Senior Gender Mainstreaming Officer – P4 at Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

JOB PURPOSE

• To promote sustainable institutionalization of gender and women empowerment issues in the regional integration effort.
• To mainstream and promote mainstreaming of gender in all COMESA policies, programs, structures and systems in the Secretariat, COMESA Institutions, at Member States level and in the public and private sector including Civil Society Organizations. 

MAIN DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct guidance of the Director of Gender and Social Affairs and overall guidance of the Assistant Secretary General (Programmes), the incumbent of the post will perform the following duties:

• Liaise with staff in the Gender Division and the Secretariat Directorates/Units in mainstreaming gender in all policies, plans and programmes of the Secretariat and COMESA programmes;
• Facilitate and coordinate training on gender mainstreaming and providing on-going support to Directorates, Units and Member States;
• Develop and distribute the Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit to the Directorates, Units, Member States and other key stakeholders;
• Develop strong relations with gender focal points within the Member States and various stakeholders;
• Ensure the generation, collection, analysis and use of gender disaggregated data and information;
• Prepare diagnostic reports, studies and indicators on gender mainstreaming;
• Develop mechanisms to promote equal representation of women and men in decision making in Member States, COMESA Structures, and its institutions at all levels;
• Conduct missions and participate in helping Member States, employers and workers organisations to formulate and implement policies and programmes to promote gender perspective;
• Liaise with national and regional bodies focusing on the situation of women workers and on gender relations at work, as well as with institutions involved in different mainstreaming processes in the region;
• Play a strong advocacy role and disseminate information on gender programmes through publications and press releases. Ensure the Gender website is updated and coordinate the publication of newsletter on key developments in the region every quarter; and
• Perform any other duties that may be assigned to him/her by the Director of Gender and Social Affairs or the Assistant Secretary General (Programmes) from time to time.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in the Social Sciences and recognized experience in Gender issues

Professional Experience

• A minimum of ten (10) years’ experience in a similar positions in national and/ or regional and international organization

Competencies

• Demonstrated experience in providing technical and leadership skills in Gender Mainstreaming.
• Ability to establish strategic relationships in Gender for programme development.
• Ability to make relevant suggestions on good gender practices.
• Ability to develop training materials, project proposals, policy and procedural matters and present them at high level meetings.
• Ability to take responsibility and supervise others.
• Ability to work independently and to cooperate effectively as part of the team.
• Experience in leading and conducting research on gender and work-related issues in the countries of the region.