Gender&Inclusion Specialist

Background

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years and are now active in more than 75 countries.

Role Purpose

Plan International is committed to ensuring gender equality is core to our humanitarian work. Central to this is ensuring our work is analysed through a gender lens. 

The war in Ukraine lead to a major humanitarian crisis with over 3 million people having fled to neighbouring countries, and millions displaced within Ukraine. Plan International is responding to the crisis and working in partnership with civil society organisations in Ukraine to meet the key needs of those affected by the crisis as well as host communities. 

The Gender and Inclusion Specialist will play a key role in supporting the Ukraine office to ensure activities are gender responsive/transformative and will provide technical support and guidance to Plan International teams and partners in Ukraine. 

Dimensions of the Role

The Gender and Inclusion Specialist will provide technical advice to Programme Team, both on programme implementation and also technical quality.

The Gender and Inclusion Specialist will ensure that minimum gender standards are adhered to and will ensure  gender equality is incorporated in a meaningful way into the design, implementation and monitoring of  programmes in the Ukraine. The Gender and Inclusion Specialist will coordinate with implementing partners (local CSOs) to ensure quality implementation of gender responsive/transformative programming, provide technical support, guidance, conduct capacity co-sharing initiatives and create cross learning opportunities among partners and Plan International. The post holder will represent Plan International Ukraine in relevant external fora. 

Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance and lead on designing and producing gender-responsive knowledge generation with developing key recommendations for Plan International’s programming and the wider humanitarian sector.
• Map service provision in country and assess the quality and age- and gender-responsiveness of services, identifying areas where Plan International could provide additional support, including the identification and mapping of project partners who are experienced in the gender and inclusion sphere.
• Support the Partnership Coordinator in proactively building strong and meaningful relationships with current and potential partners and donors in the Gender and Inclusion space building strong coalitions working on gender and inclusion. 
• Provide technical input to the development of ongoing programme strategies, annual  plans and support the Business Development Manager with the drafting of quality project concept notes and proposals. 
• Advise the Programme Team on the application of Plan International’s gender transformative marker in projects, during the different stages of the project cycle including design, implementation and M&E
• Provide technical input and guidance to improve the design, monitoring, and impact of programmes recognising the specific gendered needs of all participants, with a particular focus on adolescents and girls.
• Conduct gender and inclusion assessments including the collection and promotion of good practices and lessons learned. 
• Lead socialization of Gender in Emergencies Minimum Standards with partners and Ukraine teams.
• Work with the Hub’s Advocacy Lead to develop strategies to reach girls and boys in all of their diversity and develop clear advocacy strategies raising the visibility of Plan International Ukraine as a leading girls’ rights organization in Ukraine.
• Guide and advise Plan International Ukraine with the development of tools to increase the participation of girls and/or to remove existing barriers and to create equal participation engaging men in social change processes.
• Build strong strategic relationships with external stakeholders, including government officials, UN agencies and development partners to position Plan International Ukraine as an influential leader on the promotion of gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.
• Ensure understanding and consistent application of Gender Transformation Marker in our programmes.
• Build capacity of country teams and implementing partners in better understanding gender transformation programming, supporting the implementation monitoring and evaluation of program from a gender transformative and inclusive lens with concrete guidance. 
• Develop training guidelines and sessions for Plan International Ukraine staff and project partners, raising the capacity and understanding of gender and inclusion.
• Provide gender and inclusion technical guidance to the Country Leadership Team in formulating country strategies and goals on gender and inclusion.
• Represent Plan International Ukraine with government departments, in-country donors, UN agencies, Cluster system (incl. GiHA Ukraine) and peers.

Key relationships

Internal

• Programme Technical Leads 
• Ukraine Response Hub
• National Organisations
• Global Hub departments (including gender, humanitarian, finance, legal, funding)

External

• Inter-agency Cluster Coordination Groups
• Local NGOs and Civil Society Organisations
• UN Agencies
• Institutional Donors and Host Government

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential

• University degree in gender studies, social sciences, law, political sciences or another related field. 
• Demonstrated experience of supporting gender in emergencies programming, or nexus/development programming and mainstreaming gender highly desirable.
• Prior experience working with young women’s groups, gender equality and human rights networks in Ukraine highly desirable.
• Knowledge of the international humanitarian sector and an understanding of humanitarian principles, standards and guidelines including SPHERE, IASC Gender in Humanitarian Action, GIE Minimum Standards.
• Experience in planning, design and implementation of integrated humanitarian programmes desirable. 
• Knowledge of advocacy and lobbying
• Excellent reporting skills, and inputting on funding submissions and donor reports.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and presentation skills with ability to multitask and coordinate with multiple stakeholders. 
• Experience in delivering trainings on gender equality issues to different stakeholders, using training participatory tools and methods. 
• Strong analytical skills and mixed methods research ability: ability to conduct literature reviews, secondary/primary data analysis, experience conducting focus group discussions and key informant interviews etc.
• Strong ability to think strategically and conceptually, analysing complex problems and hypothesizing theories of change. 
• External representation and communication skills, including strong self-awareness and excellent inter-personal communication, facilitation and partnership building skills.
• Strong English and Ukrainian language skills essential. Russian language skills also desirable 

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

• We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
• We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
• We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.