Gender Advisor at Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO)

Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), is the world's leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. Our high-impact approach brings people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action to change lives and make the world a fairer place.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Gender Advisor

Location: Nigeria
Job Type: Contract Duration - 18 Months

Job Purpose

• The Gender Advisor will serve as the lead advisor in identifying gender-based constraints facing women in the targeted communities and steering program activities to directly address these issues.
• S/he will be expected to engage with all areas of program implementation to ensure gender mainstreaming practices are being utilized.

Responsibilities
The volunteer will have a range of tasks and activities:

• Identify gender-based constraints to women’s access to and control over information, inputs and resources in targeted areas, and in strategizing solutions to be implemented through program activities
• Advise partner NGO staff on ways to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality through program interventions, and advise on how to tailor each intervention to ensure that women are able to attend and participate fully
• Provide gender sensitization training to partner NGO staff and CBO leaders
• Support in the M&E collection and interpretation for gender specific indicators
• Serve as the program resource for gender based questions and engage with stakeholders on gender issues being addressed by the project.
• The Gender Advisor will be responsible for implementing gender assessments and reviewing gender data in monitoring reports.
• This position reports to the Project Coordinator and coordinates with the IMA4P Global Team and Secure Livelihoods Team at VSO

The Key performance indicators of this placement are that:
(Target beneficiaries are able to sustain their livelihoods and the livelihoods of their families. This includes managing their own businesses, supply their produce to the markets and are always able to meet the market demands by having adequate produce for identified markets.)

Below includes other indicators:

• Number of laws, policies, or procedures drafted, proposed or adopted to promote gender equality at the local or regional level
• Proportion of female participants in the IMA4P Project trainings designed to increase access to productive economic resources (assets, credit, income or employment)
• Proportion of female population reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to economic opportunities

Building and Sustaining

Working Relationships:

• The social skills to build and actively maintain working relationships that foster teamwork and collaboration with others for the benefit of a common goal.

Open Minded and Respectful:

• A non-judgemental approach that values other people and culture.

Seeking and Sharing Knowledge:

• Recognition that learning is a two-way and continuous process.

Facilitating Positive Change:

• The ability to analyse problems and develop lasting solutions in line with VSO approaches.

Adaptability:

• A flexible approach and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations.

Resilience:

• The self-confidence to work with a variety of situations, diverse people and ambiguity.

Essential

• A university degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies or similar degree required
• 8 years’ work experience with gender development project
• Additional experience with value chains, food security, nutrition, climate change, access to rural finance, and agribusiness development preferred.
• High level of interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with, local communities, partner staff, and policy makers
• Flexibility and willingness to travel to difficult environments to complete program assignments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills required
• Ability to work well in a team
• Fluency in English is required

Desirable:

• Ability to speak Hausa
• Previous work experience in West Africa would be an added advantage

Personal Considerations
(In addition to the job description, the following information should be used when considering whether a placement is suitable for you.)

Personal Health Consideration:

• If you have a significant current or past medical condition and/or you have general concerns about staying healthy as a volunteer, please use this information to assess whether this placement will be suitable for you.
• All volunteers require medical clearance from a VSO medical adviser before they are able to take up a placement with VSO.
• Occasionally, VSO may consider that this placement is too great a risk for you in terms of your personal health and you would be advised to consider a different placement. For further guidance about medical assessment and volunteering with a medical condition please see the frequently asked questions on VSO website.

Access to Medical Care Support:

• The standard and quality of local medical care and support available at this placement will depend on its location within the country. Health facilities are likely to be more poorly resourced in rural areas in terms of medical expertise, equipment, infrastructure and regular supplies of medication. However, this may not be the case in the capital city or in a larger town, where in some countries there may be a reasonable standard of medical care. The following gives you an indication of where the placement is in relation to the country office and how easy it would be to make the journey if you were ill.
• The volunteer will be based in Minna, Niger the State and will have easy access to the medical facilities available in the Capital - this included private clinics and State hospital. The VSO Programme Office is between 3 to 4 hours from Minna by road.
• There is a private hospital in proximity to the volunteers' placement and home in Minna, Niger state to enable volunteers to seek medical assistance 24 hours of the day. Mosquito nets are given to volunteers during the In country training. Programme staff will also check the accommodation before volunteer’s arrival to ensure that it meets VSO Nigeria’s minimum standard to prevent malaria attacks. Aside Malaria, Typhoid is another common ailment that can be contacted, in other to prevent this disease, volunteers are advised to boil and filter their drinking water, wash fruits and vegetables before eating and cooking.
• There is also a one hour health talk on healthy living during the in country orientation which is facilitated by a medical doctor invited from one of VSO Nigeria’s recommended hospital. Volunteers are also given a comprehensive health manual that provides necessary information on health issues.
• Good nutrition can be a challenge with available foods. It is advisable to take vitamin tablets.

Security Information:

• The Volunteer would be briefed on security issues in Nigeria during the In country orientation upon arrival. This provides tips for volunteers in managing security issues while in Nigeria. A regular update is also provided weekly in a bulletin form to volunteers through e-mail.
• Nigeria is such a vast country but often reports in newspapers can be distorted of the situation on the ground. Safety is paramount to VSO and volunteers are kept very well informed of any concerns.

Application Closing Date
30th July, 2015.

Interview/Assessment date(s)
TBC

Start date
TBC

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here for more information (PDF Format)