Date: 15 Jun 2023
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Company: Plan International
The Organization
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Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
Please see https://plan-international.org/organisation/strategy for Plan international strategy
Plan started working in Egypt in 1981 and has a presence in ten of the 27 governorates in which the country is divided: two urban (Cairo and Alexandria) and eight rural (Giza, Beheira, Kalyoubia, Damietta, Qena, Assuit, Sohag and Aswan). Plan Egypt’s work focuses on child rights, implementing programmes designed to enable communities to improve the lives of the most marginalised children and their families. Plan Egypt’s Country Strategy focuses on five strategic objectives listed below:
- Improve the quality of early childhood care & education;
- Promote economic empowerment of vulnerable young men & women;
- Facilitate girls in realising their full potential in an enabling and gender responsive environment that protects them from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence;
- Support adolescents and young people, particularly girls to become active drivers of change and lead the way towards more equitable and inclusive societies;
- Promote adolescents and young people, particularly girls to be empowered to take informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and live free from gender-based violence
Role Purpose:
SWEET (Strengthening Women’s entrepreneurs in Egypt) project asserts that targeted gender-specific action is critical to empower women and girls to amplify their inherent individual and collective agency and create an enabling social and economic environment for them. The SWEET project is a five- year- project that will take a three-pronged, rights-based and gender-transformative approach for women and adolescent girls in the carpet industry in the Giza governorate of Egypt to: expand their knowledge and understanding of the sector, improve their social status, provide them a range of industry-relevant skills, and strengthen governance systems and business linkages to build a supportive social environment and an enabling institutional environment for women and adolescent girls.
The Gender & Women Economic Empowerment Specialist will be responsible for providing high strategic technical input to the implementation of SWEET project.
Dimensions of the Role
The post holder reports to the SWEET Project Manager and is responsible for providing top quality technical advisory and program development approaches in the area of the project which is the Economic Empowerment for women.
Typical Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
- Provide technical advisory support to SWEET project team in the area of women economic empowerment.
- Thorough analysis and research of the social and economic situation in Egypt that affects women economic empowerment and preparation of considerable inputs to the project team.
- Constant monitoring and analysis of the economic environment in Egypt with proactive suggestions for readjustment of the project interventions if feasible.
- Giving technical input on the TORs to be developed within the framework of the projects in the areas related to gender and economic empowerment.
- Provide context input to support the quality assurance of policy services and foster policy innovation in the specific thematic area to enhance project delivery.
- Conduct field visits to make sure the project activities being implemented are gender-informed and respond to the key women economic issues within the context of the community.
- Support in identifying the opportunities for the women entrepreneurs to benefit from funds provided by different institutions and the private sector and other donors.
- Support in building and maintaining close liaisons with relevant donors and other actors supporting women economic empowerment.
- Support in the implementation of relevant impactful advocacy activities and campaigns with key stakeholders for supporting the realization the project goal.
- Support the development and implementation of the gender strategy for the project during the planning phase.
- Develop tools and guidelines to support gender mainstreaming, and ensure cohesion and alignment.
- Support the project team to build the capacity of partners for mainstreaming gender transformative approaches in their activities.
- Provide technical input to the development of content and methodology for capacity building trainings on gender and economic empowerment for the project as required.
- Develop, implement and monitor the capacity building initiatives;
- Identify good practices and strategic opportunities in women economic empowerment.
- Provide high technical support to SWEET project team in the area of women economic empowerment.
- Facilitation of knowledge building through developing, implementing and monitoring the capacity building initiatives in the area of economic empowerment.
- Support in identifying the opportunities for the women entrepreneurs to benefit from funds provided by different institutions and the private sector and other donors.
- Support in building and maintaining close liaisons with relevant stakeholders for Strategic partnerships building and resource mobilization support.
Safeguarding Children and Young People (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)
- Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
- Ensures that all staff in the unit/function/department are properly inducted on and understands their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day to day work.
- Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted
Leadership and BUSINESS Management COMPETENCIES
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
- Set and communicate ambitious but realistic work goals and priorities, explaining how these contribute to Plan International's purpose.
- Set high standards for self and others' behavior, inside and outside work. Championing our values and commitment to rights, gender equality and safeguarding. Supporting the health, well-being and both physical and psychological safety of our staff, including their safety to speak out.
- Hold self and others to account for what we have agreed, dealing with poor performance quickly, firmly and constructively.
- Create a positive team spirit, helping people work well together, to reflect and continuously improve the efficiency and quality of what we do.
- Collaborate with team members, colleagues and partners in finding creative solutions to problems by sharing information, experience and ideas and actively seeking their input.
- Motivate and developing others by taking an interest, giving constructive feedback and praise, ensuring they are properly trained and helping them develop their potential.
- Accept change and support others in adjusting to it, helping them understand.
- Perform any other related duties as assigned by immediate supervisor
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES
- Understand relevant sectoral context including how the sector operates in terms of funding and governance and awareness of Plan's purpose, values, and global strategy
- Manage activities and resources including skills in strategic thinking, planning and organizing, financial planning and monitoring, negotiation and programme and project management
- Manage people and information including skills in assessment and coaching, evidence-based management, communication skills, both speaking and writing, and digital working, including personal digital skills
Risk management
- Manages legal and reputational risk including risk assessment, communication, risk management and reporting in full compliance with risk-related standards, including in areas such as Child and Youth Safeguarding and Protection, Gender equality and inclusion, Counter Fraud, Safety and Security.
Key relationships
Internal: Project Manager and project field officers, Economic Empowerment Advisor.
External: Partners and beneficiaries, government officials, private sector companies.
Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor degree in, Economics, Business Administration, Management, International Development, Gender, Human Rights or in other related Social Sciences.
- From 3 - 5 years relevant experience..
- Experience in programme, policy analysis, and strategic planning;
- Experience in working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field;
- Strong experience addressing the socio-economic situation in Egypt and its impact on women is essential.
- Analyse age based and gender based needs and design targeted programming.
- Engage/dialogue with adolescent girls and ensure their active participation in programmes.
- Able to analyse girls’ strategic interests and needs in a range of contexts, and develop holistic programmatic and influencing responses to address these needs.
- Knowledge of external and internal best practices on mainstreaming gender equality and inclusion (diversity) in all areas of work (including within offices and staff).
- Able to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate gender transformative approaches.
- Knowledge of best practices and specific challenges around engaging boys and men in development programmes on gendered violence.
- Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
- Ability to advocate and provide policy advice.
- Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills
- Focuses on impact and result for the partners and responds positively to feedback.
- Knowledge and understanding of the local context and of interaction with local development actors and communities.
- Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
- Demonstrated writing skills (report writing, proposal, and concept paper writing)
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills and team work abilities.
- Understanding of and commitment to the promotion of gender equality, child protection and inclusion of the most vulnerable.
- Ability to work under stress and pressure and to meet multiple deadlines and targets.
- Involves others in setting and achieving goals
- Creates strong sense of ownership within one part of the business to different stakeholders.
- An open communicator and team player.
Plan International’s Values in Practice
We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people
We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
We are inclusive and empowering
- We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
- We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
- We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.
Physical Environment
- Typical office environment with frequent field visits in the project locations in Giza governorate.
Level of contact with children
Medium level: Occasional Contact with children.
Location: Cairo Program Unit, Maadi, Cairo.
Type of Role: One-year fixed term contract.
Reports to: SWEET Project Manager
Closing Date: 29th of June 2023
Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.
We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.
Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.
