Transformative Change and GESI Specialist

Job Title

Transformative Change and GESI Specialist

Division

International Development Services

Duration

Full time; up to end of 2022; with yearly extension of contract depending on the performance.

Location

Kathmandu

Job Profile

Mott MacDonald is an employee-owned management, development and engineering consultancy serving the public and private sector around the world, with more than 16,000 staff worldwide. Our International Development Services Unit, IDS, operates portfolios within the international development sectors of Environment, Climate, Water, Roads, Rural & Urban Development, Education, Health, Social and Economic Development in over 40 countries. Together we implement and manage projects in developing countries and emerging economies around the world, supporting national governments and municipalities in policy, planning, project design and delivery. We are committed to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to provide our expertise to improve the lives of people in need.

Mott MacDonald is managing the FCDO-funded programme: ‘Purnima: UK Support to Post-Earthquake Recovery in Nepal’ in four Districts (Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, and Rasuwa). This programme aims to achieve long-term positive change in the lives of people in earthquake-affected regions of Nepal.

The implementation phase of the programme is commenced in July 2018 for a 4.5-year duration and will work in 41 rural and urban municipalities. It comprises different Output Areas:

1. Support and capacity building to Government at central, district and local level in reconstruction planning.
2. Reconstruction of rural infrastructure, including water supply, foot trails, footbridges, schools, and potentially other types of infrastructure.
3. Mobilizing and managing a Challenge Fund to leave no-one behind in the reconstruction and economic recovery effort by working together with local governments, private sectors and vulnerable groups and communities.
4. Monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Purnima has linked these outputs into two thematic areas: “build back better” and “leave no one behind” so that reconstruction benefits everyone and they are in a better state than before the earthquake. The impact of the earthquake was felt most severely by women and the most vulnerable members of society. It is essential the gender equality and social inclusion issues are covered explicitly in all output areas and mainstreamed across activities undertaken through the programme. The project also aims to stimulate transformative change for women and girls, in social, economic, and political arenas by mainstreaming transformative change across all output areas activities.  

Job Description

Reporting to the Purnima Team Leader, and with strategic guidance from in and collaboration with the International Gender and LNOB Advisor, the Purnima Transformative Change / GESI Specialist will have the following responsibilities:

1. Supporting and guiding gender mainstreaming across the Purnima project

• -Work closely with all outputs to carry out Transformative / GESI mainstreaming activities in respective Output
• -Orient all Output and Partners on the GESI mainstreaming and Transformative Change Strategy
• -Track progress against the Strategy and update as required but not less than annually
• -Proactively identify ways and entry points through which Purnima’s Outputs can strengthen their programming to maximise GESI-responsiveness
• -Capacity building and coaching with project staff and implementing partners as required on gender mainstreaming and specific areas of intervention
• -Support GESI-responsive monitoring and reporting across Purnima Outputs
• -Organise and facilitate GESI meetings between implementing partners and Purnima staff
• -Keep abreast of emerging research, issues and information on Transformation change of women and girls and GESI issues and share with staff and Partners
• -Prepare a ‘gender situation analysis’ of the four Purnima project Districts
• -Work with communication specialist to prepare and disseminate documents on transformative change outcomes
• -Undertake other activities in relation to Transformation change and GESI as required for the project

2. Management of activities for transformative change for women and girls (under the Transformative Change)

• -Provide ongoing oversight and technical-backstopping for the implementation of GESI / Transformation activities under different output areas, including deliverables, quality control, technical support, monitoring evaluation and learning (MEL)
• -Regular field visits and ongoing communication to support implementation, capacity building and monitoring

3. Supporting for women’s political, social and economic empowerment across the programme

The Transformative change / GESI specialist will contribute to achieve women’s socio-political and economic empowerment by providing management guidelines and technical oversight to the implementing partners. The objective is to achieve socio-political and economic transformative impacts on women, and not just to provide direct benefits to a small number of individuals. Thus, the responsibilities under this component is to:

• -Identify and recommend specific activities / interventions which will result in transformative change for women through political, social and economic empowerment.

• -Work and collaborate with all Output Areas of Purnima to explore, analyse and recommend opportunities for the promotion of women mainstreaming and empowerment in respective Area.
• -Identify window of opportunities in each Output Area for effective and efficient utilization of activities to mainstreaming transformation / GESI into the respective area (leveraging the existing Output activities)
• -Identify areas of collaboration with local government to support women’s political, social and economic transformation change and mainstreaming these activities in the Purnima’s areas of work.
• -All these should be designed and recommended in coherent, workable and measurable ways for fostering women's political, social and economic transformation. 

Candidate Specification

Experience and qualifications:

• -Senior-level GESI technical expertise and academic qualifications
• -Experience of managing GESI / Transformative change projects/project components with multiple simultaneous activities
• -Good understanding on the concept of ‘Transformative Change for women and girls’ and practical knowledge to implement / achieve them
• -Experience providing strategic guidance and direction on gender/GESI-responsive programming; being able to show evidence of the impact of that guidance/direction is a plus
• -Demonstrable working knowledge of the economic, political and social situation in Dhading, Gorkha, Nuwakot and Rasuwa from a gender perspective
• -Demonstrable working knowledge of women’s empowerment strategies in the public and private sector, social norms/attitude change and enhancing women’s political voice and participation is a considerable advantage
• -Experience with field work/visits in various areas of Nepal is an advantage
• -Experience of training and capacity building in gender/GESI an advantage
• -Experience of inclusion/disability related work is an advantage
• -Experience of working on large-scale development partner funded activities, in particular UKAid, is an advantage
• -The successful candidate will be able to work independently as well as in consultation and collaboration with Purnima team members and technical advisory consultants.