ABOUT VILLAGEREACH

VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone, so that each person has the health care needed to thrive.  We develop solutions that improve equity and access to primary health care.  This includes making sure products are available when and where they are needed and primary health care services are delivered to the most under-reached.  Radical collaboration with governments, the private sector and other partners strengthen our ability to scale and sustain these solutions. Our work increases access to quality health care for more than 70 million people in Africa. VillageReach in incorporated in Washington State and has offices in Seattle (USA), Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Summary

The Health Systems team takes a systems and cross-technical approach to ensure delivery of equitable primary health care. The Gender and Equity Specialist is a new position dedicated to advancing equity, especially gender, and ensuring that our programs are gender-responsive and inclusive. The Specialist will work closely with program teams to implement our new gender strategy that aims to integrate gender considerations into the full program cycle in line with VillageReach’s equity framework.

The Gender and Equity Specialist will lead efforts to develop and implement gender mainstreaming strategies within programs, such as conducting gender analyses, and support staff capacity building in this area. Candidates eligible to work in USA, DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa or most countries of Europe are eligible to apply, with preference for being based in Africa. This position does not qualify for relocation or work permit sponsorship. This is an immediate hire and candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

Gender-Based Analysis (30%):

• Conduct comprehensive gender-based analyses to identify and address gender disparities as part of the programs, such as related to supply chain strengthening and research. Example of programs include using community based participatory research to understand barriers to immunization.
• Guide program and country teams in conducting gender analyses and incorporating gender considerations into program design, monitoring & evaluation, and dissemination.
• Collaborate with teams to integrate gender perspectives into all stages of project development and implementation.
• Develop and implement tools and methodologies for gender-based analysis.
• In coordination with internal teams, regularly undertake landscaping reviews to identify the organization’s own state of gender integration at the programmatic level.

Gender-Responsive Programming (50%)

• Support the following programs to incorporate gender in process indicators and improvements in design
• Bodies of work under Supply Chain Integrators program
• Next Generation of Supply Chain in provinces with high numbers of zero-dose children in DRC
• Supporting provinces with high numbers of zero-dose children with the implementation of the Equity Accelerator Fund (EAF) in DRC, in coordination with gender specialists in the country
• Ensure costing for programs incorporates gender-responsiveness in design.
• Work closely with the research, evidence and learning team to regularly assess the quality of gender integration into programs and initiatives, and design necessary improvements in close consultations with relevant VillageReach staff.
• Publish papers and articles on VillageReach’s deployment externally, including but not limited to UNICEF’s IGE portal

Gender Strategy Deployment (20%)

• Lead the implementation of the new gender strategy for programs and teams within VillageReach.
• Offer expert guidance and one-on-one mentoring to VillageReach staff in integrating gender perspectives into existing and future program documents, including theories of change, process indicators, funding proposals, and research reports.
• Actively participate in annual work planning to include gender sensitivity into the design and implementation of programs.
• Conduct semi-annual or quarterly reviews to assess progress and ensure implementation of the strategy is aligned with overall goals.
• Identify new donors and areas of funding related to gender
• Serve as the organization’s gender integration thought leader and key resource person responsible for offering strategic guidance, analytic support, and capacity building.
• Serve as the organization’s external focal point for all gender-related communications including but not limited to new funding proposals, webpages, and externally published thought showcasing thought leadership in this area.
• Represent the organization in key donor and government counterpart engagements, and/or public forums, related to the integration of gender considerations into program design.
• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities currently, but may supervise employees in the future.

Education & Experience:

• Master’s degree with 3-5 years of experience, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in developing and deploying gender considerations into international development programs.
• Leadership abilities to work with multiple stakeholders, including government, other donors, grantees to create a common vision and visualize simple and effective but implementable solutions to complex problems.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent thought leadership and effectively communicate it to external audiences in oral and written formats.
• Familiarity with or prior work experience in, particularly with a focus on supply chains or system strengthening work which is not focused directly on beneficiaries.
• Experience in operationalizing gender integration into nonprofit program design and implementation in health systems strengthening.
• Strong comprehension of leading gender analysis frameworks, well-established concepts and the tools used in their deployment in practice.

Other Qualifications:

• Ability to collaborate effectively in multicultural environments while working with teams from diverse subject matter backgrounds.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, particularly in producing peer-reviewed publications, blog posts, op-eds, videos, and stakeholder presentations.
• Excellent organizational abilities with experience managing multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Comfortable working independently and with global teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Fluency in English required; fluency in French or Portuguese is a bonus
• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Teams) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment.
• Comply with VillageReach’s COVID-19 vaccination policy which requires full vaccination for in-person work or travel.

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization
• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach
• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach
• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making

Environment and Physical Demands:

VillageReach has no private offices, employees work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Due to the time zone differences between our USA office and our Country Offices and location of other global staff, US based staff are expected to be available for early morning meetings starting at 6am. In addition, our global HQ, regional Africa based staff and Country office staff are expected to be available for late afternoon/evening meetings up to 7pm CAT.

Approximately 90% of the workday is spent sitting. Must be able to lift 25 lbs.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:

VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most underserved and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

This is an immediate hire and therefore resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis till a qualified candidate is selected. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter and a 2-page technical writing sample to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/. In your cover letter, please address (1) Why you are interested in this position, (2) What is one reason you think you’d be a good fit for this position and, (3) What is one strength you would bring to this position?

Hiring Process:

The hiring process will include the following steps:

• Review submitted applications
• Conduct 20-30 minute screening interviews for shortlisted candidates
• Conduct skills and value-based interviews for 3-5 candidates.
• Conduct final interview if necessary
• Request references 
• Make offer 
• Conduct background check
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, but candidates who proceed to step 2 will be notified if they are not chosen for step 3.

Safeguarding:

VillageReach is committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults, and beneficiaries with whom it engages. We expect everyone working with us to share this commitment through our code of conduct. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which may include criminal records. VillageReach participates in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, in line with this Scheme, we will request information from job 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 applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Compensation:

VillageReach has an established compensation structure that is based on the relevant market and internally transparent. The range for US based candidates is $85,900 to $104,700 USD. For non-US candidates, please refer to the VillageReach Compensation Overview for more detailed geographical salary information. We hire people into the established range based on one’s experience and education and considering internal equity. We do not inquire about salary history.