Job Title: Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion Officer
Hiring Organization: Mercy
Corps
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: NGO
Job Type: Full
Time
Salary: KES
Competitive
Date Posted: 03/13/2024
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.
Registered in 2008, Mercy Corps Kenya has developed a robust and diverse portfolio of programs aimed at sustainably improving the lives and livelihoods of Kenyans affected by poverty, resource scarcity and conflict. In Kenya, we deliver integrated programming to strengthen resilience, market and governance systems, address the root causes of conflict, and equip vulnerable populations – in particular youth, women, adolescents and marginalized social groups – with the skills, opportunities and resources they need to be healthy, productive, and drive the development of their communities.
With funding from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
(BHA), Mercy Corps’ Nawiri Program is leading a consortium of Kenyan and
international partners on a eight-year journey to sustainably reduce persistent
acute malnutrition in Turkana and Samburu Counties of Kenya. Through a phased
approach that emphasizes evidence gap analysis, as well as partnership,
learning, and co-creation, the program takes a robust county-centered design
with government leadership, active engagement from communities, the private
sector, and civil society. Mercy Corps’ 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. Together we will sustainably reduce persistent
acute malnutrition for vulnerable populations in Turkana and Samburu counties.
Position
Summary
The Gender, Youth and Social Inclusion officer will be responsible
for implementing the gender and social dimensions’ interventions of
malnutrition, food security and resilience. They will ensure effective and
efficient roll out of planned gender/social change activities through
day-to-day coordination at the sub-county level. Under the overall guidance of
the Gender, Youth and Social Dynamics Lead, they will support the
implementation of gender transformative approaches as captured in the gender
strategy.
Through research and learning activities, that are designed and
executed in close collaboration with county government, civil society, private
sector, and communities themselves, there is an inherent need to understand the
opportunities and challenges that are unique to women, youth and adolescents in
Turkana and Samburu so that programming can be adapted. The Gender, Youth &
Social Inclusion Officer will support and action our understanding of the
complex causality of persistent acute malnutrition as it relates to the varied
needs of women, men, girls, and boys in Turkana County. To ensure the gender
and social dimensions of food security and resilience are effectively addressed
across all activities and components, the Gender, Youth & Social Inclusion
Officer will work with the team and coordinate closely with partners to fulfill
gender and social change goals of the program.
Key
Responsibilities
Program management:
- Supports the
Gender, Youth and Social Dynamics lead in contextually translating the
vision for Nawiri’s approach when it comes to the integration of gender,
youth and social dynamics.
- Support the
development, integration and mainstreaming of Nawiri’s Gender Strategy
with a view to strengthen gender responsiveness and gender
transformational approaches in all programmatic interventions, with a
nutrition lens.
- Ensure high
quality and timeliness of deliverables against intended objectives and
targets.
- Ensure
broad-based sub-county co-creation mechanism towards the development of a
contextually relevant Structural and Social Behavior change strategy to
guide effective integration in key sectors such as nutrition, health,
water systems, and governance – throughout the program’s cycle.
- Contribute to
and support the development of detailed implementation plans of gender and
social change interventions.
- Support field
research, learning and implementation of adolescent and youth
interventions ensuring the adoption of mechanisms and approaches that
enhance agency and leadership of adolescents and youth with a view to
challenge intergenerational cycles of poverty and persistent acute
malnutrition.
- Provide
oversight to the gender/social change program components at the sub-county
level, including undertaking field visits to oversee implementation and
generate field visit reports.
- Support in the
monitoring of project activities to ensure they are inclusive and support
reflection and adaptation to improve inclusion as required.
- Work with the
M&L team to ensure effective gender differentiated data is both
captured and documented.
- Identify and
support documentation of best practices and use them to profile the impact
of local level gender /social change approaches and promote sharing of
lessons.
- Contribute to
capacity strengthening initiatives in gender integration for the program
staff and partner organizations at Sub-County level.
- Represent the
project to internal and external partners including the county government
and other project partners and key stakeholders on relevant gender/ social
change information at Sub-County level
- Other duties, as
required.
Team management
- Create and
maintain a work environment where mutual respect among team members
prevails and where the pursuit of individual and collective excellence is
valued.
- Supervise
assistants, short-term consultants, enumerators and partners in various
field activities in gender, youth, social dynamics scope to deliver on
time and quality, from time to time.
- Promote
individual accountability and commitment by clearly and regularly
communicating and providing constructive feedback.
- Support field
level collaborative efforts and learning to drive overall effectiveness
and coherence of program operational strategies.
- Work
collaboratively with all consortium partner staff in delivering a
cohesive, integrated, gender and youth responsive program.
- Effectively
communicate the program’s best practices and learning to the County and
development stakeholders
Security
- 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.
Minimum
Qualification & Transferable Skills
- Degree in Social
Sciences, Gender and development studies or other relevant discipline.
- At least three
years of experience in designing, implementing gender integration
interventions, including a focus on youth and adolescents
- Training in
gender and youth responsive interventions.
- Demonstrated
in-depth understanding and application of technical principles and
concepts in gender integration that ensure proper
cross-sectoral/integrated approach.
- Familiarity with
principles and approaches in gender transformative approaches and
understanding of programs addressing persistent acute malnutrition
- Demonstrated
coordination, teamwork and planning skills with proven ability to function
effectively programs/projects in both the public and NGO sectors.
Success
factors/ essential skills:
- Initiative-taker,
multi-tasker, and able to work effectively and respectfully with local
government, private sector, civil society and donors.
- Demonstrated
experience in setting up and managing systems and procedures as well as
experience in building team commitment toward the achievements of program
objectives.
- Team-player with
positive attitude to problem solving and conflict resolution. Focused on
team building and capacity-building of program staff and will be able to
apply creative solutions to program quality.
- Ability to
juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines and to calmly and
diplomatically deal with unexpected events impacting program operations.