Mercy Corps
Gender, Protection, Youth & Social Dynamics Lead –
Turkana / Samburu County
Requisition number: GENDE003106
About Mercy Corps
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 Program / Department / Team
USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) awarded a Mercy Corps-led
consortium of Kenyan and international partners with a five-year Development
Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Turkana and Samburu Counties.
Through a phased approach that emphasizes evidence gap analysis,
as well as partnership, learning, and co-creation with government, civil
society, communities, and the private sector, this program aims to drive
sustained reductions in acute malnutrition in both counties.
The Mercy Corps’ NAWIRI consortium brings together the global
leadership, research capacity, technical expertise, and implementation
experience necessary to partner with local institutions to test, adapt, and
scale evidence-based solutions.
The program requires a robust county-centered design with
government leadership, active engagement from communities, the private sector,
and civil society.
Gender inequalities and social dynamics are some of the key
drivers of food insecurity and persistent acute malnutrition in the two
counties and this program will implement evidence-based interventions to
address these.
Together we will sustainably reduce persistent acute
malnutrition for vulnerable populations in Turkana and Samburu counties.
The Position Summary
The Gender, Protection, Youth & Social Dynamics (GPYSD) Lead
will be responsible for providing leadership and technical oversight to ensure
the gender, protection, and social dimensions (inclusive of such issues as age,
ethnicity, and relationships) of malnutrition, food security, and resilience
are effectively integrated across all programming.
S/he will help define implementation strategies in coordination
with the Deputy Chief of Party, technical, research and learning leads.
The position will train and influence staff, providing them with
the necessary technical support and ensuring that common strategies and
approaches are adapted and implemented with consistent quality.
S/he will work across sectors of NAWIRI, with consortium team
members as well as counties to build capacity in gender, protection
mainstreaming and youth sensitive programming in ways that contribute to the
quality design and implementation of gender transformative and youth responsive
initiatives.
The GPYSD will be responsible for coordinating assessments,
providing capacity building to county government, ensuring contextually
appropriate social dynamics are incorporated into county policies, and making
the appropriate connections between Research, Learning and M&E to ensure
gender responsive results can be tracked, analyzed, and reported.
Essential Job
Responsibilities
VISION AND STRATEGY
· Support the Deputy Chief
of Party (DCoP) to create a strong vision for NAWIRI’s approach when it comes
to the integration of gender, Protection, youth, and social dynamics.
· Develop and help
operationalize NAWIRI’s Gender, Protection, Youth and Social Dynamics Strategy
to guide effective integration of GPYSD in key sectors such as nutrition, health,
water systems, and governance – throughout the program’s cycle.
· Forge strong,
institutional linkages and maintain a productive working relationship with
USAID, Government of Kenya, the NAWIRI consortium, PREG Partners, and other
relevant partners in the youth & gender field; develop relationships and
linkages with organizations implementing other donor-funded programs focused on
GPYSD in Kenya
· Recognize opportunities
for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints
are welcomed; promote and model a culture of learning and adaptive management.
· Ensure that
cross-cutting aspects of gender equality, social inclusion, and youth
responsiveness are included and well integrated into NAWIRI approach and
activities.
· Contribute technical
expertise that feeds into a dynamic community of practice of NAWIRI staff and
partners; sharing best practices across all NAWIRI areas and work streams,
while seeking opportunities to build NAWIRI staff’s motivation and capabilities
in GPYSD.
· Collaborate with
different program components including Research, Monitoring & Evaluation
(M&E) and learning to drive overall effectiveness and coherence of program
strategy.
· Represent NAWIRI at all
relevant GPYSD related meetings/workshops and other stakeholder meetings as
requested.
TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
· Lead the execution of
the NAWIRI Gender Analysis. Support with data collection, analysis, and
development of recommendations. Work closely with the NAWIRI team on the Gender
Analysis, while mainstreaming youth vulnerability analysis, 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
GPYSD 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.
