technical coordination meetings, ensuring alignment of the project to gender transformative standards of Plan International and ECW.

The Gender specialist will be based in Douala office.
 
ACCOUNTABILITIES

Key End Results and Typical Responsibilities:

1.    Ensure the implementation of a gender responsive MYRP with focus on the following results
•    Support grantees to implement the MYRP in a gender-responsive manner (in line with the gender priorities identified in the MYRP document and global/ECW guidance on gender in EiEP
•    Establish the MYRP grantees and sub-grantees gender focal point team and hold a regular coordination meeting to discuss issues and find solutions.
•    Ensure the gender analysis in the EiEPC context is up-to-date and available to all MYRP country team.
•    Ensure the MYRP monitoring, and evaluation is gender-responsive:
•    Review and provide inputs on the formulation of work plans, budgets, monitoring and evaluation mechanism (set milestones and indicators for achievement)
•    Ensure the IASC GAM monitoring tool is used at the end of the first year of implementation, and lessons learnt are collectively identified to strengthen implementation the following year.
•    Complete the brief MYRP gender profile in collaboration with ECW Gender Manager
•    Provide critical feedback and inputs on the implementation of specific program components in mainstreaming gender
•    Ensure gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is strongly reflected in the annual report and in the annual performance assessment review, including the provision of key success stories highlighting how the MYRP is contributing to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
•    Support grantees to identify local women organizations for collaboration and partnership as relevant
•    Ensure local women organizations are meaningfully engaged in the MYRP implementation.
•    Compile and submit monthly, quarterly and annual work plan and reports to the MYRP Taskforce on GEI performance with comprehensive action points;
•    Work closely with the entire EiE team and Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) team areas in implementing and developing all aspects of the gender transformative response with a focus on clarifying to the different local and national stakeholders, their different roles and responsibilities within the scope of the project;
•    Ensure effective local women led CSO mobilization during the project implementation cycle and contribute to the development of new program cooperation agreements with international and national NGOs/CBOs to promote gender equality and enhancing outcomes;
•    Support strengthening gender-, age- and disabilities-disaggregated data and gender and diversity analysis on trends around children’s education in emergencies and protracted crises, at both the national and locality levels across with consortium partners.
•    Support the organization in the implementation of Plan International Gender Equality and Inclusion Policy, and other grantee policies as relevant to advance gender equality in how we program, advocate, collaborate and organize, and translate global thematic strategy into local objectives and initiatives for the ECW consortium.
•    In collaboration with the Program Development team, provide high quality technical inputs into the design of gender sensitive and transformative approach
•    Support the development of an organizational culture that reflects our full spectrum programming, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children

2.    Capacity building and knowledge building and management on gender issues to MYRP country team achieving the following results

•    Support the development, implementation and evaluation of capacity strengthening plans with consortium partners to implement quality gender- sensitive and transformative approaches including mentoring and facilitating high quality trainings via workshops, webinars, etc
•    Identify gender capacity gaps amongst the MYRP country team and ensure adequate support is provided (training of gender focal points, coaching,..) in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in-country (Gender Taskforce, Gencap, GBV Taskforce, and others) based on earmarked MYRP funding available in the MYRP budget.
•    Identify local and/or regional resources and network that can be accessed for knowledge building of MYRP country team on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls as relevant to knowledge networks and communities of practice on gender in EiE PM
•    Organize the documentation and communication on lessons learned and best practices.
•    Responsible for development and implementation of capacity building, training, coaching, learning plan on gender equality, inclusion and gender transformation for all Project Team and Consortuim.

Thematic Advisory and Technical Quality Assurance:

•    In coordination with Awards Management team, review project deliverables and donor reports from a gender equality technical quality control perspective.
•    Work across thematic areas in the program to integrate Gender Quality Benchmarks and provide high quality technical guidance on appropriate approaches and methodologies; conceptual and practical frameworks; standards and tools for effective and quality delivery of gender equality following ECW standards.
•    Work closely with the Area-level monitoring teams and project teams to undertake joint monitoring visits to project sites, ensuring project are implemented in line with ECW Quality Benchmarks and global standards and protocols, and support M&E and operations teams in the identification and implementation of action plans.

Advocacy & Representation

•    In collaboration with the Advocacy & Communication team, support the design and execution of advocacy strategy to influence policy changes, including producing high quality thought leadership materials.
•    Support communications and advocacy teams to promote relevant advocacy messages on gender (inc. harmful traditional practices) and GBV and ensure ECW project’s communications are gender-sensitive and promote gender equality.
•    Lead positioning ECW activities on gender, such as representation at panels, participation in external practitioner events and networks, and internal Working Groups as well as in-country gender coordination mechanisms and actors (Gender, GBV, PSEA) as relevant.
•    Contribute to the overall MYRP country team effort in resource mobilization, as relevant.

