Country: Iraq
Closing date: 18 Apr 2018
Organizational Background:
Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is the global arm of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, a family of organizations that has been leading anti-poverty and social justice work in Chicago for more than 125 years. HAI’s offices in nearly a dozen countries implement programs on a range of global human rights issues, as well as the Chicago-based Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, which serves individuals from more than 50 countries. HAI has significant expertise in the fields of trauma-informed mental health care and access to justice for survivors of rights abuses. It is also an industry leader in access to high-quality and stigma-free health care. Across all of its programs, HAI promotes progressive, innovative approaches to human rights protections and gender equality.
HAI has been working in Iraq since 2004, helping victims of human rights abuses heal and access justice, and providing training and resources to help Iraqi human rights activists build capacity and strengthen local organizations. HAI is active in torture prevention and treatment, gender-based violence and suicide prevention, addressing the impacts of human trafficking, juvenile justice reform, LGBTI rights, mental health, refugee protection, and religious and ethnic minority rights. HAI’s team in Iraq is based in Iraqi Kurdistan, but is active throughout Iraq.
Overall responsibility
To help catalyze and strengthen women’s movements in Iraq, work at a high policy level on gender justice, and contribute to the achievements of HAI’s objectives and results related to gender set out in the 5-year Strategic plan by leading on the development, implementation and monitoring of HAI’s gender action plan in Iraq, with a priority on ensuring the quality and success of current and future programming for women’s leadership and gender justice.
The Gender Advisor will utilize his/her technical expertise in implementing advocacy programs, strengthening coalitions, and helping Iraqi and Kurdish women work on public policy issues. S/he will train professionals (legal, medical, journalists, etc.) on ethical approaches when working with victims of gender-based crimes, violence, etc. Negotiating progress and building consensus with multiple stakeholders of varying views around gender justice issues is also integral to the role.
S/he will also support the continued growth of expertise in and sensitivity to gender among HAI staff in Iraq, and directly contribute to the development and delivery of high quality programming towards gender equity and gender justice. The advisor will provide strategic input and advice on gender across the work of HAI in Iraq, contributing to an effective national and local response to gender justice and equity. Working with HAI’s Senior Gender Advisor in headquarters to accomplish HAI’s strategic objective in this area: to be recognized and influential as an organization that is resourceful and innovative in its approach to human rights and gender as key areas to development progress. The position will ensure that HAI’s perspective on gender is understood and shared by staff and partners, and that programs embody HAI’s mission and human rights principles. The Gender Advisor will be responsible for providing timely, regular, high-quality technical support to the Iraq office with both new and ongoing programs.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Gender in Legal, Advocacy, and Policy Work
Implement advocacy programs by strengthening coalitions of existing organizations or building new ones
Work on legislative and administrative advocacy, helping Iraqi and Kurdish women work on public policy
Attend cluster meetings and other UN/government coordination venues with an understanding of the international legal context for women’s rights (CEDAW, SCR 1325, etc.) and IASC standards for GBV programming
Train journalists, legal staff, and medical professionals on ethics, approaches, and documentation when working with victims of gender-based crimes and violence
Negotiate progress with conservative Islamic organizations/individuals/leaders and build consensus, using an acute cultural awareness throughout such processes
Map and foster relationships with in-country human rights/gender experts feminist organizations
Promote and/or cultivate relationships to grow a roster of human rights and gender experts/ advocates able to review and orient programming on a regular basis, provide advice, or run baselines, evaluations, etc.
Provide capacity building training and supervision to staff with responsibilities implementing gender sensitive activities
Provide the necessary technical assistance and guidance to ensure qualitative implementation of gender focused programming
Promote a gender-sensitive and rights based approach to HAI’s main areas of work, i.e. mental health, Access to Justice, human resource management, etc.
Provide technical assistance to partners in assessing the strength of their approach to gender and ensuring compliance to HAI’s expectations and policies in that regard
Research and contribute to the elaboration and implementation of progressive models of women’s empowerment, gender justice, etc. in Iraq
Gender Mainstreaming / Strategic Planning:
Provide support to country level strategic planning processes to mainstream gender in operations and programs, building the capacity of HAI staff in gender and promoting programmatic learning processes both internally and externally
Help promote HAI’s policy for inclusiveness, diversity and equal opportunity and other gender related internal policies, and lead efforts to develop, implement and learn from the most sensitive and progressive approaches to gender equity and gender justice.