· Support NAWIRI team,
including partners, on GPYSD integration including conducting capacity building
activities such as training, learning-by-doing, reflection process and field
monitoring support.
· Contribute to research
conducted in the program to ensure that relevant issues on GPYSD are well
represented and applied across all sectors.
· Monitor the
implementation of the NAWIRI’s GPYSD strategy and other gender related
commitments in the project’s design and ensure that the project activities
align with USAID’s gender equity and female empowerment policy.
· Ensure the integration
of Positive Youth Development principles within NAWIRI.
· Work with field teams to
conduct regular community consultations to ensure programming remains gender
and age responsive and on-track. Support field teams with ensuring that gender
diversity principles inform processes of community consultations.
· Provide leadership and
technical support to local partners in developing effective gender and
youth-focused project action plans that are in line with NAWIRI’s GPYSD
strategy.
· Assist partner staff to
communicate information from the field to the appropriate decision-making forum
on the gender integration in activities undertaken in all components,
processes, and impacts.
· Provide support,
coaching, mentoring and technical guidance on gender mainstreaming and youth
responsive interventions to county and partner GPYSD officers.
· Develop and lead the
integration of social dynamics into all capacity-building efforts in support of
Samburu and Turkana County governments.
· Routinely collect and
share learnings and best practices on gender, protection, youth social
inclusion with diverse project stakeholders.
· Share learning and best
practices on gender, youth, and social inclusion among Mercy Corps’ global DFSA
teams.
· Identify relevant
training and learning opportunities for Mercy Corps and partner staff to
advance knowledge and skills in gender mainstreaming and youth responsive
programming; manage a gender and youth capacity building in alignment with
NAWIRI Learning Agenda
PROTECTION
· Support and give
technical assistance for gender and protection mainstreaming efforts within the
organization’s programs/projects.
· Working closely with
various organizations projects and programs, to establish and consolidate GBV
coordination structure, including the provision of psychosocial support for
survivors of violence of GBV, and establishing a service referral system.
· Develop Standard
Operating Procedures for GBV and facilitate their roll-out and implementation
in the field.
· Collaborate with the
organization safeguarding team, to prepare and conduct capacity building
trainings for the organizations staff in thematic topics and implementation of
minimum standards and various SOPs (internal and external gender, gender-based
violence and protection SOPs).
· Coordinate and provide
technical support to the Organization, County Governments, and local
implementing partners staffs on the implementation of protection activities.
· Support in the
identification of resources to strengthen existing GBV prevention and response
programmes; particularly to address gaps in access to safe shelter,
psychosocial support, and income-generation projects for women at risk.
· Identify emerging
protection issues within the organizations projects/programs and provide
recommendations to organization projects/programs regarding strategies and
initiatives to enhance the policies aimed at combating violence against women
and children.
· Ensure gender sensitive
approaches, gender-sensitive accountability mechanism for beneficiaries and the
needs of women, girls, boys, and men have been clearly considered and included
in the design and during the whole organization’s project/program cycle.
· Support partners NGOs in
maintaining a safe and confidential record keeping system and making sure
referral of cases are confidential, safe and in a timely manner.
· Ensuring that
individuals and groups with specific needs are identified; and incorporate
these approaches, policies and concerns into the design and implementation of
programme and protection activities.
MANAGEMENT &
COORDINATION
· Supervise and mentor
Gender and Youth Officers involved in NAWIRI through technical visits,
mentorship, and coaching sessions.
· Ensure that program and
country staff understand and adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Minimum Standards.
· Liaise with key external
stakeholders to provide guidance on gender and youth perspectives in all
aspects of NAWIRI program activities.
· Ensure that NAWIRI and
partners are in compliance with gender and youth related USAID/FFP
requirements.
· Support programming team
to integrate gender and youth into programming and assist in gender responsive
participatory planning, resource allocation and support implementation.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
& REPORTING
· Work closely with the
M&E team on GPYSD integration and provide technical backstopping in the
collection and use of sex and age disaggregated data, gender indicators and
gender sensitive data collection processes across sectors. Make recommendations
based on regular monitoring to inform program strategies to better meet the
needs of the program participants.
· Ensure NAWIRI is
capturing required level of gender and youth disaggregated data and specific
success stories on gender transformation and youth empowerment.
· Lead preparation of
reports, issues-papers and case studies on gender and youth perspectives to
promote gender and youth integration. Support the review of program reports and
documents for gender and youth sensitive communication.
· Support in the setting
of indicators for assessing progress with gender and youth integration, adapted
to specific contexts of Samburu and Turkana.
· Work with Strategic
Learning Lead to disseminate information regarding gender, Protection and youth
achievements and impact.
· Represent the program’s
gender strategy with external stakeholders at workshops, conferences, and
annual learning events. Speak thoughtfully to the analysis, research and
learning that NAWIRI is conducting.
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 GPYSD Advisor directly
supports NAWIRI-based gender staff and participates in the hiring and
supervision either directly or indirectly of future gender staff.
Additionally, s/he will provide support in mentoring all
gender-focused staff across the consortium.
Accountability
· Reports Directly To:
Deputy Chief of Party
· Works Directly With:
Strategic Learning Lead, Research Design Lead, Institutional Strengthening
Lead, M&E team, partner agencies, local government, USAID, and support
departments (Finance, HR, and Operations). Coordinates with HQ Program
Performance team and the Technical Support Unit (TSU)
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.
Minimum Qualifications
& Transferrable skills
· Master’s degree in a
relevant academic area – e.g., a social science discipline.
· Minimum of five years of
experience at the community level is required.
· Minimum of five years of
progressive management and technical responsibility, including supervising and
mentoring multi-sectorial teams, for humanitarian and development assistance,
preferably with an international NGO; preferred experience in gender
mainstreaming, youth workforce development, youth entrepreneurship, or youth
peacebuilding; USAID experience preferred.
· Must have experience in
leading the Gender Strategy of a large program and have demonstrated technical
experience leading gender responsive interventions and youth integration into
food security programming.
· Experience in Kenya and
an in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant
socio-cultural factors in the context of food security programming preferred.
· Demonstrated capacity to
lead the collection, analysis, and utilization of information from a broad
range of sources.
· Experience working with
major donors, USAID/FFP preferred.
· In-depth understanding
of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors in food
security context, and demonstrated capacity to lead the collection, analysis,
and utilization of information from a broad range of sources 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 (including government) to gender and youth integration and
empowerment.
· Demonstrated capacity to
understand and advise on critical technical and operational issues related to
gender transformative and youth responsive programming: education, job skills,
employment creation, social cohesion, health, psycho-social wellbeing.
· 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 c
· Ability to travel for
field missions for 30-50% level of effort as needed.
Success Factors
The successful Gender, Protection, Youth & Social Dynamic
(GPYSD) Lead will have strong technical skills combined with strategic
visioning and leadership.
S/he will have an outstanding ability to inspire teams to deeply
understand social dynamics and integrate this understanding into activities
that enhance program impact and take the program to new levels.
S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams
and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring
skills.
S/he will have demonstrated ability to follow procedures and
meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
The GPYSD Lead will have proven ability to learn quickly,
multi-task, prioritize, take initiative and be accountable for results.
The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong
commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing
environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in
all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental
Conditions
The position is based in Turkana or Samburu
County.
This position requires frequent travel by road and air to
field offices in less secure environments. This position is
not eligible for hardship and/or R&R benefits.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and
outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a
field posting.
Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a
professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies,
procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Ongoing Learning
In 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
Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work
together.
Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people
of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better
able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most
complex challenges.
We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone
contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as
individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we
are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse,
equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment
Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not
tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse 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 &
Ethics
Mercy 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.
How to Apply
CLICK HERE to apply online.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the
recruitment process.