Evidence, Learning & Innovation:

•    Participate in periodic technical project and program review meetings and thematic community of practice workshops to internally review progress, challenges, best practices, lessons learnt etc on gender equality
•    Work closely with the Research & Evaluations team to provide technical inputs and guidance on knowledge gaps/needs, study conceptualization on the gender analysis tool development, report review and translation of recommendations and findings into actions.

            Dealing with Problems:
•    Complexity of problems handled & the degree of investigation, analysis, & creative thinking required to solve them.
•    The job requires intense interventions on the field, in areas often at risk. This requires prudence, vigilance and respect for compliance with security instructions on the part of the staff.
•    Support staff on how to deal with resistance challenging social norms.
•    Analyse feedback from staff and stakeholders on the issue of gender transformation approaches to identify risks and mitigation measures.
•    Excellent and creative leadership skills will be utilized to correct implementation of education activities, in accordance with the standards and with possible resistance from colleagues as is often the case in emergency response work
•    He/she should work under pressure and accept travels and stays in areas often austere.
           Communications and Working Relationships:
 
             Key Internal Contacts
Project Manager, Consortium Coordinator, Gender Lead Organisation and other members of the Emergency Response team, Plan staff.  
 
            Key External Contacts
Other agencies and groups affiliated to the MYRP
Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours Required to Achieve Role’s Objectives:
 
Knowledge
•    A post graduate degree in Social Sciences development study or related field
•    A professional qualification and membership in related associations and societies.
•    Experience in Gender Equality and inclusion, diversity programming with orientation to various sectoral programs (Education, protection, Nutrition etc..).
•    Clear exposure to Emergency contexts and emergency response programs.
•    Demonstrated relevant progressive experience in similar posts with International NGO/ Project Consortium
•    Deeper understanding and technical knowledge of the various global discussions and standards on Gender equality and Inclusion, Human rights and Child Rights frameworks and trends.
•    Demonstrated mastery of CEDAW regulations and reports pertaining to Cameroon
•    Practical and relevant experience of operating in emergencies;
•    Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
Skills
•    Excellent written and spoken English and French skills
•    Thematic Advisory and Technical Quality Assurance:
•    In coordination with Awards Management team, review project deliverables and donor reports from a gender equality technical quality control perspective.
•    Work across thematic areas in the program to integrate Gender Quality Benchmarks and provide high quality technical guidance on appropriate approaches and methodologies; conceptual and practical frameworks; standards and tools for effective and quality delivery of gender equality following ECW standards.
•    Work closely with the Area-level monitoring teams and project teams to undertake joint monitoring visits to project sites, ensuring project are implemented in line with ECW Quality Benchmarks and global standards and protocols, and support M&E and operations teams in the identification and implementation of action plans.
Behaviours:
•    Ability to foster a work environment that promotes gender equality and inclusion and does not tolerate gender inequality, exclusion, sexual harassment or discrimination.
•    Commitment and adherence to humanitarian values and standards,
•    Aware of own strengths, weaknesses and pro-active in using feedback and self-development
•    Behaves consistently in approach to work
•    Strongly drives performance forward in area of the business for which they are responsible together with the team
•    Balances future vision with practical delivery
•    Build and promote effective team and collaboration
•    Develops mutual trusting relationships with complex partnerships that have excellent business outcomes
•    Sets a strong learning culture within the organisation
•    Tolerant of difference – cultural sensitivity in relation to its impact on HR Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to PLAN’s core values and humanitarian principles
•    Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
•    Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner. Has a capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts.
•    Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive under pressure.
•    Preparedness to live and work in uncertain security environments.
 
Physical Environment and Demands:
•    Work intensively in the field: The GES will spend at least 80% of his/her time in the field within the context of the implementation and monitoring of activities.
•    This post is based in CO.
•    Travel:  Approximately 40% to Program Areas and other travel when required

KEY RELATIONSHIPS
•    Contact with children, their families and communities.
•    Contact with all country office and program unit staff to facilitate prompt movement of staff towards the implementation of Plan’s programs and activities.
•    Collaborate and consult with colleagues at CO and PIIA levels.

Essential
•    Communication Skills: Well developed written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of Plan International. This includes effective negotiation and representation skills.

•    Integrity: Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to Plan International’s values and feminist principles

•    Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives in a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
•    Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner.

•    Work style: Is well planned and organized even within a fluid working environment and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem-solving skills.

•    Knowledge and skills: knowledge of Plan International’s policies and procedures, Code of Conduct, gender equality and inclusion policy etc. Requires general finance, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in information technology/ computer skills.

PLAN INTERNATIONAL’S VALUES IN PRACTICE
We are open and accountable
1.    Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
2.    Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
3.    Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
4.    Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
5.    Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people
We strive for lasting impact
1.    Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
2.    Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
3.    Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
4.    Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
1.    Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
2.    Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
3.    Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
4.    Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

5.    Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
6.    Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
7.    Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
8.    Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

Location: Douala

Closing Date: 07-09-22

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.