JOB DESCRIPTION
| Job Title | Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI) Adviser |
|---|---|
| Division | Climate Change and Sustainability Division |
| Location | Noumea |
| Line/Hiring Manager | SER Senior Adviser |
| Number of Direct Reports | 0 |
| Purpose of the role | The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Adviser provides specialised technical advice and coordination to support the integration of gender equality and social inclusion across cross-sectoral climate change projects and programmes. Working across SPC technical divisions, the Adviser supports the application of GESI principles throughout the project cycle, strengthens organisational capability, and promotes consistent implementation of SPC’s Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) policy and broader GESI commitments. |
| Date | October 2026 |
Organizational Context and Organization Chart
SPC is committed to bringing together our deep sectoral expertise, research, relationships, and implementation experience into Flagship Programmes. These programmes accelerate our efforts to address the challenges and opportunities facing the Blue Pacific in the 21st century, and work together with our members and achieve impact for Pacific people. They support a transformation in our institutional effectiveness as part of SPC’s Strategic Plan 2022-2031 and the 2050 Strategy for a Blue Pacific.
The threat of climate change demands SPC take a whole of organisation response to this critical regional challenge. SPC has developed a more strategic and integrated approach of climate change, through a Climate Change Flagship (CCF). This flagship seeks to enhance climate change services and capability in a more wholistic, strategic, and cohesive way.
The CCF aims to bring greater visibility to the breath of SPC’s climate change action and related resilience work, progress this in a manner consistent with the demand for ambition and support from members and leverage the commensurate resources to support this. This aligns directly to the implementation of KFA 1: “Resilience and Climate Action” which is at the centre of the SPC Strategic Plan and should also help to more clearly define SPC’s value add to the region in the climate change space and its complementarity with the capability and services of other regional architecture supporting our members. The Climate Change and Sustainability Division (CCS) is charged with facilitating its development and implementation, however all divisions, teams and programmes of SPC are also contributing.
The CCF will be informed by SPC’s Strategic Plan, the FRDP, climate change priorities espoused by the Heads of sector meetings convened by SPC, its Governing Council, the 2050 Strategy, Pacific priorities in climate change negotiations and national policies.
The process for mainstreaming environmental sustainability and climate change started in 2014 with the Program Support Unit. As part of SPC’s 2017-2022 SPC Climate Change Framework, a Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) policy has been designed and adopted in early April 2018 to strengthen social and environmental responsibility along three major pillars: 1/ People, 2/ Operations and 3/ Programmes. This policy provides a framework, and guiding principles for SPC to ethically and sustainably manage any potential social and environmental risks and impacts of its activities, and to enhance social and
environmental benefits. The SER policy implementation is done in an inclusive manner, with a people-centred approach so as to maximise whole-of-society benefits.
The policy implementation is currently operational under the supervision of the SER Senior Adviser.
Organizational chart of the GESI Adviser within CCS
Key Result Areas (KRAs):
KRA#1: Technical advice on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) throughout CCF and across SPC technical divisions– 50%
KRA#2: Human rights and GESI capacity building – 30%
KRA#3: Support stakeholder engagement and networking – 20%
The performance requirements of the Key Result Areas are broadly described below:
| Jobholder is accountable for: | Jobholder is successful when |
|---|---|
| KRA#1: Technical advice for the integration of GESI across the CCF (50%) - Provide contextually relevant technical advice to support the integration of gender equality and social inclusion across the Climate Change Flagship. - Work closely with project managers, technical specialists and divisional teams to embed GESI principles throughout the project cycle, including concept development, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting. - Provide advice and quality assurance for gender assessments, GESI analyses, Gender Assessment and Action Plans, social safeguards instruments and other relevant project documentation. - Guide project teams in identifying and addressing GESI-related risks, barriers and opportunities, ensuring that proposed measures are proportionate, practical and aligned with SPC's Social and Environmental Responsibility policy. - Support the development of integrated and cross-sectoral approaches that reflect the different ways | - GESI principles are demonstrably embedded in the design and implementation of cross-sectoral projects supported through the Climate Change Flagship. - Project proposals, concept notes, work plans and technical deliverables include timely, high-quality and contextually appropriate GESI analysis and measures. - Gender assessments and action plans provide clear, practical and measurable actions that can be implemented by project teams. - Project and programme MEL frameworks include appropriate GESI outcomes, indicators, targets and disaggregated data requirements. - Project managers and technical |
