A. Brief Description

GIZ, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ) and in cooperation with the Somalia Federal Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs, is implementing various projects in Somalia, across multiple sectors and regions. In Jubaland Kismayo, GIZ is piloting the graduation approach towards social and economic inclusion of multi-dimensionally poor households, with a special focus on women headed households, through the project “Socio-economic participation of poor female-headed households in Kismayo” (GIZ SEPOW). This inclusion is achieved through coordinated measures consisting of social protection (including cash transfers), social and economic empowerment, life skills and livelihoods training and financial inclusion.

A. Responsibilities

The Gender/Equality Specialist (Community Mobiliser) will be responsible for coordinating diverse capacity development measures for target beneficiaries as well as maintaining partnerships and networks with key stakeholders.

Main tasks

• Act as a liaison between the project and the participating households,
• Responsible for ensuring the integration of social inclusion aspects, including community engagement and active participation of target beneficiaries,
• Responsible for implementation of the project’s output 2 “The condition for social participation of women-headed households is strengthened”.
• Support all project outputs in mainstreaming gender and do-no-harm considerations into all project aspects
• Provide context orientation in the entire beneficiary identification and selection process, ensuring transparency as well as equal participation and inclusion of minority groups.
• Support risk management to avoid gate-keeping and sextortion for all project activites
• Responsible for identification, formation, monitoring and coordination of self-help groups.
• Oversee and coordinate needs assessment and capacity building measures for target self-help groups, including mentoring, coaching and life skills training.
• Oversee the development, update and implementation of GIZ SEPOW gender analysis and strategy; guided by and in accordance with GIZ policies and approaches, national and local priorities, local context, project plans etc.
• Support external experts during studies, surveys, assessments etc.
• Responsible for developing and maintaining synergetic partnerships/networks with target beneficiaries, government partners, CBOs, civil society, private sector and other key
  stakeholders in the sector of social protection and gender equality.

The Gender/Equality
Specialist performs the following tasks:

B. Tasks

1. Coordination

• Coordinating the identification and selection of participating households according to set criteria, observing and ensuring context sensitivity and do-no-harm;
• Ensure transparent and context sensitive formation and coordination of self-help
  groups according to the projects’ design;
• Participate in the formulation project annual, quarterly and daily workplans, ensuring gender transformative aspects are considered,
• Participate in the vetting and selection of implementing partners, ensuring prospective partners have experience and internal policies on gender and social protection;
• Participate in the review of partner proposals and reports, ensuring gender priorities are considered and met.
• Support the project team in monitoring daily implementation of project activities,
  including those implemented by partners;
• Engage with the target community and their representatives to understand needs and gaps in gender and inclusion.
• Acquire information and understanding of social protection, gender and do-no-harm; and propose adaptation of relevant strategies/approaches;

2. Community Mobilization and Gender Mainstreaming

• Regularly update participating households, target communities and their representatives on project priorities, strategies and approaches, including project timelines and duration.
• Oversee and coordinate all beneficiary and community mobilization exercises, including during trainings, surveys, awareness campaigns etc; both by GIZ and implementing partners.
• In coordination with the projects’ monitoring and evaluation advisor, design appropriate tools, benchmarks and resources for monitoring and reporting of gender and inclusion.
• Support the review and/or production of beneficiary training manuals and IEC materials, ensuring gender and context sensitivity;
• Identify capacity building needs of all the project’s stakeholders including project staff, target group, government partners and implementing partners on gender, social protection and inclusion, and facilitate the implementation of corresponding capacity building plans.
• Support in the establishment of gender sensitive and responsive feedback mechanism, ensuring timely action/response on all feedback from beneficiaries and partners.

3. Communication and Knowledge Management

• Identify, engage and maintain contact with all relevant stakeholders in Jubaland.
• Ensures regular information sharing, coordination and collaboration with beneficiaries, government partners, community representatives and other key stakeholders.
• Be a link between the projects’ beneficiaries, implementing partners as well as sector partners, ensuring cross learning and cooperation.
• Represent the project in relevant coordination, clusters and coordination forums.
• Maintain an up-to-date project beneficiary database.
• Regularly submit field reports, success stories, articles and photo documentation to the projects’ M&E unit, as per agreed on schedule.
• Regularly provide gender sensitive data and information crucial to the planning and implementation, including on baselines, assessments, project achievements, current trends, as well as sector, country and international priorities etc.

4. Other duties/additional tasks

• Act as the project’s gender focal person
• Performs other duties and tasks as requested by the project management

C. Required qualifications, competences & experience

Academic qualification

• College diploma in relevant field, such as gender, community development, social studies, monitoring or equivalent work experience.
• For candidates with relevant college diploma, 3 years of professional experience in a comparable position is required. 5 years of professional experience in a comparable position is required where a candidate does not have a relevant diploma.

Professional experience

• At-least 3 years’ experience working in Somalia on community development and/ or group mobilization, do-no-harm, gender mainstreaming, monitoring and evaluation, beneficiary targeting in crises situations or equivalent.
• Expertise in early childhood development is an asset

Other knowledge, additional competence

• Strong networking skills and ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, particularly female-headed households from marginalized groups
• Willingness and ability to show regular presence in the projects’ operational areas
• Very good knowledge of Somali (spoken and written)
• Strong understanding of local context, power- and clan-structures and challenges faced by marginalized groups
• Intrinsic motivation to promote women’s socio-economic empowerment
• Willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed – corresponding measures
  are agreed with management.
• Good working knowledge of ICT technologies (data management software, phone, email, the internet) and computer applications (MS Office)

Additional Considerations

Contract duration: 1 year, with possibility of extension based on available funds and performance;

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

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