Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Officer

USAID REDUCING POLLUTION PROJECT

RECRUIT

Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Officer

1. BACKGROUND

In support of Vietnam’s efforts to address environmental pollution challenges, the five-year USAID Reducing Pollution Activity (hereinafter referred to as Project) fosters locally-driven initiatives and facilitates capacity for local actors/networks to address environmental pollution challenges using a collective impact approach. Collective impact addresses complex challenges by mobilizing diverse actors to collaborate, identify ways to solve a shared problem, and take action based on their roles and comparative advantages. The Project demonstrates clear connections between environmental benefits and other social benefits, including public health, employment, and sustainable economic growth.

Through this Project, USAID expects to attain the following results:

• Strengthened networks of local organizations, government, private sector, and academic institutions working together to prevent, mitigate, and/or reduce environmental pollution; and
• Increased capacity of stakeholders to generate, share, and use pollution data to support policy/implementation solutions for locally-determined environmental pollution challenges.

To address different pollution challenges, the Project will develop a series of collective impact initiatives. The core of each collective impact initiative is a ‘backbone organization’. The backbone organization will be a local NGO that mobilizes local stakeholders through a set of activities to address the specific environmental pollution challenge. The Project will be responsible for providing technical advisory support and general capacity building to each backbone organization, as well as facilitating learning and networking across the different backbone organizations working on the diverse portfolio of collective impact initiatives (CIIs).

2.      POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Officer plays a critical role in the Project team by serving as the lead for GESI analysis and strategy development, including the key role as the main direct liaison between the project team and the backbone organization teams on GESI issues. This will involve the following tasks:

• Take a leading role in implementing of GESI strategy and plan for the Project
• Support and collaborate with the backbone organizations to conduct GESI analyses and develop targeted GESI action plans and integrate GESI into each step of the collective impact process
• Lead capacity-building efforts for Project staff, backbone organizations and partners on gender policies and other related concerns.

S/he will be based in Hanoi, with periodic travel to the project’s target sites as required for project activities.

3.      RESPONSIBILITIES

• Take a leading role in implementing of GESI strategy and plan for the Project
  
  • Based on the GESI strategy and GESI framework of the Project, review the developed GESI plan and collaborate with other units of the Project to implement the activities under the GESI plan.
  • Collaborate with M&E officer to make sure impact measurement focuses on women, youth, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities.
  • Meet regularly with all project staff to brief them on progress, issues, challenges and opportunities with regard to GESI.
• Support and collaborate with the backbone organizations to conduct GESI analyses and develop targeted GESI action plans and integrate GESI into each step of the collective impact process
  
  • Based on the toolkit Integrating Gender and Social Inclusion into Counter Trafficking developed by Winrock for USAID, develop a facilitators’ toolkit on integrating GESI into collective impact initiatives. This toolkit will ensure that each collective impact initiative includes and promotes participation of women, youth, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities; allows backbone organizations to assess how pollution affects demographic groups differently; and helps identify interventions that increase gender and social equity.
  • Develop GESI survey protocol including toolkit for each backbone to collect data
  • Using a participatory approach in close collaboration with backbone organizations, conduct a rapid GESI assessment/analysis and create a GESI strategy/plan for each collective impact initiative. These plans will ensure that each collective impact initiative includes and promotes participation of women, youth, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities; allows backbone organizations to assess how pollution affects demographic groups differently; and helps identify interventions that increase gender and social equity.
  • Provide guidance to backbone organizations to support the implementation of  GESI plan to integrate GESI into each step of the collective impact process; and engagement of women, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities in technical activities.
  • Take overall monitoring and supervision and support for implementation of GESI strategy for each collective impact initiative including the periodic analysis of its impact to the Project.
• Support implementation of capacity building plans/activities for backbone organizations
  
  • Work with Collective Impact Officers to facilitate a participatory needs assessment process with each backbone organization to ensure the integration of gender mainstreaming and ensure of social equity in each initiative.
  • Based on identified needs, facilitate each backbone organization to develop a participatory capacity building plan of GESI section in the overall capacity building plan.
  • Support Collective Impact Officers to ensure that GESI elements are well mainstreamed into all capacity development initiatives and all training materials.
  • Organize capacity-building activities for the project staff, backbone organizations and other partners on gender policies and other related concerns.
• Support overall project implementation and reporting
  
  • Work with the Learning and Innovation Team to ensure that GESI mainstreaming are adequately represented in the Activity MEL Plan.
  • Work with Communication Officer to produce case studies and success stories of GESI within the Project activities.
  • Contribute to quarterly reporting, annual reports and to the annual work planning process and final documents.
• Other
  
  • Travel domestically to support project sub-grantees.
  • Other support to the Collective Impact team as required. 

4.      REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor/University degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Human Rights, Law and/or development, Environmental studies, or related field. Postgraduate degree is an advantage.
• At least ten years of relevant experience in gender mainstreaming, social analysis,indigenous peoples, social development planning and implementation.
• Experience working on gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in the environment sector preferred
• Strong multidisciplinary competence combined with substantial experience in safeguard policies, social development and related capacity building
• Experience engaging with community groups, local NGOs, and advocacy groups to address complex development challenges.
• Understanding of environmental issues, and experience working on environment projects is an advantage.
• Familiarity with the USAID gender policies, tools and approaches is an advantage.
• Working knowledge and/or experience of international development organization and government agencies.
• Strong teamwork skills and commitment to collaborate with other staff.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a team setting.
• Creativity and enthusiasm to tackle new challenges.
• Able and willing to undertake periodic field travel.
• Strong experience working with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
• Strong English speaking and writing skills are required.

5.      SUPERVISOR

The GESI Officer reports to the Collective Impact Director.

6.      APPLICATION

Applicants should submit a current resume and cover letter referencing GESI Officer via [email protected] with the title: “Your full name_Application for the GESI Officer” by 31 March, 2023.

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest but only candidates who meet requisite criteria and are shortlisted will be contacted.