Gender Expert, Kenya 212 views0 applications

Organizational Profile

Fondazione L’Albero della Vita – The Tree of Life Kenya is an organization registered in Kenya as a Trust with the aim of ensuring the wellbeing, protection and promotion of the rights of children and their families and encouraging community development.

The Tree of Life envisions a world without poverty where children can enjoy their rights; grow up in a safe environment, protected from all kinds of violence and abuse, with access to equal opportunities.

The organization has been working in Kenya since 2011, focusing on the sectors of Child Protection, Education and safeguarding of children.

The Tree of Life has been operating in the space of Juvenile Justice, Care Reform, Alternative Family Care, TVET and job inclusion for vulnerable youth, as well as improving education, Wash, nutrition and health services in the ASAL and in the informal settlements of Nairobi.

The Tree of Life has recently started a new program in Kenya in collaboration with several Kenyan Government Departments, and national and international partners. The project, entitled “RISE”, is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and aims at activating and strengthening formal, inclusive educational services, personal and professional development and sexual and reproductive health pathways to children and youth, both vulnerable and in conflict with the law in Kenya, focusing on the role of Government institutions, educative communities and the private sector. The proposed action is part of a framework of major structural changes in Kenya in the field of Education (reform of the education system), Protection (Care Reform) and the juvenile / child justice system (Restorative Justice, ADR).

In addition, the Tree of Life is committed to develop new programs and work streams in Kenya focused on Gender and Women empowerment, while mainstreaming gender aspects into all relevant components of the ongoing projects.

Job Title: Gender Expert, Kenya – consultancy

Brief Description of the Role: the Tree of Life is looking for a passionate and driven individual to fill the role of Gender expert based in Kenya.

The person will be responsible for an effective and fair gender mainstreaming process across the RISE project and will be in charge of carrying out a feasibility study to develop and start up a new work stream and program of Tree of Life specifically dedicated to gender and women empowerment in Kenya.

Supervisor: Programme Coordinator and Regional Representative.

Duty station: Nairobi, with travels in different project’s target areas if and when required.
Tree of Life will provide an office space to support day to day work and perform the deliverables.

At least half of the consultancy period has to be performed from Tree of Life office to facilitate coordination and teamwork.

Starting date: expected starting date is17th January 2023.

Duration of the assignment: at least 12 months, to be distributed into 2 phases.

The assignment is expected to be renewed and extended to a 3rd phase.

Working hours of the consultancy will be discussed and agreed upon.

Deadline for application: 5th December 2022.

Type of Contract: Contract under consultancy, as per Kenyan labor law.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Collect, review and analyse all the necessary documents and information to fully understand the background, expertise, previous and current operations of Tree of Life in Kenya.
• Collect, review and analyse all the necessary documents and information to fully understand the background and the main achievements expected by the 3-years “RISE” project.
• Conduct a gender assessment across the “RISE” project to develop a written Gender integration & implementation plan that blends and ensures a comprehensive, effective and fair gender mainstreaming process across the whole project, for the entire duration and in all its components.
• Prepare adequate work and implementation plans of the Gender Plan activities, in synergy with all project’s components and in close coordination with the project team.
• Serve as the team lead and oversees the roll out of the Gender Plan; regularly review the Gender plan to monitor its implementation, ensuring the smooth running of the gender mainstreaming, tracking progress on its specific activities and the achievement of related indicators, advise the project’s team and review/update the Gender plan on the basis of the context and the project’s progress & needs.
• Propose and develop corrective actions in the area of Gender within the RISE project & submit amendments to the Program Coordinator when needed, ensuring program quality, timely submission of deliverables and compliance with requirements.
• Participate in the implementation of the monitoring and evaluation plan of all project activities together with the RISE project staff.
• Support measuring project’s impact on gender using metrics (such as retention rate, skills acquisition, employability impact, GBV mitigation, stakeholder feedback, etc.).
• Development and application of gender responsive tools, methodologies and knowledge products to enhance the capacity of Tree of Life staff on gender mainstreaming.
• Support Gender capacity development efforts and trainings for RISE project team, partners, government departments and other relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct a literature review on existing gender assessments (country, region and donors based.)
• Provide leadership and advices to the Tree of Life team with the aim of conceiving, developing, and carrying out an innovative program focused on Gender and Women’s empowerment in Kenya, with attention to the role of men, as well as linkages with environment and health. Gender-sensitive solutions and strategies must be at the core of the work and reflect realistic promotion of gender equality and the prevention of Gender-Based Violence, while empowering women.
• Properly and attentively, analyse the current Kenyan public and target, in order to support the development of an effective and adequate communication strategy on women and gender both for public and private sectors, in collaboration with the ToL team.
• Carry out stakeholder analysis and mapping, with specific focus on issues related to gender and women, to bring out the roles and responsibilities of key actors and institutions that play or could potentially play a vital aspect in the funding and the implementation of gender and women programs.
• Facilitate networking with other stakeholders active in the field of Gender and Women, supporting the creation of linkages and partnerships with government, CSOs, UN agencies, donors, private entities and any other relevant actor.
• Contribute to the development and the preparation of concept papers and project proposal to expand projects and donors’ portfolio on Gender and Women.
• Support the drafting and the dissemination of position papers, case studies on gender issues and their dissemination among key stakeholders.
• Develop regular, timely and complete reports and maintain a high degree of consistency, accuracy, relevance, compliance with donor’s and Tree of Life guidelines.
• Any other duty as required by the supervisor in line with the consultancy and relevant to the achievement of the Tree of Life objectives.

