Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor

providing leadership and technical expertise to support our development projects globally

POSITION TITLE	Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor providing leadership and technical expertise to support our development projects globally Bilingual position – requires a working knowledge of French and English
POSITION LOCATION	Option 1: Hybrid – work from home and our Ottawa Office Option 2: Remote – work from anywhere in Canada Option 3: From one of WUSC’s countries of operation The person selected will be offered an employment contract  from one of our global offices depending on their resident status (you must hold a valid work authorization – WUSC will not facilitate any work authorization process)
REPORTS TO	Director, Technical Services, Programs
CONTRACT TERM	Indeterminate, full-time permanent
SALARY LEVEL	A local salary and compensation package based on WUSC’s salary grid PRO3 or PRO4 (depending on experience) will be discussed during the selection process
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS	April 30, 2024, 09:00 ET

BACKGROUND

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization focusing on three programmatic areas: Economic Opportunities, Education, and Empowerment. Our vision is a better world for all young people. It is a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world in which all young people, especially women, and refugees, are empowered to secure a good quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities.

WUSC currently works in over 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $50 million. Globally, we partner with a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders who work with us to achieve our mission.

The Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor will play a strategic role in furthering WUSC’s GESI work. Specifically, they will provide gender and social inclusion analysis, support the development of GESI strategies in new projects, strengthen gender mainstreaming capacity across project teams, and ensure that WUSC programming addresses the unique needs of women, men, boys, girls, and gender-diverse individuals. In addition to supporting WUSC’s existing programs, the GESI advisor supports program development with the PD team. The role will require regular travel to WUSC’s various country offices and occasional travel for conferences, workshops, and meetings. 

The GESI Advisor will also develop resources and conduct training for WUSC staff, partners and volunteers to enable them to contribute to WUSC’s gender equality and social inclusion goals. Finally, the GESI Advisor will work to promote and maintain an organizational culture that advances gender equality.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

GESI Advice & Coaching to WUSC Programs and Projects

• Provide high-quality technical advice to diverse teams across a selection of the WUSC portfolio, including program delivery teams, building a solid evidence base for the implementation of gender-transformative approaches
• Provide coaching and support program staff in the development or revision of program/project-specific GESI strategies, plans, and activities
• Assist program staff in integrating GESI into project planning and management approaches (including results-based management tools) and propose strategies to increase project/program impact on GESI
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in existing GE practices, leading the development of improved systems, processes, and tools for improving our results in GESI
• Facilitate the use of GESI data to promote evidence-based learning, reflection, and decision-making within programs and projects
• Work with program managers & Monitoring and Evaluation Advisors to ensure that WUSC institutional and project Monitoring and Evaluation  systems ensure that GESI results are captured and reported to relevant stakeholders
• Create GESI resources (including training) and tools (i.e. tipsheets) to assist staff in effectively prioritizing and integrating GESI into their work

GESI Advice to New Programs

• Work with the Program Development unit to ensure the integration of GESI in new program design, including initial rapid gender equality & empowerment assessment, initial GESI strategy, and identification of GESI activities
• As required, lead the development of new proposals and programs that have a strong gender equality goal
• Support the development of PD strategies and pipeline in areas with strong gender outcomes – i.e., Gender Lens Investment or Care Economy support
• Ensure compliance of projects with donor requirements related to gender equality, social inclusion, and empowerment
• Recommend financial and human resources necessary to execute program and project GESI gender analyses and strategies
• Support new project inception planning, particularly the development of the program/ project-specific GESI analyses, strategies, and planning
• Support project teams in recruiting and strengthening capacity for project-specific gender equality advisors and officers

Internal & External Learning on GESI

• Participate in designing research and learning initiatives to build evidence around what works best with regard to GESI-focused interventions within our programs’ contexts
• Support the development of knowledge products to document and share key learnings from WUSC programs
• Liaise regularly with WUSC program-specific gender equality resources (staff/ consultants) to share best practices, tools, and organizational approaches to GESI; enhance lesson sharing and impact
• Participate in GESI-related working groups and maintain close working relationships with counterparts in other relevant international NGOs
• Engage with regional and global GESI communities of practice to ensure that projects are up to date with best practices as they evolve
• Oversee the work of consultancies as required by the organization

Other Duties

• Actively contribute to WUSC Communities of Practice and working groups
• Actively collaborate with WUSC Technical Advisors and other team members to integrate gender analysis into technical approaches to economic opportunities, education, and durable solutions for refugees
• Contribute to an open and inclusive culture within the organization by fostering and maintaining authentic relationships with peers based on mutual trust

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education

• Masters or equivalent in International Development or related fields
• Specific training in gender equality and social inclusion
• Formal education or non-formal training in systems thinking is preferred

Experience & Competencies

• A minimum of 7 years of active GESI work experience in development programming is required
• The ideal candidate will have a theoretical and practical background in GESI and be skilled in designing and conducting intersectional gender equality and social inclusion analyses and developing practical and actionable strategies and methodologies
• Understanding of complex intersectional approaches to understanding gender equality, including the articulation of sexual and gender diversity, ethnicity, race, class, ability and other areas of marginalization
• Extensive experience in one or more of WUSC’s core areas of programming: education, economic opportunities
• Knowledge of accountability, protection, women’s and children’s rights frameworks, and best practices
• Proven ability to work productively with a variety of stakeholders to facilitate participatory processes and meet tight deadlines with an emphasis on producing quality products
• Excellent capacity strengthening skills, with demonstrated experience in effective gender-transformative and inclusive training, coaching, and facilitation approaches
• Proven experience fostering organizational culture and accountability conducive to achieving gender equality and social inclusion outcomes
• Experience leading or contributing to proposal development and program development activities.
• Experience working with Global Affairs Canada and other key international donors, like UK FCDO, Mastercard Foundation, and USAID would be considered a strong asset 
• Flexibility to work with global teams;  virtual collaboration and frequent international travel  

Language Proficiency: Fluency in English and French, written and spoken (Bilingual position – requires a working knowledge of French and English. To qualify, you must be able to speak, read, and write in your second official language at the intermediate level) 

Contract Term: Indeterminate, full-time permanent; the person selected will be offered an employment contract  from one of our global offices depending on their resident status (you must hold a valid work authorization – WUSC will not facilitate any work authorization process).

Salary Level: A local salary and compensation package based on WUSC’s salary grid PRO3 or PRO4 Level (depending on experience)) will be discussed during the selection process

APPLICATIONS

WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce.  We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations.  Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment. 

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer.  We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.  No telephone calls please.

Person must be legally authorized to work in Canada or in one of WUSC’s Countries of operations (Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Ghana, Guyana, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, South Sudan and Uganda)

Closing date for applications:  April  30, 2024, 09:00 ET

Click here to apply