Gender Advisor - Marie Stopes Ghana

Marie Stopes International Ghana (MSIG), a branch of MSI Reproductive Choices global partnership is the leading Sexual Reproductive Health and rights organisation in Ghana providing high quality, safe services, and advocacy to create an enabling environment, so every client has access to safe services when and where they are needed.

MSIG has vacancies for passion-driven, well-organised, client-oriented and energetic individuals with the below relevant qualification/s and experience. MSIG’s goal is to meet the needs of the underserved and improve access to the use of Family Planning (FP) and other Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services.

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At MSI Reproductive Choices we are unapologetically pro-choice. We believe that every woman has the right to make choices about her own body and her own future.

MSI Reproductive Choices is committed to creating an inclusive environment with a workforce which is representative of the communities we serve. We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and give equal consideration to all qualified applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age.  

Job Description

Length of contract: 10 Months Short Term Contract

The Gender Advisor leads the integration of programming that supports gender equality and social inclusion in accordance with global best practices, donors and MSI’s requirements. The Advisor joins the project from its inception and will shape strategy, programme implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation. This includes capacity building and technical assistance to consortium partners, government, civil society, and community stakeholders.

While the job holder will not manage or be responsible for the implementation of Gender mainstreaming in the field, he/she will need to maintain the closest professional relations with Channel Leads, each Region and its teams, with the Donor Compliance and Delivery team within the Regional Operations Directorate and with other key internal and external audiences.

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The job holder is one of the members of the Directorate of Regional Operations and as such plays a critical role in all major operational and strategic decisions for the Directorate. Additionally, the job holder is expected to contribute to organisation-wise strategy and to model key leadership behaviours and demonstrate the organisation’s values.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Gender Analysis to determine the most effective strategies in the local context and to identify results that support gender equality.
• Lead implementation and monitoring of the Gender Strategy in close collaboration with project implementation team, consortium partners, MSI global technical experts and donor leads.
• Accountable for design and implementation of key project deliverables related to gender, equality and social inclusion.
• Provide technical leadership on Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) to all donor deliverables including ensuring reporting, work planning and evaluations reflect GESI principles.
• Provide advice and support to all teams (marketing, advocacy leads, research, monitoring and evaluation) to ensure that activities are designed to reinforce gender equality and that no activities reinforce negative or harmful gender norms.
• Collaborate with the Project Manager to communicate with donor representatives and other key stakeholders.
• Represent MSG in key national forums that advance gender and social inclusion issues.
• Regularly communicate achievements to consortium partners, other in-country partners, donors and MSI global teams.
• Assess needs and provide direct technical assistance to project teams, consortium partners, and community-based organizations.
• Contribute actively to the professional development of other team members in all aspects related to gender.
• Lead and manage the rollout of MSI global strategies, tools and policies on gender programming, including contextualization for country context.

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Department and Organisational Management and leadership

• Actively participate as a senior-level member of the Senior Management Team.
• Provide leadership and guidance to post holder’s team members (if in place) and foster a strong sense of team and team cohesion amongst them.
• Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports; motivate, coach, and build the capacity of team members to effectively manage, monitor, and report on projects.
• Set and continuously review direct report(s)’ performance against IOPs and performance of the team as a whole; conduct formal performance reviews using MSIG’s “Performance Plus” system; ensure the team’s formal performance reviews are conducted on time.
• Continually strengthen the organization’s project management systems/processes; ensure consistent best practice in project life cycle management.
• Maintain effective relationships internally with all departmental heads and externally with other SRH partners
• As one of MSIG’s leaders, role model good leadership behaviours, play a part in supporting the development of the organisation and its leadership culture, and, in particular, work closely with the Country Director, SMT, and Regional Managers, support the development of organisational annual & strategic business plans

Required Skills or Experience

• At least 5 years of directly relevant post-graduation work experience and at least 3 years of experience in a substantive gender mainstreaming
• Experience in gender and social inclusion project design and management in the health sector, preferably in SRHR.
• Experience working with CSOs, CBOs and the government to deliver projects.
• Experience designing, adapting trainings and curriculums, including facilitation and roll out of Training of Trainers.
• Familiarity with research, monitoring and evaluation activities of gender and inclusion.

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• Familiarity with community engagement and marketing strategies.
• Experience developing and embedding gender and social inclusion strategies.
• Experience in large donor-funded projects.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully working across teams
• Experience in working with young people (e.g. behaviour change communication activities, marketing activities, peer educator programmes, etc)
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; able to write/edit high-quality reports
• Articulate and analytical with excellent attention to detail
• Strong partnership skills
• Experience in working for and with NGOs (or multilateral or bilateral agencies such as the UN); specific experience working with international NGOs desired
• Experience in delivering training desired

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences/development studies required
• Master’s degree in Gender Studies or a related field is welcome.
• Other professional qualifications, ideally in project management or sexual and reproductive health desired

Attitude and motivation

• Pro-Choice
• Sympathetic to young women and men seeking contraception and other reproductive health services
• Hard-working and results-focused

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• Able to work independently and with own initiative
• Problem-solving and “can do” approach to challenges, highly collaborative work style
• Customer-focused
• Enjoys engaging people at all levels to generate shared understanding and support (e.g., government, donors, partners, other team members and community)
• Enjoys motivating team members and external partners to deliver results
• Team player