Global Adviser- Gender Policy

Location: Global

Department: Global Impact

Reporting to: Portfolio Lead, Society For All Ages

Grade: UK Grade E (GBP 43,000) or equivalent according to location / type of contract

Contract Type: Full time, Open-ended

About HelpAge
HelpAge International works with partners and a diverse global network of more than 170 organisations over 90 countries, supporting millions of older people to live safe, dignified, and healthy lives. Through our partnership and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone, whatever their age.

About the Job

As Global Adviser for Gender Policy you will be responsible for driving forward HelpAge’s thought leadership, convening, and technical support on gender advocacy, policy influencing and gender mainstreaming with staff, partners and network members.

You will be based in the Society For All Ages (SFAA) portfolio but work across all portfolio teams and with Regional Representatives, Country Directors, Business Development and Communications teams, and HelpAge’s Supporting Members.

The SFAA team currently comprises 5 Advisers on Voice and Ageism, Rights, Gender Policy, Inclusion, and Older People’s Associations (OPA) Development, with a Portfolio Development & Quality Manager, a 0.5 Portfolio Support Officer, and the Portfolio Lead.

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

The tasks below outline the broad areas of responsibility in the role, but in collaboration with your colleagues you will be able to shape and design specific activities that are relevant at any point in time. We want you to work creatively to deliver impact and respond to relevant opportunities.

With your colleagues you will develop your team workplan to drive initiatives, develop ideas, as well ensure there is space for cross-organisational working and short-term tasks. From this you will devise your individual workplan that will allow you to balance your time across the different role requirements. This will form the basis of your day-to-day activities and your performance reviews.

As Gender Policy Adviser you will work with all portfolios to:

• Provide advice on gender related issues and ensure gender dimensions are considered in the assessment/analysis, design and management of partner-led programmes; this includes supporting portfolio teams to ensure both partnership and programme development are informed by gender analyses and address HelpAge’s gender mainstreaming commitments within the context of its ongoing transition to localisation and partner-led programming;

• Develop and disseminate relevant papers and think-pieces relating to the intersection of ageing and gender issues and to programming practices supported by research and data from across the portfolios that seek to improve the lives of older women and older men;

• Produce strategic positions, policies, approaches and guidance on gender to inform advocacy on ageing and gender within HelpAge, the global network, and across the sector;

• Support improved Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning on gender from across the portfolios and the sharing and use of related information, data, learning and evidence across the global network.

• Develop the capacity of HelpAge staff, partners and network members through training (including coaching, mentoring and accompaniment), further development and promotion of HelpAge’s gender equality training toolkit, and webinars and guidelines that promote gender equality and inclusion for older people.

• Identify and develop new gender specific partnerships, collaborations and programming and funding opportunities to increase the resourcing and impact of HelpAge’s gender and ageing advocacy and support to partner-led programmes.

• Engage with the women’s rights movement and wider gender networks and maintain relationships with key agencies who work on gender equality.

Skills and experience required
You will be someone with:

• Substantial experience in all aspects of Project Cycle Management; experience of partner-led programming approaches is desirable;
• A degree in a related field or equivalent in experience in gender, inclusion, intersectionality, feminism, LGBTQI or other diversity rights-based programming in development/humanitarian contexts or commercial settings;
• Knowledge and understanding of gender-based issues in both development and humanitarian contexts
• Experience in working with women rights organisations and women’s movements;
• Demonstrable skills and/or experience in conducting analysis, research, report writing and dissemination of information to a broad range of audiences;
• Demonstrable skills and/or experience in working with, advocating to or influencing decision-makers in governments, donors, the UN or other international institutions;
• Demonstrable skills in public speaking and representation;
• Demonstrable experience in capacity strengthening and gender mainstreaming;
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and dependably with colleagues and in a way that encourages experimentation, learning and agency;
• Experience in at least one of HelpAge’s regions of operation – Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Eurasia & the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific – is desirable.

Key Behavioural Competencies

At HelpAge International, we believe in the importance of empowering our people to be change makers and leaders at all levels. We expect our people to embrace and live our values, challenging themselves every day to identify issues that are most important to older people and their communities, and to make an impact that matters.

In addition, as an HelpAge employee you are expected to demonstrate the following core competencies:

Working Collaboratively with Others: Work collaboratively, building mutual trust and respect, with external organisations and partners to achieve our strategic aims and objectives; being accountable for the work we do together.

Adaptability and Flexibility: Adapt to new directions or opportunities arising within the organisation and in our work area; being flexible in our role, constantly using the feedback to learn more and evolve further.

Supporting and Facilitating Change: Lead behavioural and cultural change through embracing a supportive, collaborative and highly inclusive environment where everybody feels supported, respected and engaged.

Extend HelpAge’s Reach and Impact: Extend HelpAge’s reach and impact by creating and identifying new business development opportunities and building relationships with new partners.

Diversity and Inclusion: Lead and promote a culture of including the voices of older people across our support, convening and thought leadership roles, in a way that is transformative, empowering and highly inclusive of those marginalised by gender, economic status, disability and other factors of discrimination.

Leading Others (for managers): Demonstrate strong leadership to own unit/department and manage people in a well and reputable manner. Create an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can do their best and develop their potential.

Safeguarding

HelpAge International is committed to safeguarding the communities with which we work, our partners, staff and any others who we come into contact with. The post holder will also be responsible for:

• Preventing harm and abuse from our people, operations and programmes to anyone that encounters our work.
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents you see, hear, hear about or suspect, using our internal reporting mechanism.
• Complying with all safeguarding framework policies and practices.
• Completing mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and complying with HR vetting procedures.

SAFER RECRUITMENT

All employments at HelpAge International will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include misconduct disclosure schemes and terrorism finance checks.