Women’s Economic Empowerment Advisor at Mercy Corps

Program Summary 

Mercy Corps has been a leader in the drylands of the Horn of Africa for the last decade, supporting households affected by climate change, drought, conflict and other challenges to adapt and thrive in the face of increasing shocks. Our programming focuses on strengthening livestock production and markets, enhancing food and water security, addressing gender inequality and youth opportunities, and strengthening devolved governance outcomes to support dryland communities to break from the cycle of humanitarian need and lay the foundations for a more food secure, resilient future. Working across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, Mercy Corps will soon be launching our 12-year Regional Livestock Program (RLP), which looks to leverage the significant potential for livestock production and trade within the region by building vibrant regional livestock markets, strengthening livestock production and trade, supporting climate adaptation and enhanced regeneration and governance of rangeland in order to enhance household food security and livelihoods. 

General Position Summary 

The Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Advisor for the Regional Livestock Programme to use their in-depth contextual understanding, technical and practical expertise and relationship building skills to define and support the collective delivery of a gender transformative program for women’s economic empowerment in the drylands of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The role will lead the program’s gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) strategy design and support to its implementation, providing technical guidance to all program components to ensure high quality programming that will advance gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. The role provides leadership to ensure that the program is grounded in intersectional gender equality and social inclusion analysis and supports the design and implementation of gender transformative monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our team and partners.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

VISION AND STRATEGY

• Work closely with the Program Director, Program Managers from the three countries, as well as program team and key stakeholders to develop a gender transformative program strategy and implementation plan for WEE.  
• Ensure that cross-cutting aspects of GESI and youth are included in the design of program activities across components.
• Participate in the development and implementation of program research and learning agenda, to build evidence and support the production of robust thought leadership on GESI and WEE.
• Lead adaptation or expansion of WEE activities in response to funding opportunities and budget changes
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed; promote and model a culture of learning and adaptive management.
• Support the program to implement Mercy Corps’ global Minimum Standards for GESI integration.

TECHNICAL GUIDANCE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

• Provide oversight and guidance to the program implementation teams to ensure that thematic components are technically sound and grounded on GESI analysis; ensure the inclusion of women, men and youth from a diversity of identity groups and communities; and ensure that implementation methods are consistent donor guidelines and acknowledged good practice.
• Deliver regular training and ongoing mentorship to program team members and partners to promote capacity, ownership, and commitment to GESI and WEE-related best practices.
• Support field monitoring and conduct periodic qualitative reviews on the strategic direction of GESI-related activities.
• Oversee program-level partnerships specific to WEE strategy and intervention approaches. 
• Support RLP Monitoring and Results Measurement Manager, Program Director and country-level Program Managers to interpret monitoring results and relevant study findings to strengthen WEE approach, intervention design and partnerships (i.e. adaptive management to support WEE).
• Regularly review program workplans, reports and data collected, analyzing outcomes and desired impact making crucial recommendations to maximize gender transformative potential.
• Work closely to guide and support the program’s Monitoring & Results Measurement and Learning teams to design and implement a MRM system appropriate for a gender-transformative program; to carry out GESI analysis; to develop innovative program quality and monitoring tools; and to conduct monitoring and evaluation activities using participatory methodologies that promote GESI.
• Contribute to donor reporting and ensure submission of reports that effectively communicate the program ’s GESI work, with a focus on youth and WEE across all program components.
• Support the development of knowledge management products to increase the program’s understanding of successful implementation strategies; distill learnings and evidence generated into program guidance and thought leadership for internal and external consumption.
• Support the incorporation of GESI within the program’s operational policies and practices.
• Support the execution of the WELI/WELBI baseline, including data collection, analysis, and development of recommendations. Work closely with the team to ensure early level engagement and subsequent integration of findings into the project’s work-plan.
• Conduct a GBV risk analysis and ensure that recommendations for mitigation are integrated in the program’s strategy and the project’s work-plan. Ensure that all staff and partners are trained on safeguarding and understand their roles in protecting program participants from sexual exploitation and abuse.

Management & COORDINATION

• Supervise and mentor GESI and women economic empowerment staff involved through technical visits, and coaching sessions.
• Ensure that program and country staff understand are familiar with and have the skills to contribute to the integration of Mercy Corps’ GESI Minimum Standards.
• Liaise with key external stakeholders to include their input on GESI, youth and WEE perspectives in all aspects of program activities.

EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps and the program at relevant external meeting and events, including in GESI-related networks and coordination bodies.
• Lead in documenting and coordinating information dissemination activities that share program achievements in and results with the aim of influencing decision and policymakers.
• Prepare and deliver presentations to stakeholders about program approaches, best practices, and learnings related to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Security

• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to promote and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.  Ensure that gender specific needs and interests of program staff in relation to safety and security are identified and responded to appropriately.

Supervisory Responsibility

• No direct supervisory responsibility. The Women Economic Advisor directly supports women economic empowerment officers. 

Accountability 

Reports Directly To: Program Director

Works Directly With RLP Staff including: Country-level Program Managers, Trade Corridor Coordinators, Inclusive Markets Technical Coordinator, Inclusive Finance and Investment Advisor, Rangelands Management Adivsor, Monitoring and Results Measurement Manager, Contracts and Compliance Manager, Finance Manager.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders 

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• Master’s degree in a relevant academic area – e.g., a social science discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience at the community level is required.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive technical responsibility, including mentoring multi-sectorial teams, for humanitarian and development assistance, preferably with an international NGO; preferred experience in women economic empowerment youth entrepreneurship experience preferred.
• Must have experience in leading the Gender Strategy of a large program and have demonstrated technical experience leading gender and youth integration into livestock and market systems development programming.
• Experience in the Horn of Africa and an in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors in the context of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist programming preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with private sector to identify and test alternative business approaches to better serve women market actors is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with local government officials to identify and test alternative extension and public service approaches to better serve women community members and market actors is preferred.
•  Ability to travel for field missions for 30-50% level of effort as needed.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead the collection, analysis, and utilization of information from a broad range of sources.
• Experience working with major donors, SDC, AFD, SIDA, World Bank or USAID.
• In-depth understanding of gender, age and other locally significant socio-cultural factors in livestock programming context, and demonstrated capacity to lead the collection, analysis and utilization of information from a broad range of sources in order to ensure effective integration of innovative and context specific gender and youth concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to foster commitment and build capacity among activity staff and in-country stakeholders to, women economic empowerment gender and youth integration.
• Ability to self-manage and succeed in an integrated management model, with demonstrated proactive and flexible nature in resolving problems and finding innovative solutions.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members. Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with groups to produce high quality results.
• Cultural sensitivity, patience, flexibility and ability to work well in a multi-sectoral and multi-cultural team and to work closely, understand and support private sector, government and civil society.
• Ability to work in a fluid and sometimes-stressful environment with unexpected challenges.
• Skills in participatory learning and action and facilitating collaborative problem solving.
• Demonstrated ability to foster commitment and build capacity among program staff and in-country actors to ensure gender and youth integration and women economic empowerment.
• Excellent written and persuasive oral communication skills in English required.
• Nationals of Somalia, Ethiopia or Kenya preferred. This position will be based within the successful candidates home country and does not include expatriate benefits.