GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE ADVISOR

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC COLOMBIA

A combined two decades of economic mismanagement, a drop in oil prices, and the deterioration of democratic institutions has resulted in a humanitarian crisis inside Venezuela. Insecurity has manifested following protests in April 2017 against the president and his government, particularly for failing to address the growing inflation rate which lead to large-scale food insecurity. The demonstrations were initially peaceful but grew in severity of violence as time passed. Venezuela’s economic devastation worsened in the last half of 2017. This caused a massive migration of Venezuelans into neighboring Colombia in search of affordable food, medicine and work. The number of Venezuelans living in Colombia has increased to more than one million people.

In response, the IRC has launched emergency programming in Colombia, focusing on an integrated response involving child protection, women’s protection and empowerment activities, primary and reproductive healthcare, and cash transfer programming. The IRC is in the process of delivering these and future activities directly in Colombia, and in partnership with local civil society organizations in Venezuela. In Colombia, IRC currently has operations in Cucuta, and Medellin, and is soon to expand to Bogota and Barranquilla. The IRC is now in the process of beginning education programming.**

Position Summary: The IRC is seeking a Gender Based Violence (GBV) Advisor for a multi-year, multimillion dollar USAID-funded project in Colombia aimed at empowering women and girls by reducing GBV, positively transforming gender norms and attitudes, and engaging the private sector to create economic opportunities for women.

The GBV Advisor will directly support the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) as well as other Objective Leads in the analysis, design and integration of gender and social inclusion as well as prevention of gender-based violence across the various program interventions. This position will provide leadership and technical expertise on GBV prevention for the components of the program concerning changing social norms, improving individual behaviors, and reducing culture of machismo. The GBV Advisor will be responsible for design and implementation of tools, guidance, and project policy to ensure achievement across the consortium for technical program results related to reducing GBV.

This position is contingent on the IRC being awarded funding and is anticipated to begin in September 2021.

Responsibilities

· Provide leadership, direction, and expert consultation to achieve the greatest impact for reducing gender-based violence across the program activities and deliverables in-line with global evidence base;

· Support the integration of best-practices and evidence-based approaches to reduce GBV and improve gender equality outcomes through capacity development of program partners throughout project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;

· Lead strategic work plans with clear objectives and achievement benchmarks, long-term and short-term priorities, implementation plans, financial projections and tools for evaluation;

· Lead and work with a diverse team of international and national coordinators and advisors and field staff, coordinating with technical counterparts at consortium partners;

· Provide technical support to the program by planning, monitoring and evaluating project activities; identifying technical assistance needs and assigning Specialists and consultants as appropriate;

Manage development of key program.

· Materials and curricula as well as technical tools and ensure that staff training needs are met;

· Manage external relations by representing the project and the organization and ensuring the dissemination of information about project achievements and lessons learned as requested by the DCOP;

· Manage the capacity building of consortia, defining capacity needs and leading the development and implementation of relevant training curricula;

· Forge and maintain solid cooperation with consortia as well as partner organizations and government officials;

· Conduct frequent field visits to program sites to monitor activities and engage local stakeholders.

Skills/Experience:

· Master’s degree in social work, gender studies, public health, international development, or related degree.

· Minimum six (6) years demonstrable experience in program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in for GBV response and prevention programming, including social norms and behavior change interventions.

· Significant experience in research design for field-based programs, including data analysis of GBV research.

· Demonstrated experience in capacity building and mentoring, especially working in close collaboration with local actors (local NGOs and/or CSOs and CBOs).

· Demonstrated experience in developing training materials and delivering trainings to project staff as needed.

· Experience in the area of quality control and timeliness of deliverables, work plans, quarterly reports, and other USAID reporting deliverables.

· Demonstrate strong leadership, analytical and organizational skills; and the ability to quickly assess priorities and effectively manage a variety of activities at a time while paying appropriate attention to detail.

· Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact professionally with donor, project stakeholders, in-country collaborators, and staff at all levels of the organization.

· Understanding of USAID project management and program implementation requirements.

· Ability to work independently, organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.

· Solid understanding of the Colombia context helpful, with previous experience in Colombia or the region preferred.

· Strong MS Office skills, including Word and Excel.

· Strong written and oral presentation skills in English; fluency in English and Spanish is required.