Gender Equality Officer (Sokoto) at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Gender Equality and Officer

Location: Sokoto

Role Purpose

• The ASPIRE project is a 5-year project funded with support from Global Affairs Canada and focused on improving sexual rights and reproductive health of adolescent girls and boys in Sokoto state.
• Provide support to Gender Equality Coordinator in ensuring project processes, activities and outputs are in line with project Gender Equality and Inclusion Strategies and contribute to Plan International Nigeria, Donor, National and State level commitments to Gender Equality and Inclusion.

Dimensions of the Role

• Provide Support on project engagements with government and non-governmental partners on Gender Equality and inclusion issues, vulnerable children, forced early and forced marriage, early pregnancy and gender-based violence.
• The Gender Equality Officer will provide close technical support to the Gender Equality Coordinator to develop and implemented project’s gender equality strategy.
• As an integral member of the project team, they will ensure that a gender transformative approach is integrated in both demand and supply-side interventions of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Child Protection (CP) programming to contribute to the ultimate outcome of the project.
• This role requires a strong intersectional lens. This means having the capacity to analyze the situation, needs, and barriers of diverse children/adolescents from excluded or non-dominant groups. This also means being able to design/support activities that safely engage diverse children who are excluded for various reasons such as age, sex, gender identity, ability, race, sexual orientation, religion, language, education, literacy level, ethnicity, etc.

Accountabilities

• Gender Transformative Analysis and Programming: Using an intersectional lens,provide technical support to the delivery of robust gender equality, inclusion, and protectionassessments to further define and validate the project’s strategy to deliver gender transformative programming and results. A strong understanding of project cycle management are essential to provide relevant technical guidance
• Support in developing Project Gender Equality and Inclusion Strategy in line with donor standards and Plan International commitments and Humanitarian Response Strategy.
• Provide close technical support to the implementation of ASPIRE project gender equality strategy which aims to ensure Plan staff and key partners have the tools, skills and capacities to fulfil core ASPIRE gender standards relevant to the needs of the program participants and operating context. This includes providing training, mentorship and ongoing capacity development for staff and partners. Ensure monitoring and evaluation components in the project adequately capture gender equality and inclusion indicators as directed by supervisor.
• Support the implementation of gender, inclusion and protection assessments, including providing technical support to facility assessments within the project.
• Prepare the key findings to support gender equality coordinator on strategies to ensure positive gender transformative and inclusive in project implementation.
• Provide support on engagements with government and non-governmental project partners and stakeholders to ensure greater participation of women and adolescents in community and School Management Committee decision making processes.
• Contribute to the project review and reporting processes, including the sharing and dissemination of best practices on gender equality and inclusion mainstreaming within the project
• Contribute to regular project narrative reports and communication materials in a timely manner, ensuring that implementation of gender transformative programming is clearly articulated and supported with high quality data, results and lessons
• Social Behaviour Communication Change and Public Mobilisation: Recognizing the women and girl’s agency, lead the development and technical review of training and capacity building, behaviour change communication, and community outreach activities.
• WRO & YLO: Take the lead in engaging and capacity building of Women's Rights Organizations and Youth-led Organizations, including supporting their advocacy and awareness campaigns.
• Contribute to the knowledge management system in a way that documents and establishes Plan International Nigeria commitments and expertise in Gender Equality.
• Support to provide regular and timely feedback on project progress against planned Gender Equality strategies and indicators.
• Support the development, review and implement training programs as relevant to the project’s gender equality strategy.
• Collaborates with other Country office programmes as necessary.
• Provide support in ensuring that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Qualifications and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences/Art with background in Gender Studies, Anthropology or an equivalent from a recognized University. Master’s Degree will be an added advantage.
• At least 2 years practical work experience in mainstreaming Gender Equality and Inclusion in projects. Experience in implementing gender-transformative projects will be an added advantage.
• Proven understanding of Gender programming concepts, adolescent programming and community approaches to development. Experience in engaging and/or capacity strengthening of Women’s rights organization and/or Youth lead organization will be an added advantage.
• Knowledge and experience with Donor program and Gender Equality and Inclusion frameworks and approaches.
• Ability to use a safeguarding and intersectional lens in how gender-transformative programming is carried out to ensure project approaches and activities are sensitive to risk of harm to children/adolescents, especially those from non-dominant groups, and those who have experienced violence (such as gender and age-based violence).  

Skills and Knowledge:

• Experience in supporting rights-based SRHR and/or CP programming.
• Ability to communicate gender equality concepts simply and easily for people to understand
• Ability to analyze large data sets through an intersectional gender equality lens.
• Communicates clearly and effectively appropriate to the audience.
• Strong ability to persuade colleagues, partners, managers, and policymakers for gender mainstreaming into policies and programs.
• Ability to contribute to policy development processes, including policy Gender strategies, framework development and monitoring.
• Experience in supporting social norms and behaviour change programming an asset.
• Experience in supporting projects that work at the level of the individual, family, community and institutions an asset.
• Ability to work with multiple stakeholders and maintain strong relationships.
• Excellent report writing skills
• Strong negotiating, facilitating and influencing skills
• Commitment to continuous learning and innovation.
• Good computer literacy skills.
• Knowledge of Hausa language.
• Good understanding of the Gender Equality and other social barriers to adolescent and humanitarian programming.

Application Closing Date
22nd November, 2021.