Gender and Disability Specialist

CONTRACT LENGTH:

Permanent  

Fixed Term   

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: (select only one)

Level 3: the postholder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work involves visiting project communities. 

As part of these responsibilities the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis.  The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy. 

ROLE PURPOSE: 

Save the Children is a leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need around the world. With its headquarters in London, UK, SC works in over 120 countries globally, including Nigeria, helping children survive, learn and be protected by improving their education, health, nutrition, protection and economic opportunities, and in times of acute crisis, mobilizing rapid life-saving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters.

Save the Children International (SCI), Nigeria is implementing Reaching Out of School Children (ROOSC) Project in Kaduna State, Nigeria. This is a 4-year initiative to support crisis-affected out of school children (aged 6-14) to exercise their equal rights to quality education and gender equality. The project is funded by Educate a Child, Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership in Education and Kuwait fund. 

The ROOSC project is designed to support Kaduna State government in ensuring the inclusive and equitable provision of quality primary education for all children. Project approach, strategies, and interventions are gender-sensitive and promote disability inclusion in primary education provision. Adequate attention will be given to infrastructure and providing facilities and teaching-learning supplies and processes to ensure child-friendly and enabling environments in schools and learning centres to promote and sustain enrolment, full participation, completion, and quality learning outcomes in primary education.

The Gender and Disability Specialist will support the ROOSC Partners and Community Support to Learning the project, to provide technical support to guide and inform gender- and disability-inclusive programming in Kaduna state, Northwest Nigeria. She/he will provide technical support to mainstream gender as a cross-cutting themes for all the programmatic activities in the ROOSC project. She/he will ensure gender and disability is integrated into the results-based management frameworks, strengthening and supporting disability inclusion, gender equality strategies and facilitating gender equality capacity strengthening for field teams and partner organizations of SCI via training and tool development. She/he will not only ensure ROOSC education programmes are disability-inclusive and gender sensitive but aims to provide support to make such programmes become gender transformative.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Senior Gender Equality Technical Advisor 

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

Strategic Planning

• The Gender and Disability Specialist will support the ROOSC Project to provide technical support to guide and inform gender-based programming through “integrated approach” in Kaduna state.
• The Gender and Disability Specialist will support the ROOSC projct to provide technical support to mainstream gender as cross cutting theme for all the programmatic activities in the Project and Partner workplans.
• She/he will ensure gender and disability is integrated into the results-based management frameworks, strengthening and supporting gender equality and disability strategies and facilitating gender equality capacity strengthening for field teams and partner organizations of SCI via training and tool development.
• She/he will not only ensure ROOSC project is gender and disability sensitive but aim to provide support to make such the project is inclusive and become gender transformative.
• She/he will provide overall gender and disability programmatic and operational coordination and management including; planning, implementation, capacity enhancement, monitoring/ evaluation and reporting both internally (within SCI) and externally (for/with partners). 
• Under the guidance of the Senior Gender Equality and Disability and Programme Manager, the Gender and Disability Specialist will ensure that ROOSC Project is implemented in a coordinated, harmonized and aligned manner, in line with donor requirements and commitments. S/he will be responsible for supporting the Programme Manager in submission of timely and regular progress narrative and financial reports.

