ROLE PURPOSE:
The Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist provides technical guidance and oversight on both design and implementation levels across Save the Children's portfolio in Lebanon with a focus on gender mainstreaming and inclusion of children and persons with disabilities, as well as guidance on how other vulnerable and diverse groups can best reached. The position holder is expected to work closely with the Technical Advisors and Specialists to provide support and technical expertise on gender and inclusion mainstreaming design level as well as with field operations teams and local partners across Lebanon to identify gaps and support teams in ensuring programs are gender sensitive and inclusive at a minimum and gender transformative wherever possible, as well as accessible and meaningfully engaging people with disabilities. The position holder is expected to lead-on, identify and drive forward recommendations on gender-sensitive to transformative and inclusive programing. S/he must be proactive, results oriented, able to manage a large workload and work with diverse range of people. S/he will be expected to work in the field, with local partners and in support of PDQ colleagues. This position is expected to spend at least 70% of time in the field offices, as the function is primarily supporting partners and program operations teams.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Strategic planning (10%)
- Support TAs of the different thematic areas in implementing recommendations on improving our work with people with disabilities. Ensure those recommendations are in line with SC's Country Strategy.
- Ensure roll out of Disability Inclusion Plan with technical support from the Regional and Global Disability Focal Points for MEEE region.
- Support TAs on embedding the Minimum GBV Actions at proposal stage.
- Develop gender equality strategy and action plan, provide overall strategic leadership to Save the Children's work in gender mainstreaming in Lebanon and in line with the SC's Country Strategy.
- Participate in the review of sectoral strategies as needed (together with the PDQ Director and relevant TAs) to identify entry points for gender-sensitive and inclusive strategy.
- Ensure clear process in place for tracking and reporting on progress against the gender and inclusion mainstreaming action plans and on keeping track of KPIs related to gender.
- Identify funding streams that could support specific gender and disability inclusion projects in Lebanon.
- Contribute to Country Strategy Review and Proposal Development with specific indicators and objectives on disability inclusion ensuring contextually relevant for Lebanon.
Program quality and standards within Program Operations
- Provide gender and disability technical expertise, quality assurance and support for Save the Children's team and programs across Lebanon including by spending substantial amount of time (minimum 70%) in field offices in Bekaa, North and Beirut, Mount Lebanon and working directly local partners).
- Ensure that all offices have gender equality Focal Points to lead implementation of gender equality action plan and SMT lead accountability.
- Guide the team and partners in delivering the following recommendations:
- Ensure program access is equitable and has meaningful quality participation for girls and boys, men and women including with disabilities.
- Working closely with the MEAL team to ensure sex and age and disability disaggregated data and data is consistently produced and used to inform programing and political advocacy at all levels.
- Providing and reviewing training sessions and awareness raising sessions with all community stakeholders to make sure they include a strong gender perspective.
- Ensure meaningful involvement of boys, men and male caregivers in parenting sessions and conducting the needed mapping and analysis to best engage boys and men in promoting gender equality and shifting harmful social gender norms and practices.
- Ensure a proper roll-out of ASRHR sessions through the provision of trainings, capacity building, coaching, tools and follow-ups.
- Support thematic TAs in the development and roll out of assessments by review of assessment and sector-specific quality benchmarks, tools, training materials, sessions and curricula and incorporation of Washington Group of Questions and any other gender and disability support needed.
- Develop and amend existing tools focused on gender and disability analysis, improving the targeting and outreach approach, providing coaching, doing a better risk and needs' assessment and ensuring that locations where activities are taking place are gender-sensitive and inclusive/accessible.
- Work on promoting gender and disability analysis, produce reports and recommendations to inform programing (direct and with partners).
- Review both international and national policies and provide feedbacks on how these policies and protocols could be more gender-sensitive and inclusive.
- Take part in the Humanitarian and Global Gender Equality Technical Working Groups and Community of Practices and commit to the implementation of the agreed-up work plan and deliverables.
- Ensure documentation of case studies and dissemination of these both internally and externally working with the Media and Advocacy team.
- Act as a Spokesperson for SCI particularly when it comes to voicing challenges and highlights related to gender and disability inclusion.
- Lead on specific initiatives that have disability & gender as central to their design.
- Develop and lead the initiative of promoting diversity and inclusion at workplace within the committee.
Capacity Development
- Lead capacity development initiatives with field teams and partners, on the themes of inclusion and gender.
- Based on gap analysis, coordinate the development of a technical capacity building plans (based on an initial comprehensive capacity gap assessment) for staff and partners, working with field teams to prioritise training needs and resource these appropriately with technical support from Global and Regional Disability and Regional Advisors and Focal Points.
- Facilitate trainings and coaching sessions on topics of gender mainstreaming, disability inclusive programing in line with SCI global training materials on disability inclusion and gender mainstreaming and in accordance with the universal tools and standards.
- Conduct any necessary refresher gender equality/mainstreaming and inclusion trainings to staff and trainings to partners with technical support from Regional and Global Gender Advisors/Focal Points.
- Identify Focal Points and create a community of trained Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion staff to support on providing guidance, coaching and trainings to both SCI's staff and partners.
Partnerships
- In coordination with the Partnerships Manager, the Gender and Inclusion Specialist should lead relationships with relevant stakeholders to ensure Save the Children is participating in relevant discussion and engaging with allies in the gender and inclusion theme. This includes ensuring meaningful partnerships with the Disability Movement; and exploring more partnership opportunities with Women's organisations in Lebanon and organizations specialized in disability inclusion.
- Undertake a stakeholders mapping to identify and sign MoUs with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) working with children with disabilities and identify technical collaboration opportunities as well as opportunities for referrals as well as strengthening community-based rehabilitation initiatives.
- Provide support to MoSA on gender and disability inclusion mainstreaming.
- Working with the Partnerships Manager, contribute to capacity development plans of partners and focus on coaching and mentoring key staff to ensure more inclusive and gender sensitive approaches.
General
- Lead the internal Diversity, Inclusion Committee & ensure SC's internal practices are following inclusive approach and promoting diversity in the workplace.
- Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Masters Degree in International Development / Relations, Women and Gender Studies or related field, or equivalent training/experience.
- Strong English and Arabic communication and writing skills are essential.
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
- 4 - 6 years' field work experience implementing, managing, and/or providing technical assistance to programs in developing countries, including with focus on gender mainstreaming/gender focused programs or disability inclusion; focus on children, adolescents (especially adolescent girls) and youth programing desirable
- Knowledge of and experience in applying gender equality and inclusion principles and practices
- Experience with gender-sensitive child rights programing in areas including Education, Child Protection Shelter and Livelihoods and CRG and the interaction/linkages among those sectors
- Experience working in a range of Middle East contexts and countries
- Experience in gender and disability advocacy or policy work, or other regional or national mechanisms to advance gender equality is an asset
- Ability to synthesize and develop high-quality knowledge products from diverse data sources including programmatic materials and tools; outstanding gender analysis skills
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to develop strong working relationships across cultural and organizational boundaries with internal and external stakeholders, and managing through influence
- Works collaboratively with team members to drive forward progress
- Comfortable working independently with little supervision, as well as with receiving and accounting for direction and engaging as part of a dynamic team.
- Computer literacy including Internet, Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Safeguarding our Staff:
The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy.
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.