Project Officer – Gender, Disability, and Inclusion

Introduction

In 2011, the ILO launched a comprehensive sustainable livelihood development programme under its flagship Local Empowerment through Economic Development (LEED+) project, which was funded for two phases.  Given the success of the LEED+ project, and with funding from the Government of Norway, the ILO and its constituents (Government, Employers and Workers Organizations) has now initiated PAVE (Promoting Advancement of Vulnerable Persons and Enterprises) project in November 2022 in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. 

The province with a population of 1.143 million has faced disproportionate challenges to socio-economic development and growth as a direct consequence of the 30-year civil conflict. Despite significant development efforts since the end of the war, the province remains the poorest region in the country.  While there are indications of improvement in the region’s poverty status, the prevalence of acute poverty in certain pocket areas as well as among certain vulnerable population groups indicate that development efforts have not been equitable, especially for women and other marginalized groups. With the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent economic crisis in Sri Lanka, there is an ever-pressing need for the advancement of vulnerable communities, particularly engaged in agriculture sector and micro-small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) through a holistic and inclusive lens. Within this context, the PAVE project is highly relevant and a timely intervention to uplift the vulnerable communities in the North.
 

Description of Duties

•    Provide technical input on gender, diversity, and inclusion for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the PAVE project.
•    Ensure project activities are primarily focused on promoting advancement of vulnerable persons in the Northern province and are in line with the results framework. 
•    Work with target communities to support to support empowerment and capacity building in the fields of gender, diversity, and inclusion.
•    Under the guidance of the NPC and CTO plan, conduct, training seminars, workshops, and meetings, as well as support study tours and field visits
•    Support the strengthening of project staff capacity in all areas relevant to gender, diversity, and inclusion.
•    Assist the NPC in designing technical strategies and provide technical support in preparing Terms of Reference for consultants and project documents, drafting of technical reports.
•    Under the guidance of the NPC, work with the Monitoring and evaluation officer to mainstream gender into project monitoring systems, and monitor and appraise activities of ILO constituents, NGOs and other institutions under the project.
•    Liaise with relevant government institutions, private sector enterprises and cooperatives to support the integration of gender, diversity, and inclusion into their programmes, strategic plans, and work plans.
•    Provide inputs to periodic reports as requested and provide briefings on gender and disability to ILO-Country Office staff and consultants.
•    Liaise with gender and disability focal points in ILO to share and update information on gender equality promotion measures and tools.
•    Any other duties in the field of expertise as assigned by the, NPC, CTA, and Country Director of the ILO Country Office.

Reporting lines

The Project Officer will work under the daily supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor of the Jobs for Peace and Resilience Programme. 

Required qualifications

Education

University degree in economics, social sciences, gender studies, or related field and a strong knowledge on development issues particularly in the Northern province of Sri Lanka.

Experience

At least two years in the implementation of development cooperation assistance in the fields of gender and disability at the national level. Experience working in fields relevant to ILO and UN mandates will be an advantage.

Languages

Excellent command of English, Sinhalese, and Tamil languages 

Competencies

•    Demonstrated expertise in gender, diversity, labour rights and inclusion. 
•    Good knowledge of the role and operations of ILO and the UN system activities for development
•    Ability to work in close collaboration with WROs, CSOs, Government counterparts and other relevant stakeholders.
•    Ability to work closely with target communities to support the economic and social empowerment of vulnerable groups including women, persons with disabilities, among others. 
•    Ability to conduct training on relevant issues related to gender empowerment for target communities and for project staff. 
•    Good knowledge of project implementation and evaluation techniques and practices with ability to perform a variety of conceptual analyses.
•    Ability to participate effectively in technical missions and with the team of technical specialists.
•    Capacity to provide first-line technical advice in the areas of gender, peacebuilding, and project implementation. 
•    Ability to provide credible implementation assistance to specialists in carrying out research pertaining to gender, disability, and inclusion, alongside project formulation and implementation.
•    Ability to participate in cross-cultural teams, reaching results and outcomes.
•    Ability to diagnose and identify problems at an early stage and contribute to finding successful solutions.
•    Ability to work in a multicultural environment, while displaying gender-responsive behaviour and attitudes.