Regional Gender Advisor, West Africa at Oxfam

Job Purpose

To ensure the effective promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination across all Oxfam programmes in the region. This will be done by working with all Oxfam teams, our partners, networks and beneficiaries and other stakeholders by facilitating coordinating, training and advocating on women’s rights and gender issues.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

· Lead on identifying and analysing gender issues across country/region programmes and developing strategies for gender equality programming in both developmental and the humanitarian programmes and build the capacity of Oxfam and partner staff to do the above

· Provide technical support on gender issues to all programmes and partners, making complex technical information accessible and useable by non-specialists

· Participate in initial program discussions, proposal reviews and bilateral discussions to help ensure that the needs of women, men, boys and girls are adequately addressed

· Actively develop networks and partnerships with internal and external actors as well as representation and coordination at regional level

· Facilitate and support the integration of gender perspectives in the overall strategic planning, needs assessments and programming of various sectors

· Mobilize, train and provide on-going technical support to technical coordinators and program teams on gender, focusing on how to design and implement their programs in a more gender-sensitive manner

· Work with advocacy and campaigns team to ensure gender equality and women’s rights are a central part of this work.

· Support country and regional leadership team’s advocacy activities with key players and donors on gender equality and women’s rights

· Ensure quality inclusion of these issues in all proposals, identifying how to build evidence of change for shared learning

· Develop tools/methodologies to enhance gender awareness-raising, mainstreaming and analysis

· Provide advice on strengthening monitoring and evaluation of gender through M&E plans, processes, documentation and data analysis

· Provide on-going mentoring to gender specific positions in countries

· Support gender capacity development processes including identifying capacity-building needs and providing gender training to staff, beneficiaries, key stakeholders and partners, as necessary.

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Essential

· Education (university degree level ) preferably in social sciences, women and gender studies, or related humanities field with a focus on gender equality and women's rights/empowerment

· Substantial experience in women-specific and gender issues, gender planning, gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and promotion of gender equity and women’s rights at national and regional levels,

· Experience and skills in project management and research, working effectively with policy makers, government, donors and civil society

·Fluency (written and oral) in either English or French language and working knowledge of the other

·Enthusiasm for and commitment to Oxfam International’s values and mission, and commitment to promoting gender equity and the interests of marginalised people in all advocacy work

·Ability and willingness to travel extensively to remote and conflicting affected areas sometimes for prolonged periods

Desirable

· Good understanding of African and International policy context on gender justice and women’s rights

· Experience working with communities and knowledge of the West Africa Region, especially the governments and political systems.

Key Behavioural Competencies (based on Oxfam’s Leadership Model)

Competencies

Description

Decisiveness

We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.

Influencing

We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organisation We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.

Humility

We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.

Relationship Building

We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organisation.

Listening

We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear, and consider different preferences.

Mutual Accountability

We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values. We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.

Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity

We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.

Systems Thinking

We view problems as parts of an overall system and in their relation to the whole system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome or event in isolation. We focus on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect. By consistently practicing systems thinking we are aware of and manage well unintended consequences of organisational decisions and actions.

Strategic Thinking and Judgment

We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.

Vision Setting

We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organization and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organization and diverse external stakeholders.

Self-Awareness

We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.

Enabling

We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job. We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support. We give more freedom and demonstrate belief and trust, underpinned with appropriate support.