Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
The Programme Mercy Corps has been operating in Jordan since 2003. In partnership with civil society organizations, the private sector, and the government, Mercy Corps Jordan has reached more than 3.4 million Jordanians and displaced populations in the country. Working throughout Jordan, Mercy Corps is driven by the mission to contribute to the emergence of a peaceful, resilient and prosperous Jordan which is inclusive of youth and women. We seek to build a future for Jordan in which all people feel secure, believe in the goodness of communities and institutions around them, and are on a sustainable path toward economic self-reliance. Our strategic directions focus on promoting strong communities and governance, peace and social cohesion, and environmentally sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Mercy Corps is seeking a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Adviser to provide technical leadership in the implementation of an anticipated two-year, 6-month FCDO-funded Tamasok II programme in Jordan. The programme is part of FCDO’s Integrated Security Fund (ISF) Women, Peace, and Security component. The expected outcomes of the programme are that \"Jordanian CSOs and CBOs are better able to support vulnerable and excluded groups in their communities and Jordanian CSOs and CBOs working with vulnerable and excluded groups are better equipped to respond to digital harms and online violence in their communities”. The programme will include: capacity and alliance building support to Jordanian civil society working to implement Jordan's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and other Government of Jordan strategic priorities for resilience and inclusion e.g. youth, and an ‘innovation window’ for short term intervention and capacity building support for CSOs/CBOs working on preventing/responding to digital harms and promoting community resilience.
The Position The GESI Adviser will provide strategic technical leadership and direction in programme design, implementation, quality assurance and strategy development, ensuring best practices and gender sensitive approaches are embedded throughout all interventions. The GESI Adviser will lead the participatory design and implementation of a comprehensive GESI strategy to ensure the programme appropriately addresses the varied needs of women, men, girls, and boys, and individuals of diverse backgrounds including variations in age, religion, ability, and other social markers. The Advisor will ensure the Tamasok II team has the capacity and skills needed to support GESI integration and provide GESI capacity building support to CSOs and CBOs to design and implement inclusive and innovative civil society engagement initiatives to reduce digital harm. In alignment with national priorities the adviser will play a key role in advancing the objects of the Jordan National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security (JONAP) and the Jordan National Action Plan for Youth, Peace and Security (YPS).
Essential Responsibilities
TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT
- Support the technical design for the Tamasok II programme, including leading GESI and conflict assessments during the inception period, based on participatory data collection and analysis, and co-creating recommendations with the programme team based on findings.
- Lead participatory processes to develop a Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion programme strategy to guide GESI integration and priorities across the life of the programme. These priorities will include but not be limited to: capacity strengthening of CSOs/CBOs including women’s rights organizations; supporting GESI and youth integration into digital harm mitigation strategies and capacity strengthening; supporting alliance building to further Government of Jordan priorities for gender equality, disability, and youth inclusion to address security and stability threats; developing and integrating GESI learning questions in research products on preventing and mitigating digital harm.
- Support the programme team, including partners, on gender, equality and social inclusion integration including conducting capacity building and training.
- Provide technical support to implementing partners in the design and delivery of grant funded projects.
- Conduct regular community consultations to ensure programming remains gender, age, and socially sensitive and on-track.
- Represent the programme’s gender and social inclusion strategy, analysis, and research with external stakeholders including at workshops, conferences and annual learning events.
- Work with programme teams to ensure a do no harm approach to gender-focused and inclusive programing is implemented and that appropriate protections are in place for participants.
- Coach new and ongoing programme staff on gender and social inclusion engagement best practices
- Conduct frequent supervisory visits to the programme locations to monitor GESI project implementation and ensure project quality and support staff to reflect and iterate based on ongoing feedback.
- Contribute to internal and donor reports by documenting GESI-related progress, impact, challenges, and lessons learned.
