Senior Technical Advisor – Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (PROPEL Adapt) At Action Against Hunger USA

Action Against Hunger is recruiting a Senior Technical Advisor – Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) for the PROPEL Adapt project. PROPEL Adapt is a 5-year (September 28, 2022 – September 30, 2027) USAID-funded Promoting Results and Outcomes through Policy and Economic Levers (PROPEL) Adapt project, with a ceiling of $40 million.

The purpose of PROPEL Adapt is to improve the enabling environment in fragile settings for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies and delivery systems through the following strategic approaches: policy development and implementation; adequate, predictable, and sustainable financing; enhanced government stewardship, transparency, and accountability; and an engaged and informed civil society prepared to advocate for improved systems and outcomes.

PROPEL Adapt emphasizes voluntary, rights-based family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH), and FP/RH integration with MCH and HIV/AIDS and works across health systems and development sectors to achieve results in FP/RH demand, uptake, and improved health outcomes.

As highlighted in USAID’s Resilience Evaluation, Analysis, and Learning (REAL) program, there is a critical need to closely examine gender when evaluating resilience. The three gender priorities for FP/RH at USAID are empowerment, including reproductive empowerment; male engagement; and preventing gender-based violence. Priorities for the project are framed in terms of and connected to these gender priorities.

The GEDI Senior Technical Advisor will be responsible for leading the incorporation of these priorities into all global PROPEL Adapt activities from conception to full execution. The PROPEL Adapt project team is currently implementing a set of centrally funded activities under the guidance of the USAID Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) as well as implementing country-level activities resulting from USAID Mission buy-ins.

Purpose: The GEDI Senior Technical Advisor will identify gaps in knowledge relative to gender and FP/RH, conceptualizing activities to fill those gaps, and lead the technical aspects of those activities to produce a concrete set of deliverables/outputs.

Engagement: The GEDI Senior Technical Advisor will report to the PROPEL Project Director. In addition, this role will work closely with other technical leads at the central level (Deputy Project Director [DPD] Fragile Settings and Resilience, DPD FP/RH, and DPD Health Financing), as well as with field activity teams working on country buy-ins.

Delivery: On an annual basis, the GEDI Senior Technical Advisor will define and implement a set of core-funded gender-related activities to expand knowledge and tools in this domain. He/she will also update the project’s Gender Strategy, as needed.

Essential Responsibilities

Thought Leadership (50%)

• In alignment with USAID, identify research gaps, and oversee development and implementation of GEDI-related core funded research activities to fill those gaps. Ensure research activities reflect local priorities and needs and are disseminated in appropriate and accessible modalities.
• Curate, develop and adapt promising GEDI strategies, ensuring consistency with USAID priorities and interests.
• Represent PROPEL Adapt on webinars, panels, in working groups, at conferences and within other opportunities related to GEDI subject matter
• Develops GEDI position papers, guidance, and tools for PROPEL Adapt across both core and field-funded activities, as requested.
• Contribute to overall PROPEL Adapt technical strategy development and lead strategic initiatives on GEDI.
• In collaboration with ACF GEDI specialists, stay abreast of global developments in GEDI to ensure that PROPEL Adapt is both represented within and benefiting from evolving global dialogues and directions.

Program Quality and Technical Assistance (30%)

• Support USAID and the PROPEL Adapt Technical Leadership Team in refining global and country-level priorities, and ensure timely, quality support to GEDI activities.
• Oversee design or adaptation of evidence-based activities to address GEDI in fragile settings, ensuring relevance to the local context and USAID priorities.
• Contribute to the development of global and country-level work plans and budgets, ensuring the technical integrity and feasibility of proposed GEDI components of activities.
• Oversee delivery of GEDI-related activities, ensuring timely, appropriate technical assistance and support to ensure the quality and integrity of the work.
• Collaborate with the PROPEL Adapt technical leadership team to identify and implement knowledge exchange methods that strengthen locally led learning for evidence-based GEDI approaches.
• Support local GEDI technical teams to prepare for global events related to inclusive approaches – assist with the preparation of abstracts, posters, and presentations ensuring they meet the highest technical standards.
• Provide supervision and mentoring to technical staff and/or consultants engaged in PROPEL Adapt’s GEDI-related work to ensure their work meets technical quality standards and to contribute to their professional development.
• Contribute to routine project donor reports.
• Participate in technical leadership meetings and provide input on progress, challenges, and proposed adaptations to strengthen implementation as related to GEDI.
• Conduct fields visits (as requested) to evaluate the quality of GEDI within programs, respond to country program technical requests and provide ad hoc support to quality implementation
• Review and strengthen GEDI studies and assessments, including formative research, barrier analysis and/or gender analysis.
• Promote documentation of GEDI best practice and ensure cross-activity sharing of experiences.
• Contribute to program MEL activities and provide requested secondary analysis.

Coordination, Representation and Communication (20%)

Actively engage with and coordinate on strategic initiatives and working groups for GEDI with other USAID implementing partners and projects (e.g., MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience, PROPEL Health and PROPEL Youth and Gender).

Specifically:

• Support documentation of GEDI outcomes to promote broader learnings in collaboration with the Communications/Knowledge Management team.
• Foster alliances and partnerships to further the quality of GEDI interventions with international organizations, donors, academic and policy institutions.
• Coordinate with Action Against Hunger gender team across the network to ensure alignment.