Gender Empowerment Associate

Climate change-induced soil and water salinity is projected to adversely impact freshwater dependent agricultural livelihoods (leading to loss of productivity or livelihoods) as well as the availability and quality of drinking water in the vulnerable coastal communities. Furthermore, given the crucial role that women play in water security and household level resilience, and their socio-economic marginalization, the climate change-induced threat to agricultural livelihoods and drinking water security of the affected coastal communities disproportionately affects women and girls. Therefore, the key objective of the proposed project is to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in strengthening the adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with impacts of climate change-induced salinity on their livelihoods and water security. GCF resources will be combined with GoB co-financing to address information, technical, financial and institutional barriers to implementing and managing resilient livelihoods and drinking water solutions for the vulnerable communities in the Southwestern coastal districts of Khulna and Satkhira. An estimated 719,229 people (about 245,516 direct and 473,713 indirect) will benefit from the proposed project interventions.

The proposed project will empower target communities, especially women, as ‘change-agents’ to plan, implement, and manage resilient livelihoods and drinking water solutions. The project will enable those communities to address climate change risks on livelihood and drinking water security to promote synergistic co-benefits. It will enhance the adaptive capacities of these communities in the face of worsening impacts of climate-change induced salinity on their freshwater resources which in turn adversely affect livelihood and drinking water requirements. GCF resources will be invested in promoting a diversification from currently non-adaptive, freshwater-reliant livelihoods of small-scale farmers, fishers, and agro-labourers towards climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods. GoB co-financing is leveraged to support adoption and scale of these alternative, climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods through strengthened value-chains and market linkages for their long-term viability in the face of increasing salinity and extreme weather.  Access to reliable, safe drinking water from the project target will enable the communities, especially women and girls in targeted households, to invest the resulting time and cost savings and health co-benefits in enhanced livelihoods and income generating and/or educational opportunities. Finally, through investments in institutional capacities, knowledge dissemination and evidence-based learning, the project will enable pathways for replication and scale of project impact to secure livelihoods and drinking water across the vulnerable districts of the southwest coast of Bangladesh. The project yields significant environmental, social (including gender), and economic co-benefits including enhanced integrity of coastal ecosystems and freshwater resources; improved gender norms and women empowerment; and increased income and health benefits, estimated at USD15 million and USD4 million respectively over the project lifetime.

Under direct supervision of Gender Specialist and overall guidance of the Project Coordinator, the Gender Empowerment Officer will be working to support in gender empowerment issues for the projects.

1. Support project team in implementing strategies to address gender transformation and to troubleshoot in consultation with Gender Specialist and Regional Project Manager; 
2. Work with Responsible Party (NGOs) for the interventions aimed at strengthening women’s leadership and supporting the implementation of related policies;  
3. Assist Gender Specialist to build relationship between UNDP, DWA, DPHE and other national stakeholders working at GCA working areas for gender mainstreaming;
4. Provide monitoring and evaluation support and assist in achieving results against the project’s intended outputs and outcomes on gender issues quarterly and annually;
5. Provide necessary support to Gender Specialist to organise training programmes, conferences and workshop/seminars at national and local level; 

Institutional Arrangement

Gender Specialist, “Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity” Project (Annex : Signed Project Document / Recruitment Plan 2021 supporting for this position)

Achieve Results:    LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively:    LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
Learn Continuously:    LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility:    LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
Act with Determination:     LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner:    LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:    LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 
Ethics -   Ethics Advice & Guidance -   Ability to quickly analyse complex fact patterns and provide comprehensive, sensitive, and confidential ethics advice and guidance
General (across the functions)    Event planning and execution    Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private overall brand and mandate.
Partnership management   -   Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
Communications    Writing and editing    Ability to create and/or edit written content in Bangla and English 
Business Development  -  Collective Intelligence Design  -  Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to design services or solutions

Education requirements -    Minimum  6 years with Secondary education or 3 years with Bachelor's degree in social science especially Gender Studies, Development Studies or relevant discipline; 
Relevant work experience -    At least 3 years of overall professional experience of working on women's empowerment and gender equality in a development context 

Required  Skills : 
•    Experience in working on gender equality issues particularly relating to women in decision-making/ leadership;   
•    Demonstrated ability to work in a programmatic context at field level;
•    Demonstrated track record in the preparation and implementation of Gender Action Plans  
•    Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills; 
•    Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
•    Demostrates skills in facilitating and organizing training for both women and men on gender
•    Experience of running campaign with young girls and boys
•    Experience in developing training materials, familiarity with UNDP policies and procedures is an asset;    
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section   

 •    Creativity and skills for presenting gender data and content; 
•    Networking and liaison with diverse stakeholders (Local Government, CSOs and private sector), preparation of ToRs and or bid documents;
•    Experience of working with Department of Women Affairs will be an asset.
•    Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
•    Proactive in implementation and finds strategic solutions in troubleshooting,
•    A team-player  and responds positively to feedback; 
•    Shares knowledge and experience internally and externally, and promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office; 

Required Language(s)     Excellent written and oral communication in English and Bangla, including excellent drafting and presentation skills.