Key expected Deliverables and output:

• Gender assessment analysis and report across the RISE project.
• Written Gender integration & implementation plan, related monitoring tools and actions, including specific gender-focused and gender sensitive interventions indicators and measurement of project’s impact on gender; Gender considerations fully mainstreamed into the RISE project;
• Provision of a set of trainings to support Gender capacity development efforts of ToL staff and other partners and stakeholders.
• Technical Support in developing knowledge products (research/study/Audio/Visual etc.).
• Set of gender responsive tools, methodologies and knowledge products on gender mainstreaming.
• Analysis of the Kenyan public and target, for an adequate communication strategy on women and gender both for public and private sectors.
• Literature review on existing gender assessments (country, region and donors based).
• Development of an in-depth feasibility study to conceive and carry out an innovative program focused on Gender and Women’s empowerment in Kenya.
• Stakeholder and donors’ analysis and mapping, with specific focus on gender and women.
• Holding and participating to regular meetings; participation to at least 24 meetings, consultations, working groups to facilitate networking with other stakeholders active in the field of Gender and Women, supporting the creation of linkages and partnerships.
• Co-development of at least 2 CN/project proposal and 1 position paper.
• Regular reports on the progress of the consultancy and the gender-related RISE project’s activities.
• Complete full reports after each consultancy phase.
• Perform any other tasks required by the supervisor(s).

Requirements

Experience

• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience at the national or international level with NGOs, UN Agencies, Development Partners, and with donor-funded programs.
• Experience working as a gender consultant for at least 3 years.
• Proven experience working directly with grants programs and other activities specifically focused on gender and women.
• Experience in developing gender-sensitive indicators as well as in monitoring and evaluation methods.
• Proven experience in the development of Feasibility studies and conception of new programs related to Gender and Women.
• Proven track record of creating linkages with donors, Government agencies, learning institutions, civil society organizations and private sector stakeholders.
• Experience of working with diverse teams, as well as ability to work with partners using effective interpersonal and communication skills.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Advanced University degree in social sciences, human rights, gender/ women’s studies, international development, or a related field is required from a reputable University.
• An understanding of the context of gender and women with significant recent experience in Kenya and East Africa on gender analysis and/or other linked sector areas such as Economic Growth, Health and Education, environment, and/or Democracy and Governance.
• Experience working on environment, health and economic programs from a gender lens is a plus.
• Knowledge of AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) and other global strategies for gender empowerment and equity is an asset.
• Background knowledge on development issues and /or areas related to Care reforms, child justice and youth empowerment would be a strong asset.
• Proven ability to work under pressure and to meet management deadlines.
• Ability to work independently, suggest practical solutions and follow-up effectively on decisions.
• Good planning skills, pro-activity, creativity, and ability to meet the established deadlines.
• Good organizational and facilitating skills for the coaching sessions.
• Ability to build key relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Computer skills (Microsoft office word, excel, etc.).
• Excellent spoken and written English and Swahili.
• Motivated by our vision of creating a world where everyone is an educator, and where Children are the key actors of human and social development, being a faithful reflection of the past, present and future of the growth process.

Other Skills Required

• Honesty and strong ethics are required in order to be successful in this position.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, participatory approach and sustainable development.
• Planning and management skills.

Confidentiality

Employees must sign a child Safeguarding Policy and a confidentiality agreement, and may not share organizational materials without the express written permission from a supervisor.

Respect – the Tree of Life aims to always show respect and appreciation for team members, Partners and all.