Help refine all aspects of HAI’s Objective related to gender with in-country colleagues as they work to implement activities related to the country strategic plan.
Provide assistance to HAI’s Senior Gender Advisor and M&E Associate Director by collecting basic data on a set of indicators to estimate progress made at country level
Identify and collect country-based gender assessments, provide gender sensitive data and connections, lead gender analysis when needed
Supervise the rollout of HAI’s gender audits in Iraq and suggest necessary adjustment to policies, activities and targets to successfully reach strategic objective 4 on gender inclusivity.
As needed, in collaboration with HQ Senior Gender Advisor contribute to the development of case studies of successes and lessons learned, and other publications to highlight HAI’s niche areas of expertise and value added
As needed, support HQ Gender Advisor with developing guidance, tools, case studies, models, and other materials related to programming for gender justice to promote learning across country offices
Support the implementation of HAI’s policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, in collaboration with SHEA focal points.[1]
Stimulate live and continuous analysis of gender issues in the country office and program environment, including partners
Gender in Program Development:
- Develop scopes of work, project deliverables and monitoring and evaluation indicators and targets together with the country office, Program Development team, and HQ Gender Advisor for gender related grants and service delivery partners as required.
- Work within the program development team to ensure that a sound gender analysis informs program design and management, and identify strategic actions to be undertaken to improve the quality of program implementation
- Progressively ensure that all proposals are in line with HAI’s requirements, i.e. are gender sensitive and based on human rights, building the capacity of key personal using available toolkit
- As possible, represent HAI and its projects in professional and public settings, and conduct presentations at professional meetings and conferences.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or competency required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and/or Experience:
Post graduate degree in Gender, women’s economic empowerment, human rights or related domain,
A minimum of four years relevant work experience managing a gender portfolio
Experience in strengthening coalitions of existing organizations or building new ones
Experience in legislative and administrative advocacy
Experience in helping women in the Middle East work on public policy issues
Experience with and understanding of gender-based violence (GBV), gender, and human rights programming in the context of humanitarian assistance in the Middle East
Demonstrated acute cultural awareness and ability to negotiate progress and build consensus with conservative organizations/individuals
Understanding of the international legal context for women’s rights (CEDAW, SCR 1325, etc.), IASC standards for GBV programming, how the cluster system works, and how UN coordination systems operate
Knowledge and understanding of the institutional, legal (formal and customary law), and policy frameworks at national and local level that impact on the status of IDPs, women, LGBT and other vulnerable groups in Iraq
Experience working with and training journalists, legal staff, medical professionals, etc. on ethics and approaches when working with victims of gender-based crimes and violence
Experience responding to the needs of vulnerable and minority populations in Iraq / the Middle East, such as refugees, internally displaced persons / returnees, unaccompanied and separated children, LGBT individuals and survivors of human rights abuses
Program design and development experience preferred, including proposal writing
Demonstrated ability to train staff and implementing partners on gender
Experience in development of output and outcome level performance measurement indicators and targets related to gender equality and women’s leadership
Other Competencies:
Time Management – Ability to prioritize tasks, manage time and complete projects in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision.
Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness
Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches data
Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively;
Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events
Cultural Sensitivity – Respects cultural environment in which person is working and does not act in a manner that is outwardly offensive to the local community.
Language Skills:
Excellent oral and written English language communication skills required
Proficiency in oral and written Arabic and/or Kurdish
Demonstrated competency in public speaking preferred
Computer Skills:
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems
Proficiency in Excel, SPSS, or another statistical analysis software
Other software routinely used by Heartland Alliance
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
The employee may be required to remain on Organization premises during breaks and/or meal periods and may be required to stay on Organization premises until their replacement arrives.
The employee is required to travel regularly to often insecure and limited-resource environments.
Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the Organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September, 1987. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the Employee Services Office at +1 (312) 660-1431.
[1] HAI will provide training and resources on related subjects.
How to apply:
https://chk.tbe.taleo.net/chk01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=HEARTLANDALLIANCE&cws=38&rid=4845