Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Specialist

Company Description

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is a not-for-profit international development organisation. Founded in the Netherlands in 1965, we have built a long-term, local presence in countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors work with local partners to equip communities, businesses and organisations with the tools, knowledge and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services – empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own development. SNV has been working in Nepal since 1980 and is active in Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

SNV is seeking qualified Nepalese for Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Specialist for the USAID Paani Program, also known as the पानी परियोजना, is a 5 year, $25 million project in Nepal. Water is the single most important natural resource underpinning Nepal’s economy and livelihoods. The sustainable management of water resources in Nepal depends on addressing climate change and protecting healthy, biodiverse ecosystems. Paani aims to enhance Nepal’s ability to manage water resources for multiple uses and users through climate change adaptation and the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. Paani focuses at the watershed, basin, and national scales. The project has approximately $5 million in grants and activity procurements. Its goal will be reached by meeting the following objectives:

• Reduce threats to freshwater biodiversity in the Karnali, Mahakali, and Rapti river basins.
• Increase the ability of targeted human and ecological communities to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change through improved water management.

These objectives will be accomplished through 11 strategic approaches and supporting activities, as defined in Section C, Statement of Work (SOW) of the Paani Contract and annual work plans, which provide the framework and overall guidance for all Paani team members.   

At the watershed level, watershed profiles/health reports will provide the basis for action plans that define objectives, actions, roles and responsibilities for the Paani team, its partners, and collaborating stakeholders.  They will also serve as the basis for refining monitoring and evaluation indicators and milestones to assess progress. The essential element in the profiling process is participation and ownership by each watershed’s communities and the stakeholders active in each watershed.  This “ownership” ensures stakeholder commitment to attaining Paani’s above-noted biodiversity and climate change objectives. 

Based on Paani’s GESI Assessment findings, the candidate will integrate GESI strategies into Paani’s focus areas, specifically: fisheries management, conservation management plans, building ecological and human resilience, sustainable infrastructure development on river systems, and planning tools.  

Job Description:

Position Overview

The Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Specialist is the primary team member responsible for ensuring effective focus on women and marginalized groups as community leaders in Paani’s approach and throughout Paani management and staffing, annual work-planning, interventions, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).  Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Party (COP), the GESI Specialist is responsible for building the team’s capacity to take responsibility for implementing gender sensitive activities and interventions, including those set forth in the Paani GESI Strategic and Action Plan (pp.  50-52 of the Contract SOW). 

The GESI Specialist is responsible for increasing the understanding of GESI issues with respect to water resources management in the Nepal context.  In addition to a start-up GESI assessment (Task 4.1.8 in the Contract SOW), the GESI Specialist will ensure that a GESI perspective is applied to all studies—to identify power imbalances and understand marginalized groups’ needs, interests, and vulnerabilities—and that Paani’s outreach and communication products engage women, youth, groups with low literacy rates, and other marginalized groups. In this regard a lot of work has been undertaken already and the main responsibility will be to implement the strategy and ensure women and socially excluded groups will benefit from the project. The candidate will help Paani balance conservation initiatives against the socio-economic needs of natural resource-dependent marginalized groups in rural communities.

The GESI Specialist works under the direction of the DCOP and the overall guidance of the Chief of Party.  The Contract’s GESI Action Plan provides a framework and specific guidance.  The GESI Specialist will be based in Kathmandu, with frequent travel to and throughout the Karnali, Mahakali, and Rapti River basins and will be supported by A GESI Field Officer, based in Nepalgunj Paani office.

