Gender Transformation and Social Norms Change Advisor

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is the implementing agency of the Federal Republic of Germany for technical and international cooperation. It offers flexible, sustainable and effective solutions in political, economic and social change processes.  Most of the work of GIZ is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). GIZ also operates on behalf of other German ministries as well as public and private bodies in Germany and abroad. These include the European Commission, the United Nations, the World Bank and governments of other countries.

In Southern Africa, violence against women and girls (VAWG) is among the most severe and widespread human rights violations. In Zambia, almost one-in-two women have experienced violence at some point in their lives – mostly at the hand of their partner or husband. This poses a serious obstacle for Zambia’s sustainable development.

The revised Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Equality (2016) stresses the importance of addressing VAWG and has led to a renewed dynamism at the level of SADC member states. But while policies, legal frameworks and action plans are largely in place, challenges remain with the effective coordination and implementation of measures. This is particularly true for prevention measures that often fail to address context-specific issues of power, gender transformation and social norms change.

The regional programme “Partnerships for Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls in Southern Africa” is implemented by GIZ in four SADC countries (Zambia, Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) with the support of the German government. The programme aims to strengthen the cooperation between governmental, non-governmental and private sector actors for the prevention of violence against women and girls, through:

• strengthening institutional capacities for coordination of prevention measures (Output A)
• supporting flagship projects implemented as multi-stakeholder partnerships, that aim to prevent VAWG (Output B)
• implementation of practice-oriented research (Output C)
• sharing of lessons and research findings between actors in the SADC region (Output D)

In this context, GIZ is seeking a suitable candidate for the following position:

Gender Transformation and Social Norms Change Advisor (based in Choma)

REF: GIZ_PFP_GTADV

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Providing advice for applying gender-transformative approaches and social norms change within the programme’s strategy and interventions – in particular capacity building efforts (Output A) and flagship projects (Output B)
• Supporting GIZ’s contribution to the flagship project that aims at strengthening communication efforts for prevention of violence against women and girls, through a ‘Clearing House’ concept

Steering and coordination

• Contributing to the overall programme strategy, by bringing in technical expertise and innovation on gender-transformation and social norms change
• Advising team members as well as partners on how to apply gender-transformative and social norms change approaches in capacity building efforts and flagship projects
• Working closely with the colleague leading the “Communication Flagship” to steer and coordinate the flagship’s activities
• Being responsible for quality assurance of the messages and communication materials developed by PfP partner(s) for changing attitudes on the acceptability of violence against women and girls
• Working closely with the Capacity Building Advisor to plan, coordinate and deliver capacity building efforts for members of the Gender Sub Committees on primary prevention of violence against women and girls
• Supporting the establishment of multi-stakeholder initiatives and steering structures for the flagship project and Clearing House, with a particular focus on engaging the private sector and women’s rights organisations
• Supporting the coordination of activities with other GIZ programmes working in similar thematic areas

Planning, Monitoring and Reporting

• Contributing to the operational planning, and review thereof, of the PfP Zambia-component
• Working closely with the colleague leading the Communication Flagship to monitor the project’s progress and results in line with the programme’s Results-Based Monitoring (RBM) system
• Supporting learning and exchange between PfP partners, as well as with other stakeholders, on effective primary prevention interventions
• Contributing to the programme’s communication products as well as programme reporting
• Supporting colleagues with knowledge and data management processes
• Contributing to the conceptualisation of the next programme phase of the PfP programme in Zambia, as required by programme management

Finance and Administration

• Liaising with the respective administrative staff in the GIZ office in Zambia for all processes pertaining to finance and administration for the implementation of activities
• Supporting the management of the grants of implementing partners as well as consulting contracts related to the Communications Flagship
• Adhering to GIZ regulations for procurement, travel, participant-related costs, and (if applicable) management of local subsidies

Other duties/additional tasks

• Assisting in and/or carrying out other programme activities and other tasks at the request of programme management

Qualifications and requirements:

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent level in Gender Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies, or other relevant social science; a master’s degree is an added advantage
• Additional qualifications in gender-based violence and/or communications is an added advantage

Professional experience:

• At least 5 years’ professional experience in the area of gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence/violence against women and girls
• Proven track-record of implementing or managing gender-transformative approaches that explicitly address social norms and power imbalances, e.g. male engagement, women’s empowerment and agency, social norms change communication, SASA!, etc.
• Experience with project management, results-based monitoring and reporting. Experience with overseeing grants to implementing organisations is an added advantage.
• Proven track-record of engaging stakeholders and communities on addressing VAWG, including stakeholders that are new to issues of gender and/or gender-based violence
• Experience with developing and facilitating training and workshops
• Experience in an international organisation is an asset

Other knowledge, additional competences:

• In-depth knowledge of gender and feminist theories, theories of power and agency and gender-transformative approaches
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop rapport, motivate and inspire others
• Ability to think out-of-the box and apply innovation to achieve results and solve problems
• Hardworking, reliable and pro-active
• Excellent command of spoken and written English
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word; PowerPoint; Excel) and digital communication tools (Outlook, Skype/Skype for Business)
• Willingness to work and live in Choma
• Valid driver’s license is an added advantage
• Willingness to learn and to receive and give feedback

The successful candidate will be expected to start full-time employment with GIZ, on a fixed term contract, as soon as possible. Interested candidates must send their CVs and cover letters electronically, quoting the reference GIZ_PFP_GTADV in the subject line to: [email protected] by 17:00 hrs on Monday, 11th May 2020. Certificates, qualifications, etc. must not be attached to the application. In addition, traceable references of previous engagements must be provided. Please note that only applicants selected for interview will be contacted. GIZ is committed to being an equal opportunities employer, therefore, women and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.