Task Specialist, Gender and Inclusion at Social Development Direct

Social Development Direct is a leading international provider of social development consultancy and research services. SDDirect is based in London and was established in 1999 as a small network of leading independent consultants and researchers committed to working with government and non-governmental organisations to improve the quality and impact of development assistance. We are committed to the eradication of poverty, global inequality and injustice and work with development partners in the north and south to this end. SDDirect is now an international network of over 200 professionals with expertise in social development, gender, human rights, political science, conflict and peace building, and governance with an in-house team of 10 social development specialists.

Job Title: Task Specialist, Gender and Inclusion

Location: Abuja
Job Type: full time
Start Date: As soon as possible
Duration: November 2014 – July 2016
Department: ESSPIN Output 4 Team

Background:
Despite the possession of considerable oil wealth and a rising population, inefficient government investment in front line public services and years of neglect have left the Nigerian education system in a poor state. Education indicators are amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for girls. Currently it is estimated that there are 7-9 million school aged children not attending school, a disproportionate percentage of which are girls.

Since legislation was passed in 2004 establishing nine-year compulsory Universal Basic Education, the main sectoral focus of Federal and State governments has been an expansion of basic education to meet the Millennium Development Goals. There has been a significant increase in investment in the basic education sector through State governments and through Federal sources such as the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). Access remains a problem, in addition to the low quality of education outcomes and the stark inequities in the system.

Social Development Direct is a core partner in the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN); a six year DFID programme of education development assistance, part of a suite of programmes aimed at improvements in governance and the delivery of basic services. ESSPIN’s aim is to have a sustainable impact upon the way in which government in Nigeria delivers education services and is directed at enabling institutions to bring about systemic change in the education system, leveraging Nigerian resources in support of State and Federal Education Sector Plans and building capacity for long-term sustainability. It is currently operating in six States (Enugu, Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, Jigawa and Lagos) and at the Federal level. The programme is currently in its sixth year of implementation and has entered into a two year extension phase (August 2014-July 2016). An important emphasis of the two year extension phase will be on consolidating programme experience, documenting and disseminating evidence built over the life of the programme, and working at State and Federal levels to ensure that successful practice is institutionalised and embedded within education policy and practice. The programme will see a deepening focus on inclusive education and reaching the most marginalised children in Nigeria who are currently excluded from formal schooling, with a particular focus on girls in the northern states, children from marginalised communities, such as nomadic communities, and those affected by disability.

These terms of reference set out the general requirements of the role of the Task Specialist for Gender and Inclusion who, together with CSO Task Leader and state specialists on community interaction and access and equity, will be a member of the core Community Engagement and Learner Participation technical team.

The Task Specialist for Gender and Inclusion will be responsible for strategic direction, co-ordination and support to gender and equity dimensions of the ESSPIN programme. Overcoming the demand and supply side barriers that result in children being excluded from school due to poverty, ethnicity, gender or social class is critical to achieving ESSPIN’s goal of increasing the number of children, especially girls completing basic education. Gender and equity concerns cut across the major outputs of ESSPIN and the responsibilities of the other Lead Specialists. The Task Specialist for Gender and Inclusion will therefore be required to work in close collaboration with the Civil Society Task Leader and the rest of the technical team.

Objectives of the assignment:
A principal objective of the assignment is to lead on gender and inclusion dimensions of ESSPIN by working with colleagues to address access and equity constraints on both the demand and supply side of education in the target States. It will also involve providing a lead on the gender and social exclusion aspects of the monitoring and evaluation of the programme, in liaison with state teams. The selected candidate will bring international experience of working on gender and inclusion in the education sector.

Institutional/administrative arrangements:
The Task Specialist will report jointly to the Lead Specialist Community Engagement and Learner Participation (the Output 4 lead) and to the SDDirect Lead Technical Adviser. Additional professional support will be provided by Social Development Direct, through international advisory inputs on gender, girls’ education and inclusive education. The Task Specialist will be responsible for the direction of activities in the specialist areas and for the direction and coordination of consultants working on girls’ education, gender and inclusive education. The Task Specialist will be based in Abuja, but will require considerable travel to states and a willingness to engage fully with State government, parastatal and LGA officials, community-based groups and other stakeholders.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• In consultation with State Team Leaders, ensure that the professional direction of the gender and equity dimensions of ESSPIN is in line with government priorities and maintains government backing and that ESSPIN achieves a lasting impact on state educational policy and programmes;
• To lead on updating and implementing of ESSPIN’s Inclusive Education Strategy. The Gender, and Inclusion Task Specialist will be responsible for supporting and monitoring implementation at national and state levels;
• Support the Output 4 lead by maintaining day to day oversight of the gender and equity dimensions of ESSPIN. This will include providing technical support and guidance to State Teams and other Technical Specialists;
• Lead on research and documentation of lesson learning/ results of gender, access, inclusion and equity activities and prepare documents for dissemination and advocacy (working with Communications Lead). A priority task will be to lead a review of ESSPIN’s research and evidence base on genderand equity and to develop a dissemination plan, as well as identifying current evidence gaps for further research.
• Lead the design of further research and evidence and commissioning of research, liaising closely with DFID Nigeria’s education research programme..
• Liaison/ co-ordination with other agencies/ programmes working on increasing access and equity in education to ensure a mutual knowledge of approaches and coordination of effort (e.g. GEP3, Action Aid and other key NGOs working in the education sector in Nigeria) and other DFID SLPs/ programmes;
• In consultation with the Lead Specialist Community Engagement and Learner Participation and State Team Leaders, review and agree biannual objectives and targets for activities related to gender, access and equity across the programme at programme and state level. A priority activity will be to support state teams to review and develop Gender, Access and Equity Strategies and work plans for Years 6 and 7 (August2014 – July 2016) of the programme.
• Agree work plans and Technical Assistance schedules with the Lead Specialist – Community Engagement and Learner Participation;
• Present work plans and review progress and issues at monthly technical team meetings;
• Provide professional oversight, briefing and debriefing of progress as required;
• Participate in regular (quarterly) specialist team meetings for the community engagement and learner participation component of the programme;
• Submit to the lead specialist community engagement and learner participation and Lead Technical Adviser Social Development Direct monthly reports on progress, issues and next steps.
• Person Specification – Task Specialist Gender and Inclusion

Qualifications and Experience:

• A postgraduate qualification in education, gender and social development or its equivalent;
• At least 10 years international experience of working in the field of gender and social development gained through working on programmes and/or in research;
• Excellent skills and experience of gender equality;
• A background in research in the field of gender and/ or social exclusion;
• Excellent report writing and computer skills;
• Ideally, experience of working with Nigerian State and Local Government and civil society groups.

Knowledge:

• Practical knowledge of, gender and equality in education and social development issues in Nigeria and other countries;
• Knowledge of current international literature on gender and social exclusion in education and other social sectors;
• Ideally, knowledge of Nigerian Government structures and systems.

Abilities:

• Ability to manage change through other people with a proven track record of working successfully in teams;
• Possession of inter-personal skills and the ability to deploy them as and when necessary;
• Ability to provide constructive feedback and consistent quality assurance of other professionals’ work;
• Ability to lead and inspire colleagues, to act as both team leader and team member.

Application Closing Date
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis

Method of Application
Interested candidates should send their CV's and cover letters to: [email protected] as soon as possible. Your cover letter should clearly outline how you meet each of the qualifications listed above.