Responsibilities:

The GESI Specialist’s specific responsibilities will be carried out in consultation and/or collaboration with other team members and stakeholders as needed. They may change as project needs are defined during the contract period.  Responsibilities include but are not limited to, the following:

• Based on GESI issues informed by the Paani watershed profile activity, cause and impact analysis of gender and caste-based access to and use of water resources, as per Task 4.1.8, the GESI Specialist will lead and  further inform Paani targeted GESI interventions as identified in December 2018.
• Based on the recently developed strategy refine as appropriate the draft GESI action plan based on 4.1.8 study, and effectively implement Paani GESI action plan.
• Design and deliver training and build capacity among staff, government partners and sub-grantees so that all staff members take responsibility for implementing gender sensitive activities and interventions.  In particular, design and carry out training on how to ensure that resources are being distributed equitably in order to reach all project participants.  Strengthen awareness of gender and caste dynamics that may occur within the Paani team and its relationships with stakeholders. 
• Guide annual work planning to ensure that men, women, and vulnerable social groups’ relationships and livelihoods are examined and considered. Review all activity plans before they are submitted to USAID.
• Develop and make use of GESI operational guidelines, tool kits and check lists designed for each specific thematic areas/Strategic Approaches of the program.
• Work with project personnel, government, gender working groups (GWGs), partners and community groups to sensitize and engage men and boys in promoting leadership of women and marginalized groups in the home and in the community.
• Support WECS and other relevant government bodies to produce clear guidelines and responsibilities for implementing existing GESI policies; support government bodies to assess and correct guidelines and policies that are failing to meet established targets, such as the 33% membership of women in Irrigation Users Associations.  
• Work with Paani’s strategic partners to increase representation of women and marginalized groups in various local level committees/groups and build their capacity on community based natural resource management (NRM), fresh water biodiversity, watershed and river basin monitoring, organizational management and leadership development.
• Work in encouraging GESI sensitive community level policy changes thereby raising their concerns in policy discourse such as policy dialogues/advocacy events.
• Hold a series and numbers of group meetings, events, roundtable discussions and training sessions at times and locations in which women and vulnerable social groups of people will be able to attend to surface the problems and potential solutions to accessing the eco-services they need.
• Coordinate with the Paani Capacity Building and Higher Education Specialist to identify opportunities for training, outreach, wider dissemination of findings, and soliciting feedback with due consideration to women and vulnerable social groups.
• Work with the Paani Communications Specialist to identify opportunities to use radio programs, newspaper advertisement, and pictorial forms for education and communication materials with emphasis to women and vulnerable social groups.
• Review all Paani-supported research project designs and Paani-supported educational curriculum to assure they were designed with a GESI sensitive approach.
• Promote knowledge sharing and learning culture within Paani with respect to various aspects of GESI.
• Take lead role to provide programmatic advice to Paani and relevant stakeholders regarding GESI issues. Provide technical support and input for the implementation of activities related to all Paani SAs and outcomes in order to ensure that they are consistent with GESI principles, policies and strategies.
• Work to incorporate GESI responsibilities in ToRs of Paani staff with emphasis to having workforce diversity in the program.
• The GESI specialist will coordinate closely with the Gender advisor based in Nepalgunj.

Required Qualifications:

Education Qualifications

• Masters degree in related field

Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience of working in relevant field
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience (minimum of 5 years) of GESI and environmental issues
• Strong analytical, data gathering and community interaction skills
• Knowledge and skills in planning, monitoring, training, organising and leading workshops,
• Adequate IT skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office to be able to complete project monitoring and reporting requirements
• Ability to lead and synergize the efforts of a multi- disciplinary team
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills in multi- stakeholder environment
• Experience of working with local partners, including government agencies, development partners and civil society organisations
• Aspiring for good service delivery with strong people centred skills, interpersonal skills, committed, proactive and dynamic.
• Professional level English proficiency, Verbal and Written.

Additional Information

Contract Type: Employment Contract

Period of Performance : up to December 2020

Expected Start Date : As soon as possible

Duty Station : Paani Program office, Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Nepal

How to Apply: If you are interested, we invite you to apply by uploading your CV and motivation letter in http://smrtr.io/YYjV by 24 February 2019.

ONLY SHORTLIST CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.

For more information on SNV, please refer to our website: www.snv.org