PROGRAMME QUALITY ASSURANCE
- Work with the MEL Lead for the effective design and integration of gender sensitive monitoring and evaluation systems (including SADD) and protection monitoring methodologies into all stages of the programme; ensure that output and impact data are captured, and data is used to optimise programme quality.
- Assist teams in using vulnerability frameworks and targeting that enable inclusiveness and help teams to identify individuals and households with specific needs.
- Draft or contribute to GESI-specific sections of programme reports, assessments, and evaluations in coordination with the Senior Project Manager and MEL team
REPRESENTATION AND COORDINATION
- Support the development of alliances by bringing civil society actors together with government representatives to promote security, stability, and freedom from digital harm.
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with program stakeholders to enhance cooperation and coordination.
- Attend relevant GESI coordination meetings and/or represent Mercy Corps in other relevant forums and ensure that information is shared internally and with other sectors, as appropriate; contribute to thought leadership in this area of expertise.
- Identify and nurture strategic GESI partnerships with other organisations/institutions in the country, particularly the delivery partners for other ISF-funded projects to enable coordination and synergies across workstreams.
- Liaise with MC’s Regional GESI Advisor on agency-wide GESI policies and for cross-learning
OTHER
- Support management to ensure that the Mercy Corps GESI Program Minimum Standards are implemented.
- Ensure the team complies with FCDO ISF GESI Requirements
- Ensure activities promote gender equality, conflict sensitivity, and environmental awareness by applying Do No Harm
- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies
- Other assigned tasks, as necessary
SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support the integration of safeguarding into programme design and delivery, including conducting or contributing to safeguarding risk assessments.
- Ensure safeguarding messaging is embedded across community-facing materials and programme tools, in collaboration with Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM) and MEL teams.
- Practice the values of Mercy Corps, including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
- Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.
Supervisory ResponsibilityTo be confirmed
Accountability Reports Directly To: Tamasok II Team LeaderWorks Directly With: Tamasok II programme team, Mercy Corps Multi-Country Director of Programs, consortium partner focal points. Coordinates with Mercy Corps’ HQ and Regional GESI, Safeguarding, and CARM teams as well as the Technical Resources and Quality Unit.
Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy 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.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
- A university degree in International Development, Gender Studies, Social Works, Conflict Resolution or other related field. Master’s degree preferred.
- At least seven years of experience in international development work, with a minimum of five years directly in a GESI advisory position including experience working on GESI and conflict/security/peacebuilding related interventions in Jordan.
- A strong understanding of and experience implementing projects related to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Experience supporting the delivery of the Jordan WPS National Action Plan (JONAP) is desirable.
- Substantial background in GESI and development work, including experience designing and conducting training, analysis and programme integration and engaging in advocacy.
- Experience supporting the capacity building and development of women’s rights organisations and women-led organisations.
- Comprehensive knowledge of GESI norms and standards as well as holistic and practical methods towards implementing protection mainstreaming and integrated protection outcomes.
- Experience working on digital literacy, countering mis/dis-information, social media engagement, protection from digital harm preferred.
- Arabic fluency is required. Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate (verbally and written) and negotiate clearly and effectively. Tact, diplomacy, and cultural sensitivity are essential.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word
Success Factors The individual must have strong writing skills and the ability to multitask, set priorities, pay attention to detail, and work under tight deadlines within complex team environments. The position holder must take an active role in building and maintaining external relationships as well as demonstrating the drive and initiative to contribute to internal team efforts. The individual must learn quickly how to provide technical data and support in the most efficient and effective form possible for each unique field team and environment. This position requires strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, and a level of emotional intelligence proficiency that quickly builds and maintains productive relationships across teams. Being aware and sensitive to international development issues and diverse cultures is critical.
Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThe position is based in Amman and will require up to 40% travel to support country programmes, which may include travel to less secure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to high level medical services and the living situation is of a high standard. Standard Jordan workweek is Sunday – Thursday. 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.
Ongoing LearningIn support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Team Efficiency and Effectiveness Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work. We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.
Equal Employment OpportunityMercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & EthicsMercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).