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DRC: Gender and Youth Advisor

Nov 5, 2019 | Mercy Corps
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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.

About Mercy Corps in the DRC

Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of over 400 people working in Eastern DRC, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to: 1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development. The DRC team has a strong commitment to providing entrepreneurial and innovative solutions to development challenges, and actively seeks and facilitates market-based solutions.

General Position Summary:

Mercy Corps is recruiting a Gender and Youth Advisor for a USAID-funded Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) implemented in the territories of Kabare and Kalehe, South Kivu Province –DR Congo. The FSP-Enyenya five-year project (October 2016- September 20121), implemented through a consortium of five partners, will improve food and nutrition security and economic well-being of vulnerable populations through outcomes focused on agriculture, natural resources, livelihoods, health, nutrition, WASH and governance.

The Gender and Youth Advisor is responsible for leading the implementation of gender and youth integration strategies aimed at ensuring that project activities result in positive outcomes for male and female participants of different age groups. S/he has overall responsibility for building team members’ and partners’ capacity to integrate a gender and youth perspective into project activities, and raising awareness of the importance of gender and youth integration.

The Gender and Youth Advisor works closely with sector team leads to ensure the effective and timely execution of activities related to gender and age- based access to opportunities. The Gender and Youth Advisor is also responsible for managing the FSP-Enyanya Safe Spaces and Literacy Programs.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

Strategy & Vision

  • Oversee the implementation of the gender and youth strategies aiming at ensuring that women and youth benefit equally from development efforts and increase their agency.
  • Promote the gender and youth strategies across the Program teams to encourage women and youth participation and leadership in agriculture and livelihood activities and community decision making.
  • Work closely with the Program Managers, MEL team and partners in integrating the lessons learned from the gender/youth activities into the project’s work plan.
  • Conduct regular community consultations to identify opportunities for innovation and/or strategy revision following the implementation of gender and youth activities and trainings.
  • Collaborate with the MEL department on gender/youth integration and analysis tools. Make recommendations based on assessment findings and regular monitoring to inform program strategies to better meet the needs of the project participants.
  • Contribute to any research conducted in the program to ensure gender and youth dynamics are fully represented.

Team Leadership and Program Management 

  • Work within the technical teams (agriculture and value chain, health and nutrition and governance), to ensure that a sound gender and youth perspective informs activity implementation.
  • Support the implementation of gender and youth program activities, in accordance with objectives and targets set for the Program, including the development of budgets, work plans, procurement plans, and monitoring and reporting plans.
  • Manage with his/her team the safe space for adolescent initiative and oversee the literacy component implemented through a local partner.
  • Develop targeted gender and youth capacity building interventions to promote integration with project staff and support project team in the development and delivery of training and capacity building on key gender and youth topics to project participants.
  • Coordinate with consortium partners to support activity implementation monitoring systems and provide regular, high-quality reports on program activities. Demonstrate progress of activities and capture lessons learned.
  • Conduct regular field visits to assess program strategy and progress toward objectives, facilitate collective problem solving with staff and other stakeholders to address challenges.
  • Create and sustain a work environment conducive to professional growth and of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
  • Set a team culture valuing learning and adaptive management in support of an ongoing resilience approach in programming
  • Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews with direct supervisees, and ensuring that supervisory staff do the same.
  • Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
  • Work closely with Human Resources team to ensure gender accountability is incorporated into the position descriptions of team members.
  • Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
  • Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.

Coordination and Representation 

  • Develop relationships and linkages with organizations implementing other donor-funded programs focused on gender and youth in South Kivu.
  • Collect and share learnings and best practices from this program with actors and in the Mercy Corps world.
  • Identify, build and manage collaborative relationships with consortium partners, donor, local governments and other stakeholders.

Security: 

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership

 Accountability to Beneficiaries:

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. 

Organizational learning:

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Knowledge and Experience:

  • MA/S or equivalent experience in international development, political science, women’s studies, economics, sociology or other relevant field.
  • 5-7 years’ experience in gender and youth development work including experience developing and conducting gender training, gender/youth mainstreaming.
  • Demonstrated ability to implement a program, manage a team and develop their capacities.
  • Demonstrated capacity to lead the collection, analysis and utilization of information from a broad range of sources to ensure effective integration of gender and youth concerns throughout the project’s duration. In-depth understanding of gender, age and other socio-cultural factors in the context of food security programming.
  • Ability to foster commitment and build capacity among project staff and in-country actors around gender and youth integration.
  • Experience in DRC or other sub-Saharan African countries strongly preferred
  • Fluency in French and English required.
  • Strong public speaking and facilitation skills required.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Success Factors: 

  • The successful candidate will have excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, with demonstrated ability to work effectively in complex environments. S/he will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative, participatory leadership and tactful decisiveness to assist in program implementation. Multi tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. S/he must have the confidence and humility to work effectively with a diverse group of people – as well as be sensitive to political and cultural nuance. S/he must be able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a variety of demanding and fast‐changing situations while working as part of a team and coordinate with program personnel.
  • Maintain high ethical standards and demonstrate an awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions: 

The position is based in Bukavu, DRC and requires up to 40% travel to program implementation areas in Kabare and Kalehe. The position is in non-accompanied status. The team member must follow all security protocols at all times. This position is eligible for R&R breaks.

Bukavu is a provincial capital of over 1,500,000 inhabitants. Living in Bukavu is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. Outside Bukavu, travel can be dangerous and unpredictable due to armed forces and rebel activity. While conditions in the country are improving, and security is quite stable in Bukavu, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity. Mercy Corps' sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods.