Senior Advisor (Gender, Equity and Human Rights)

Position description

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of Gender Equity and Human Rights integration (GER) in WHO is to advance the “leave no one behind” agenda in the Organization, including its work with Member States, on the path to promote, provide and protect health and well-being for all people, everywhere in line with WHO Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14). The Gender, Equity and Human Rights (GER) team in the Africa Region reports to the Director of Programme Management. The work is implemented through leadership, normative development and technical support across the three levels of WHO, in coordination with WHO programmes and Country Offices in support of our Member States.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the Director Programme Management and overall oversight from the Regional Director, the incumbent will perform the following duties: Provide overall technical leadership and guidance on gender, equity and human rights integrated programming and mainstreaming in WHO AFRO. Cultivate strategic relationships with key leaders, experts, proximate partners, and stakeholders to leverage their insights with regard to GER mainstreaming and implementation and support systems change. Facilitate advocacy and policy dialogues with Member States and key stakeholders and beneficiaries including women, men and diverse groups to prioritize gender, equity and human rights responsive interventions critical for improving coverage of health interventions and outcomes. Design and lead organizational capacity building strategy for gender, equity and human rights integration, including defining competencies and developing capacity building packages. Identify high-priority opportunities for GER integration within program strategies and portfolios and deploys technical expertise accordingly. Build the evidence base for gender, equity and human rights integration by investigating, analyzing, and studying the causes and consequences of gender barriers and/or gender gaps in access and/or agency over resources and the efficacy of programmatic interventions designed to address them. Participate in gender equality working groups and communities of practice within or external to the organization, including the SAGE Community of Practice. Design and manage organization-wide systems (tools, processes, and guidance) to monitor and document programmatic impact stemming from gender integration efforts. Coordinate performance assessment reporting and institutional and regional accountability mechanisms for gender, equity and human rights mainstreaming.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Essential: Advanced degree in gender studies, public health, social sciences, development studies, medical demography or equivalent discipline or related field;
• Desirable: Specialized training in gender, equity and human rights and or social inclusion.

Experience

• Essential: At least 10 years of relevant work experience mainstreaming gender, equity and human rights in sexual and reproductive health, immunization or other public health programmes in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the African Region. Prior supervisory experience; especially as a team leader;
• Desirable: Experience supervising or coordinating the development of guidelines, policies and strategies; and quality control for written documents. Experience building and negotiating strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure organizational results and success.

Skills

• Strong leadership skills, and ability to influence programmatic and organizational leadership to adopt, expand and improve GER mainstreaming approaches.•Demonstrated ability to collaborate across multiple teams, build interpersonal relationships, and inspire trust in order to drive institutional change;
• Deep understanding of foundational concepts related to gender equality, including the interplay between gender inequality and other forms of identity-based discrimination;
• Demonstrated skill applying theories of change and evidence-based and/or promising practices to address gender inequality while advancing sectoral outcomes in one or more sectors (health, agriculture, economic strengthening, WASH, etc.);
• Track record of improving organization-wide conduct of gender analyses, gender-integrated program design, and gender-sensitive monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems;
• Experience assessing progress towards gender equality and sector-specific objectives and outcomes through portfolio and strategy reviews, and ability to advocate with senior leadership on recommended actions to increase impact;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including experience presenting to external stakeholders.Excellent knowledge of the epidemiology of onchocerciasis (distribution, transmission, the socio-economic impact) and control and elimination strategies in the African Region;
• A good knowledge of the epidemiology and the control strategies of lymphatic filariasis;
• Ability to organise and manage a functional laboratory;
• Ability to conduct country laboratory needs assessment in capacity building and coordinate training sessions to build capacity of nationals in laboratory techniques related to onchocerciasis and LF.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork;
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences;
• Communication;
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment;
• Producing results.

Language Skills

• Essential: Expert knowledge of English or French with working knowledge of the other;
• Desirable: The above language requirements are interchangeable.

Application instructions

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