Senior Advisor Gender Equality

Reporting to the Head of Gender Equality and Program Impact, this position plays a leadership role in supporting the implementation of Save the Children’s Gender Equality Policy and the development, implementation and evaluation of Save the Children Canada’s programming portfolio.

The Senior Gender Equality Advisor distills learnings from this portfolio to produce programming guidance and evidence on gender-transformative programming, thought leadership, and compelling fundraising proposals. The Senior Gender Equality Advisor stays abreast of industry developments and maintains relationships with key players in the Gender Equality space, both in Canada and at the international level.

This position will also lead engagement in the Canadian international development Gender Equality sector as well as the greater Save the Children network. The Senior Gender Equality Advisor represents Save the Children Canada and provides strategic leadership on Gender Equality within Save the Children’s Technical Working Groups as well as within the Canadian sector.

The Senior Gender Equality Advisor provides people leadership to the Gender Equality team in Canada, in addition to guiding the work of other Thematic Advisors working in development and humanitarian projects. The Senior Gender Equality Advisor will also help support Save the Children’s policy advocacy work, including profiling with the Canadian Government. When COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted, the Senior Gender Equality Advisor will be expected to travel internationally on a regular basis, including in fragile contexts and/or remote areas. 

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

Thematic & Strategic Leadership, Portfolio Oversight and Technical Quality Assurance:  

  • Lead the development and monitoring of the organization’s gender equality program vision and impact strategy.
  • Provide leadership and strategic oversight of the organizations’ gender equality portfolio.
  • Lead the translation of organizational gender equality strategy into concrete objectives and initiatives.
  • Maintain line of sight on technical quality at the country level through effective relationships with Regional and Country offices, enabling timely provision of technical input and oversight.
  • Manage and acquire strategic partnerships with research and technical partners in the area of gender equality.
  • Lead the development, dissemination and monitoring of program quality tools including supporting program evaluations in the area of gender equality.
  • Collaborate globally with Save the Children peers and participate in relevant gender equality initiatives and working groups to achieve thematic outcomes and drive Save the Children breakthroughs.
  • Representation on relevant Technical Working Groups within Canada and within Save the Children, in leadership and/or support roles.
  • Provide strategic advisory support to SCC senior leadership related to gender equality.
  • Provide support to the leadership and delivery of Save the Children Common Approaches in the area of gender equality.

Business Development and Donor Engagement:   

  • New opportunity generation from institutional and private sources and assessment for funding gender equality programs in alignment to global and strategic plan and growth targets.
  • Lead proposal development and technical oversight, leveraging technical expertise and project learnings from Save the Children programs in gender equality.
  • Design relevant technical tools for business development in addition to socializing them with the business development and technical teams while also providing oversight on their use.
  • Support Country Offices to build Save the Children Common Approaches into project design.
  • Cultivate and strengthen relationships with key funders/donors, research institutes, peer NGO agencies, partners, and sector thought leaders in the gender equality sector.

Advocacy and Communications

  • Support the development and execution of advocacy strategy to influence policy changes and resource mobilization, including producing high quality thought leadership materials and leading positioning activities such as representation at industry panels, presentations to donors, participation in external practitioner networks, and global Working Groups.
  • Support the production of high quality thought leadership materials and other products to engage the public around gender equality initiatives.
  • Act as a spokesperson for the organization around gender equality issues.

Program Learning & Innovation:  

  • Lead the design, testing, and evaluation of innovations to advance gender-transformative and gender equality programming.
  • Distill learnings and evidence generated into succinct and compelling programmatic guidance and thought leadership for internal and external consumption.
  • Monitor developments in the sector and field to develop and refine program models and identify new research opportunities.
  • Co-lead program impact initiatives on gender equality with the objective of generating compelling evidence on the organization’s gender equality programming portfolio, informing quality program design and implementation as well as innovations and best practice.
  • Share results, evidence and learnings of Save the Children Common Approaches implementation with key internal and external stakeholders.

Staff Management, Capacity Strengthening and Mentoring:

  • Lead the Gender Equality team in Canada to support strategic organizational goals.
  • Provide mentoring and coaching, actively supporting the professional development of International Programs employees and their efforts to build knowledge of gender-transformative and gender equality programming.
  • In compliance with HR policies and the Collective Agreement, lead employees using a performance management process that includes performance goal setting, timely feedback, and recognition.
  • Manage new employees onboarding, ensuring employees receive relevant training and tools to be successful in their roles.  
  • Model behaviours consistent with Save the Children values, actively creating an organizational culture that reflects the organization’s values and principles.
  • Managerial responsibilities of ensuring health and safety, proactive risk management through organizational policy enforcement and maintaining currency of organizational policies and procedures, and integrating Child Safeguarding practices across our work.

Qualifications & Competencies (include but are not limited to):

Experience

  • Completion of University Degree, plus post-graduate degree or professional designation in Master of Gender/Women’s Studies, Social Work, International Development or related field.
  • 10+ years’ work experience in international development, with a focus on gender equality.
  • 3 years of experience in people management.
  • Demonstrated experience in developing and executing strategic plans in the area of gender equality;
  • Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing and evaluation gender-transformative programs in the areas of sexual and reproductive health & rights, nutrition, education, child protection, gender-based violence and/or livelihoods;
  • Demonstrated field experience working directly on project implementation;
  • Successful proposal development track record, with prior experience with Global Affairs Canada (GAC)-funded projects; knowledge of GAC policies and procedures; knowledge of Results-Based Management (RBM) approach;
  • Experience in developing organizational policy positions and supporting the delivery of advocacy strategies.

Competencies, Skills and Behaviors

  • Strong technical expertise and skills in gender equality program design and practice;
  • Strong knowledge of the global gender equality policy landscape in Canada; 
  • Knowledge of humanitarian theory, practice and architecture, humanitarian risk assessment and planning and managing humanitarian responses is considered an asset; 
  • Demonstrated thought leadership expertise such as contributions to articles, blogs, academic journals; speaking engagements, leading conference presentations and panels.
  • Is a strategic big picture thinker, with the ability to engage at detailed project level;
  • Strong leadership and management skills, including well-developed organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks.
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to develop strong working relationships across cultural and organizational boundaries with internal and external stakeholders, and managing through influence.
  • Superior English verbal and written skills; proficiency in French and/or Spanish considered an asset.
  • Comfortable working independently as well as with receiving and accounting for direction and engaging as part of a dynamic team.
  • A high degree of self-sufficiency, initiative and adaptability. 
  • A willingness to travel to field sites internationally, including in remote areas (when COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted).
  • Must adhere to Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding policy and protocols
  • Must Complete Police Vulnerable Sector Screening. 


How to Apply:

If you are interested in this position, please visit https://www.savethechildren.ca/ and submit your resume and cover letter by November 12, 2021. Internal candidates please apply by November 5, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on ongoing basis. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Published:

November 3, 2021


Deadline:

November 12, 2021


Type:

Full-time Permanent

Location:

Canada


Organization:

Save the Children Canada


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