Title: Gender Policy Advisor
Department: Pan-African Programme
Location: Acord Headquarters- Nairobi- Kenya
Reporting To: Pan-African Head of Policy and Advocacy
Organisational Context
ACORD (Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development) is a Pan-African organisation
working for Social Justice and Development in Africa.
ACORD is implementing a Pan-African Programme mainly focused on food
sovereignty and cross-cutting thematic programmes on Conflict, HIV & AIDS
and Gender.
ACORD operates in 18 African countries. ACORD’s response to the challenges of
Africa is firmly based on a belief that people themselves are the agents of
change and actors of their own development. People’s ability to take action on
the causes of poverty is what will transform Africa’s future.
This belief underpins ACORD’s practical work, its research methodologies and
policy advocacy. ACORD works in partnership with local civil society
associations and communities and in alliance with likeminded organizations in
Africa and the rest of the world.
ACORD was created in 1976 as a consortium of non-governmental development
organizations from Europe and Canada to implement long term development
programs.
Following an organizational change process, the strategic leadership of ACORD
was relocated to Africa and as of today the ACORD Head Office is located in
Nairobi-Kenya.
Job Summary
The Gender Policy Advisor is responsible for coordinating the development and
implementation of the gender thematic programs in line with the overall ACORD
Strategic Plan, the Pan-African programme, and Gender thematic strategies and
Programming guidelines.
S/he will provide technical and methodological support to ACORD’s country and
area programmes across Africa in relation to gender work.
S/he shall actively contribute to define strategies advancing gender work at
Pan-African level through research, partnership, alliance building and advocacy
initiatives.
S/he shall provide leadership in cross-learning and knowledge generation for
thematic alignment in relation to ACORD’s gender strategic priorities across
the organisation.
Specific Responsibilities
1. Strategy and Planning
- Coordinate the
further development of the gender thematic strategies in line with the
overall ACORD Strategic Plan and Programming guidelines; - Provide
leadership in the implementation of the gender thematic strategies through
the gender working groups; - Support the
development of clear policy and practice change (PPCs) targets on gender
within Area Programmes, as well as at regional and pan African levels,
through a process of critical analysis and reflection; - Provide
leadership and technical support in the development and implementation of
viable work plans for the area programme and pan African levels, in line
with country and area strategies and the overall gender thematic
strategies; - Facilitate the
institutionalization of gender equality across the organisation; - Coordinate the
development of the annual budget for multi-country and Pan African gender
thematic programmes and ensure their adequate implementation;
Technical and Methodological Support on Gender Theme
- Support
cross-cutting research and advocacy work around the gender theme; - Enforce the
implementation of the rights-based approach and the social exclusion
analysis and other methodological tools that would be developed or adapted
in the implementation of the gender thematic strategies; - Coordinate
capacity building initiatives on the gender theme for ACORD staff and
partners;
Contribution to the Delivery of the Pan-Africa Programme
- In collaboration
with the Pan-African Head of Policy and Advocacy, define strategies to
deliver on objectives in respect to gender theme within the Pan-African
Programme; - Map out and
build alliances with organisations working on gender issues at Pan-African
level and Internationally; - Contribute to
policy analysis and positioning of ACORD through the Pan-African
programme; - Contribute to
research and advocacy initiatives related to gender within the Pan-African
programme. - Ensure thematic
alignment with other themes namely Conflict, Food sovereignty and HIV and
AIDs - Mainstream
gender into the Pan-African programme
Specific Gender Research and Advocacy Work
- Keep abreast of
research and policies development on gender - Gather relevant
intelligence on issues of gender so as to keep ACORD and its partners on
top of the knowledge in the area and inform meaningfully the advocacy and
lobby work - Develop and
maintain sustained Partnerships and Alliances with Civil Society
organisations and Social Movements at regional, Pan-African and Global
levels to advance ACORD’s work on gender in Africa; - Develop and
implement a lobbying and advocacy strategy and plans at regional and
Pan-African level toward critical actors and “change makers” in gender - Prepare advocacy
materials and in cooperation with the gender working groups coordinate the
mobilization and capacity building of popular mass movement across Africa
on issues of gender - Raise sustained
public profile of ACORD and its agenda through creating, developing and
maintaining good relations with the media - Provide
methodological support to the ACORD’s thematically aligned gender work at
national and regional level and build the capacity of the gender thematic
working groups - Facilitate and
consolidate learning and knowledge generation and the thematic alignment
of ACORD’s processes and methods across Africa in relation to gender.
