Oxfam Syria is looking for Gender Advisor

Gender mainstreaming and gender justice

Strategic programming:

• Provide direct technical support and advice to the Syria Country Office on mainstreaming gender in design, management, monitoring and evaluation of programmes.
• Lead the implementation of Oxfam’s long term gender justice strategy which is relevant and adapted to the current context
• In line with the current OCS, provide strategic leadership in the implementation of specific gender-focused activities aiming at increasing women and girls’ agency to mitigate the negative impact of discrimination and injustice through the creation of spaces and opportunities to lead on matters that affect their lives
• Lead on strategic thinking and planning on gender justice and gender transformative interventions linked to food security , women’s economic empowerment and WASH.
• Provide technical support to technical leads on thematic areas of women’s participation, gender justice interventions, ending violence against women, access to legal justice.
• Coordinate and work closely with the Protection Advisor to integrate gender and protection work where relevant and create synergies and integration between gender justice and protection in order to enhance impact.

Programme design, gender partnership development:

• Lead on proposal development of gender specific interventions providing technical input and advise.
• Mapping of potential women’s rights partners and assess gender capacity of partners.
• Build and nurture partnerships with WROs and WLOs
• Conduct assessment, selection and capacity building of potential partners: gender civil society organisations / women’s organisations; support partners on their Gender Policy and Strategy
• Provide strategic gender analysis for programming and advocacy on an on-going basis. Use relevant analytical tools and techniques to maintain clear and in-depth understanding of the gender environment in Syria. This includes monitoring the socio-political context and carry out political economy analysis, power analysis related to gender issues, etc, to inform programming adequately.
• Ensure gender analysis are carried out systematically throughout the Oxfam’s field offices and that proposals and reports addresses gender in a significant and meaningful way.

Influencing, representation and coordination:

• Work with the Advocacy team to develop policy positions on key gender issues in humanitarian and development interventions in Syria.
• Lead the articulation of gender specific advocacy/influencing aspects and contribute to the achievement of OCS’s aspects related to creating spaces for women with duty bearers.
• Represent Oxfam in the Gender related clusters and coordination structures and provide significant technical inputs in those fora (including women’s groups, local NGOs, INGOs, UNW, government etc). Represent Oxfam in other spaces as required.

• Liaise and coordinates with local authorities when and where needed in order to advance the implementation of gender justice interventions.

Capacity Building and Matrix Management

• Capacity building (training, mentoring etc.) of partner organisations on gender in emergencies minimum standards and gender justice.
• Build the capacity of all OXFAM staff on how to integrate gender justice aspects from a programmatic perspective through training, guidance, one-on-one support, and orientation on the use of Gender, Gender in WASH, Gender in EFSVL, and GBV handbooks and checklists in all OXFAM focus areas

• Matrix manage and work with gender officers so that gender justice and gender mainstreaming is ensured in all the work Oxfam does in Syria.
• Encourage inter team collaboration and learning to integrate gender in all Oxfam work.

Learning and measuring impact

• In collaboration with the MEAL Advisor, ensure that there are systems in place and used by the gender officers to monitor, document and measure impact of gender mainstream and gender justice interventions.
• Ensure there is systematic and documented, participatory review and learning on successes and challenges to improve effectiveness and share good practice on gender programing in Syria. Make sure those learnings are shared with the wider Syria team and the MENA region.
• Accountable for the achievement of the outcome level impact identified in the OCS on gender programming.

Any other duties that may be reasonably required of the postholder

Essential:

•  Thinking and understanding - Conceptual thinking, critical information gathering, knowledge management, analytical thinking, organisational awareness.
• Working effectively with others - Influencing others, supporting others and communication.
• Leading others - Motivating others and developing others.
• Self-management - Respect for others and managing emotions.
• Achieving results – Initiative.

In addition:

• Advanced level in international development or gender related degree or relevant work experience.
• At least 5 to 8 years’ relevant experience in a similar role which entails managing gender/women empowerment portfolio or projects
• Significant expertise and knowledge of gender issues in the Middle East and particularly in Syria.
• Demonstrated practical experience in gender analysis, needs assessment and mainstreaming gender into public health and/or livelihoods programmes in humanitarian and/or development settings in the Middle East or Syria.
• Highly developed strategic thinking and planning skills to incorporate gender justice and gender transformative agenda into humanitarian and early recovery programming.
• Evidence of capacity to develop capacity building plans and deliver customised high-quality training to local and national NGOs.
• Wide experience in designing various gender program types and including both theoretical knowledge and practical implementation
• Proven significant experience in matrix or direct management of teams and on the job, hands on, capacity building.
• Excellent communication skills to lead in building relationships with key external/internal contacts. Capacity to explain complex issues in simple & relevant terms.
• Experience in coordination and representation in thematic fora, clusters and other coordination spaces in aid architecture.
• Excellent written & spoken English and Arabic

Desirable:

• Experience in gender programming in other countries outside the Middle East
• Work experience in a WRO or a WLO

We offer:

 We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.