Programme Quality, Support and Development

• Support the ROOSC Project, SCI partners and SCI Field teams in the 17 project LGAs in Kaduna State to mainstreaming gender to increase inclusive and holistic education for girls and boys in the state.
• Contribute to the development of gender and disability responsive approaches for mainstreaming girls and boys into formal education from alternative learning/none formal education and improve continuous education opportunities;
• With support from Senior Gender Equality and Disability TA and Project Manager, contribute to the development initiatives make existing learning environment gender-responsive and inclusive for girls, boys and CWD and other marginalized children;
• Lead capacity building for ROOSC Project staff, partner organizations and field teams on gender and disability to establish safe and protective learning environment for girls, boys and CWD in Kaduna state.
• With technical support for the Senior GEDI TA and in collaboration with the Project Manager to address the educational needs for girls – including adolescent girls to improve enrolment rates and learning outcomes for girls
• Lead gender and disability capacity building of state stakeholders to facilitate and manage transition from non-formal to formal education in a gender-responsive manner
• Provide technical assistance on gender-sensitive and disability-accessible school and WASH facilities provided in supported formal and alternative education spaces across all the 17 LGAs project intervention locations.
• Support the review of existing key teaching and education management practices to improve gender-responsive and inclusive education in ROOSC project in Kaduna state. 
• Conduct regular gender analysis, community mapping and safety audits to identify and address access and barriers to girls’ education in the kaduna state.
• Collaborate with Project Manager and Education Coordinator to develop positive discrimination recruitment strategies to increase proportion of female teachers/facilitators in alternative and formal education in the state.
• With support from the Senior GEDI TA and Project Manager, formulate key gender messages and targets from lessons learned, assessments, research and evidence gained through project implementation.
• Acquire information and understanding of key gender issues in the country particularly in the northwest and Kaduna state focusing on boys and girls (e.g GBV, Early Child Marriage, SRH etc.) and adapt strategies as necessary.
• Develop and facilitate gender and disability inclusion components in training materials and other project tools and resources 
• Ensure accessibility of gender and disability IEC materials developed on the project
• Support SCI and partners to identify and address the intersectionality of gender and disability in project
• Perform other tasks, as required, to ensure the smooth running of the organisation.

Partnerships, Representation, Advocacy & Organisational Learning

• Develop and maintain a network of external contacts with key individuals in the government, NGO sector, civil society and the media particularly working on gender issues and participate in gender working group meetings, which may include providing oversight
• Guided by gender analysis, the Specialist will support in advocacy to identify and address policy and system barriers to girls’, boys and CWD education;
• Based on field evidence baseed humanitarian scenarios, access and security, map work with the Advocacy Coordinator/team to collaborate in the design, implementation and advocacy to promote gender equality and disability inclusion, protection from GBV and girl’s empowerment outcomes;
• Work with the Advocacy team to conduct the technical components of the staff and partner capacity to address gender inequality root causes to ensure in gender transformative programming 
• Work with Advocate team on gaps and evidence-based gender equality strategies to ensuring the gender-specific needs of girls, boys and CWD are being addressed within inter-agency coordination forums.
• Keep abreast of state research and policies development on gender and GBV and maintain an updated country office level gender analysis as the basis for programming and advocacy;
• Work with the project team on gender documentation of lessons learnt, best practice and case studies to shape state and  in-country strategies and programme approaches, and contribute to wider SCI learning;
• With the Advocacy team and other project staff, contribute to policy briefs and position papers as and when required.

MEAL

• Support tracking of gender and disability-inclusive and disability-specific project indicators
• Support MEAL team in disability data collection, analysis and reporting
• Ensure consultation of beneficiaries with disabilities in project evaluation and learning
• In collaboration with the MEAL team, collate and disseminate regular project gender and disability inclusion report.

Human Resources Management and Development:

Working together with the ROOSCC team and partners to identify learning and development needs of the project teams and develop specific plans to address the learning needs. 

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for his/herself and the team, takes responsibility for own personal development and encourages the team to do the same
• Widely shares his/her personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a state and national scale.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with the colleagues and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, equity and inclusion, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS   

• MSc in Gender Studies, Human rights Law, International Relations, Development Studies or similar, or equivalent field experience
• At least 8 years of work experience on gender mainstreaming in both humanitarian and development contexts or fragile states
• Fluency in English, both verbal and written, required 
•  

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential:

• Ability to identify the main gender and disability gaps and issues in the given context to inform a holistic response for boys, girls and their male and female caregivers.
• Proven experience working on normative change for gender equality, disability and adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sensitive contexts
• Proven experience in supporting the designing, implementing and evaluating gender-transformative social and behaviour change communication interventions.
• Experience in supporting the implementation of disability-inclusive and gender-transformative approaches.
• Experience on conducting assessments and implementing MEAL processes, and conducting rapid and participatory gender analysis
• Experience in capacity building and in strengthening various duty bearers understanding of and response to gender in emergencies
• Ability to work in an Advisory capacity
• Experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
• Excellent communication and writing/editing skills
• Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of SC,

Desirable:

• Previous project management experience 
• Experience in working in development or humanitarian sector 
• Flexible in working hours and traveling to communities is key.
• Excellency in English both in speaking and written 
• Understanding Huasa Language is an added advantage 

Female candidates and Persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply. 

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities 

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and DEI policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.