Fundraising and Donor Reporting
- In collaboration
with the Partnership Development Unit, identify new funding sources and
generate concept notes and proposals in line with the gender thematic
strategies; - Develop quality
reports on ACORD’s overall gender work; - Contribute to
the internal review of reports from country and area programmes on gender
related work
Documentation of Best Practices and Learning
- Promote the
development of practical tool kits to guide gender thematic work; - Promote capacity
building initiatives strengthening synergy and exchange among gender
working groups; - Contribute to
organize annual learning events on program practices and approaches in
relation to the work on gender; - Promote
replication of documented best practices on gender work among partner
organisations in Africa and internationally; - Capitalize on
success stories promoting gender work to internal and external audiences.
Monitoring and Reporting
- In collaboration
with the Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator, organize the review of
the gender thematic programmes; - Coordinate
reporting processes on the gender thematic work and prepare consolidated
annual and bi-annual report on ACORD’s work on gender; - Document lessons
learned from review processes in order to continuously improve the quality
of gender work within ACORD.
Supervision and Collaboration
- The Gender
Policy Advisor is under the direct supervision of the Pan-African Head of
Policy and Advocacy. - The Gender
Policy Advisor will work closely with other colleagues in the Programming
department: HIV & AIDS Thematic Manager, Conflicts Thematic Manager,
Livelihoods Policy Advisor, Monitoring & Evaluation and Knowledge
Management Coordinator, Head of Programmes Operations & Development,
Programmes Operations & Development Coordinator and the Area Programme
Managers. - S/he shall also
work closely with colleagues in other departments- Partnership
Development, Human Resources & Administration and Finance. - S/he shall
manage the gender team and coordinate/facilitate the functioning of the
gender thematic working group.
and Experience
Education/Qualification
- Masters in
Social Sciences or Sustainable Development, Gender or similar field
- Five (5) years
working experience in gender work with an International Non-Governmental
Organisation (INGO) at Management level; - Strong
experience in strategic planning and policy formulation - Strong
experience in lobbying and media work - Experience in
popular mobilisation and policy advocacy at international level - Experience in
alliance and partnership building - Bilingual:
English-French spoken and written is an essential requirement for the
position
expertise
- High level of
conceptual, strategic thinking - Communicating
with impact with various stakeholders - Excellent
Communication (written and oral) and Public Relations skills - Very good
understanding of gender issues at the level of Policy influence in the
Pan-African scene - Highly
conversant with Civil Society and Social Movement approaches on gender
work at Pan-African level - Good
organisational, research, negotiation and analytical capabilities - Ability to
identify, obtain and analyze information from a variety of sources
Competencies:
- Strong
Leadership skills; - Strategic
Decision Making - Adaptation
skills: ability to work well in a multicultural environment - Highly motivated,
responsible, self-directed, resourceful and flexible - Collaboration
and Team work; - Problem solving
skills; - Partnership and
Negotiation skills - Creativity and
Innovation - Able to manage
work load and meet deadlines
national package Download
the application form at this link and apply to: Human
Resources & Organisational Development Manager
ACORD
Nairobi, ACK Garden House,
P.
O. Box 61216, 00200,
Nairobi,
Kenya
Tel:
+254 20 2721172, 2721185/86 To
apply, please complete the application form attached and e-mail it with a
detailed Curriculum Vitae and cover letter to recruit@acordinternational.org
with the Job Title in the Subject Box. Closing
Date: 28th October 2011