| climate change affects women, men, young people, persons with disabilities and other groups experiencing vulnerability or exclusion. - Provide technical guidance on the integration of GESI outcomes, indicators and disaggregated data requirements within project MEL frameworks, divisional business plans and Flagship-level reporting. - Undertake GESI reviews, analytical work and programmatic assessments, and translate findings into practical recommendations for project and programme teams. - Coordinate with GESI Advisers, focal points, MEL specialists and technical teams across SPC to promote consistent approaches, avoid duplication and strengthen institutional practice. - Contribute advice beyond the Climate Change Flagship when required, in alignment with the broader institution-wide mandate of the SER team. | teams receive consistent, evidence-based and actionable GESI advice. - GESI-related risks and opportunities are identified early and addressed throughout the project cycle. - Cross-divisional programming demonstrates greater consistency with SPC's SER policy and institutional GESI commitments. |
|---|---|
| KRA#2: GESI capacity building (30%) - Assess the GESI capability needs of Climate Change Flagship teams and participating technical divisions. - Design and deliver contextually appropriate learning initiatives that enable staff and partners to apply GESI principles in cross-sectoral climate change programming. - Develop practical guidance, reference materials, tools, templates and checklists that support project teams to integrate GESI considerations into their day-to-day work. - Adapt capacity development approaches for diverse audiences, including SPC staff, government counterparts, civil society organisations, development partners and other non-governmental stakeholders. - Review and update learning resources based on participant feedback, emerging evidence, lessons from implementation and changing Pacific priorities. - Promote shared learning across divisions by documenting and disseminating effective practices, lessons and practical examples from Climate Change Flagship projects. | - Staff and partners demonstrate increased confidence and capability in applying GESI principles to project design and implementation. - High-quality, Pacific-contextualised GESI tools and learning resources are available and used by cross-sectoral project teams. - Capacity development activities address identified needs and receive positive feedback from participants. - Project teams can demonstrate practical application of learning in project plans, technical outputs, stakeholder engagement and MEL arrangements. - Lessons and effective practices from Climate Change Flagship projects are documented and shared across SPC. - Training and guidance materials remain current, accessible and aligned with SPC policies and relevant regional priorities. |
| KRA#3: Stakeholder engagement and networking (20%) - Facilitate effective coordination among Climate Change Flagship teams, SPC technical divisions and institutional GESI mechanisms to support consistent GESI integration across cross-sectoral projects. - Build and maintain constructive technical relationships with Pacific Island governments, civil society organisations, regional bodies, development partners and other relevant stakeholders. - Engage with national GESI focal points and technical | - Stakeholders receive coordinated and technically consistent advice on GESI integration. - National and regional perspectives are reflected in the design and implementation of Climate Change Flagship projects. - Cross-sectoral projects benefit from effective collaboration between |
| counterparts to ensure that SPC-supported approaches respond to national priorities, institutional contexts and community realities. - Provide input to working groups, task forces and technical committees on gender equality, social inclusion and human rights. - Identify opportunities for collaboration, technical exchange and coordinated programming that strengthen the GESI responsiveness of SPC’s climate change portfolio. - Represent SPC’s technical work on GESI-responsive climate action at national, regional and international forums, as delegated by the SER Senior Adviser or Director. - Consolidate stakeholder feedback and emerging regional priorities and communicate their implications to relevant project, programme and divisional teams. | technical divisions, GESI specialists and external partners. - SPC’s technical contributions to relevant forums and working groups are recognised as credible, practical and responsive to Pacific priorities. - New opportunities for collaboration and GESI-responsive programming are identified and progressed. - Stakeholder feedback is systematically captured and used to improve project approaches. |
|---|
Most Challenging Duties Typically Undertaken (Work Complexity):
- • Navigating diverse contexts to advance gender equality, social inclusion and human.
- • Managing the effective delivery of services to multiple programs and projects across the Climate Change Flagship.
- • Ensuring that all activities and actions are grounded in Pacific values and principles, and people centered approaches that reinforce values of human rights and social inclusion.
- • Providing technical advice for PICTs senior government officials and other leaders.
- • Communicating complex GESI and human rights concepts to a wide range of audiences.
- • Continually adapting work delivery to respond to current and emerging human rights, GESI and people-centered approaches.
- • Operating with a matrix mandate across an entire flagship programme and multiple technical divisions requiring independent judgement on GESI positioning.
Functional Relationships & Relationship Skills:
| Key internal and/or external contacts | Nature of the contact most typical |
|---|---|
| External - PICTs focal points (minister level and lower) including CSOs - Funding and development partners - Other regional and international agencies - Consultants - CSOs, vendors, consultants, and community members - Private contractors and consultants | - Responding to request for information, technical advice - Reporting (activity/outcome and financial), various committees and working groups - Coordination & delivery of work programme - Engaging in communities of learning, information and practice |
| Internal - CCS director, CCF Management Unit, Programmes Managers, Team Leaders, Advisors, Officers, Country staff, Administrative and Finance team, interns - SPC Technical Divisions, and programme teams - SER Senior Adviser and GESI focal points/Advisers across other SPC technical divisions | - Reporting (activity/outcome and financial) Programme delivery against outcomes - Finance, MEL, results reporting. - Coordinating and collaborating for integrated programming and implementation of SER policy, and mainstreaming of PCA |
Level of Delegation:
Overall Operational Budget managed by the role: 0 €
Budget Sign off Authority without requiring approval from direct supervisor: 0€
Person Specifications:
Qualifications
| Essential: | Desirable: |
|---|---|
| - A postgraduate qualification in gender and social science, or other relevant social science training from a recognized university or equivalent body of knowledge and experience | - Master’s degree in a relevant field of Social Science. - Specific training qualification on human rights, gender, and social inclusion. - Diploma or certificate courses in project management. |
Knowledge/Experience
| Essential: | Desirable: |
|---|---|
| - At least 8 years of progressive experience in GESI. - Experience in mainstreaming human rights-based, gender, social inclusion in development programming, including climate change, environmental governance, and regional institutions. - Programming, developing, delivering, and reporting against work plans. - Working in a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural team. - Experience developing capacity building resources and delivering sessions for diverse government and non-government audiences. - Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work with a wide range of individuals - Ability to translate text-heavy documents or information into user-friendly materials for a wide range of audiences - Demonstrated ability to conduct institutional GESI reviews, analytical reports, and programmatic assessments independently. - Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with strong writing ability at a donor project reporting level. | - Working with teams located remotely. - Demonstrated high level of emotional intelligence through work approaches. - Conducting research, including participatory research and mixed methods. - Organizing and convening bi-lingual regional, sub-regional and national events - Working with and engaging consultants. - Knowledge of the mandates of CROP and UN agencies, development partners, NGOs, civil society organizations in PICTs. - Understanding of ethical guidelines in programme/project implementation including do no harm and survivor-based approaches. |
Key Skills/Attributes/Job Specific Competencies
The following levels would typically be expected for the 100% fully effective level
| Expert level | - Proven experience delivering human rights, gender and social inclusion programmes and technical assistance. - Applied knowledge of national, regional, and international human rights, gender and social inclusion frameworks and development challenges in the Pacific within national government machinery or within a CROP agency. |
|---|---|
| Advanced level | - Cultural and religious sensitivities. - Integration of human rights and GESI across development sectors. - Critical analysis and innovative thinking. - Complex multisector coordination, planning and design. - Presentation, communication, reporting writing and facilitation skills. - Networking and stakeholder engagement. |
| Working knowledge | - Project management. - Monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks. - Proposal writing. |
| Awareness | - SPC human rights and social development work in the region. - Resource mobilization. |
Key Behaviours
All employees are measured against the following Key Behaviors as part of Performance Development:
- Change and Innovation
- Interpersonal Skills
- Judgement
- Promotion of Equity and Equality
- Teamwork
Personal Attributes
- High level of professional integrity and ethics
- Friendly demeanour
- Demonstrated high level commitment to customer service
Change to Job Description:
From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of the work environment - including technological requirements or statutory changes. Such change may be initiated as necessary by SPC. This Job Description may also be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle.