The position

AKF is seeking an experienced Regional Gender Advisor to provide technical expertise, leadership and guidance for the Foundations for Education and Empowerment (F4EE) in Africa, a partnership program co-funded by Global Affairs Canada and Aga Khan Foundation. The programme has three components: Foundations for Learning (F4L), Advancing Gender Equality through Civil Society (AGECS) and Advancing Canadian Champions for Development (ACCD). The Regional Gender Advisor will provide active support to F4L and AGECS components as well as strengthen the regional programme portfolio, and advance AKF’s diversity and inclusion goals. This Position will be based in Nairobi. 

Project Background

F4EE will be active in five countries (Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda) and will improve education systems at the pre-primary and primary levels, in addition to strengthening women’s empowerment, and gender equality. F4EE will strengthen the delivery of quality, gender-responsive, and inclusive pre-primary and primary education, and other social development services, and reduce gender and social barriers to the utilization and uptake of education and other sustainable development services.

The Regional Gender Advisor will:

• Provide overall direction on gender equality targeted and integrated interventions for the project across F4L and AGECS components and countries.
• Lead and provide oversight to gender analyses and assessments, and provide technical support to gender equality focused research, monitoring and evaluation.
• Contribute to the programme implementation plans, taking a lead role on the integration of gender equality in F4L and AGECS.
• Design and deliver realistic and pragmatic project gender equality strategies and programming interventions that will lead to positive gender equality outcomes across AGECS and align with donor and AKF policies on gender equality.
• Facilitate the ongoing review and engagement by key partners on the implementation of the project gender equality strategies and programming interventions and report on progress to the F4EE’s Project Oversight Committee.
• Provide technical support to ensure the F4L strategies and programming are gender responsive and lead to positive gender equality outcomes for all. 
• Provide technical support and coordination for the AGECS sub-projects during design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Contribute to the delivery of the Women’s Leadership Academy, in partnership with Aga Khan University in Nairobi, including supporting the selection of candidates and mentorship of graduates.
• Distill gender equality related lessons learned from programme implementation and ensure these are documented, shared, and used in subsequent adjustments to programme implementation.
• Promote the culture of sharing lessons learning and networking on gender equality across the F4EE teams and implementing partners.
• Assess gender mainstreaming and gender equality focused programming capacity needs amongst F4EE implementing partners and arrange for or provide capacity enhancement as required.
• Provide guidance and technical support to the F4EE Teams to conduct evidence-based policy dialogue on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Provide technical support to enhance the gender equality focused work and gender- responsiveness of Higher Education Institutions involved in delivering AGECS.
• Build relationships and maintain coordinated communications with AKF country, regional and global teams, donor unit in Canada and AKDN implementing agencies and other local partners.
• Liaise with international, national, and local partners and stakeholders on gender equality issues related to F4EE.
• Participate in project steering committees, other relevant meetings, and stakeholder fora.

The requirements

Education:

• Advanced university degree in international development, social sciences especially gender studies, and/or other relevant disciplines. Additional educational background in education/early childhood development is an asset.

Experience:

• Minimum of ten years of experience in sectoral gender equality and gender transformative programming and implementation in governance, civil society, education, and early childhood development programs (including significant experience in capacity building on gender mainstreaming).
• Knowledge of gender equality issues and effective interventions, particularly in relation to education, early childhood development, civil society, and women’s rights organizations.
• At least five years’ field experience in developing countries, preferably in Eastern or Southern Africa.
• Specialised experience on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the regional context, and demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and/or reporting gender analysis for development programs.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multi-country and/or multi-agency teams and assignments in a collaborative manner, remotely across digital platforms.
• Experience conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research and knowledge of research methods, gender sensitive and ethical approaches.
• Demonstrated capacity to respect and safeguard vulnerable populations.
• Be able to travel to F4EE countries.

Competencies:

• Ability to work well in teams and particularly teams that span across multiple geographies.
• Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge through training, capacity building and mentoring.
• Capacity to work independently, take initiative and manage a variety of activities simultaneously while meeting strict reporting deadlines and keeping colleagues and senior managers well informed.
• Ability to facilitate collaborative and participatory processes with partners and stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills in a cross-cultural context.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English; ability to work in local languages relevant to the countries of project implementation is an asset

Closing: 28th October 2022

go to method of application »

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Develop a robust, impactful, and forward-looking climate resilience portfolio in Tanzania and Kenya, and cultivate a strategic direction for relevant programming in Uganda. Adopt Nature based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), harnessing biodiversity and ecosystem services to reduce vulnerability and build resilience of communities to climate change along the Swahili Coast and the Lake Victoria Basin.  
• Drive the development of knowledge and funding partnerships across the region and in close collaboration with regional and global partnership functions. Ensure concepts and proposals are technically sound and responsive to both institutional and funding partner priorities.
• Build and maintain close working relationships and coordination with relevant departments, particularly Gender Focal Points to ensure climate resilience work also mainstreams gender equality into all modalities and deliverables.
• Work in close collaboration and coordination with AKF Global Programme Team that provide technical assistance to all AKF country units in programmatic areas.
• Collaborate with Education and Civil Society programme leads to develop actionable programming in the areas of climate education and community-based climate resilience mapping, planning, and responses.
• Lead the institutions efforts on climate adaptation and mitigation programming in the areas of micro forests, mangrove restoration and protection and working with local and international partners to advance carbon offset programming.
• Engage in local and national level policy dialogues by leveraging programming evidence. 
• Cultivate relationships with AKDN agencies to develop and scale innovative and relevant programming in the areas of climate smart agriculture.
• Analyse technical information and trends to provide succinct, technically sound advice to integrate climate resilience into existing programmes. Support the development and use of monitoring, evaluation and learning tools to capture key information and learnings from climate resilience programming.
• Lead on institutional carbon mitigation and adaptation measures in close coordination with country leadership and the Regional CEO.
• Recruit and groom staff at the field level on this theme as projects become operational and re-orient existing staff on this new theme.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least five (5) years’ experience working in Climate Resilience, Climate Change, Environment, Gender Responsive Climate Resilience, and/or other sectors, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Master's degree in Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resource Management, Oceanography, Agronomy, Forestry, Biology, Geology and/or a related field.
• Demonstrated field experience, interacting and mobilising with communities on climate resilience interventions, preferably in East Africa or elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Specialised knowledge and demonstratable expertise in climate programme implementation and management at a Non-Governmental Organization, Donor Agency, Private Sector or equivalent. 
• Demonstrated skills in leadership, programme management, field work, communication, strategy, programme design, and teamwork. 
• Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity.
• Fluency in English and Swahili, both written and spoken.

Closing: 31st October 2022.