Women's Rights Specialist in ActionAid International

About us:

ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice. ActionAid’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe was established in Kyiv in 2022 and is covering projects in Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Moldova and Georgia. ActionAid works through a wide range of local partner organisations in the nexus, prioritising young people’s leadership, civil society development, women’s rights and leadership, the protection of minorities, as well as humanitarian support.

The Role:

We are looking for someone with a deep commitment to women’s rights and proven experience in advocacy/policy influence and program management. The understanding of the Ukraine humanitarian response, and the ability develop strategic relationships and navigate complex political environments, will be critical in this role.

The role reports to the senior management team and works closely with the Heads of Programme, the Civil Society Development Expert, the Youth Regional team on the policy side, the Protection Focal Point and the Security Officer.

 Some of the Key areas of activity or skills required will be:

• Programme management
• Strategic Development and implementation
• Positioning development
• Women’s rights network building

Tasks and Priorities

 1. Project Management Support (55%- flexible) 

• Project Management: managing the DEC Collective Initiatives on Flexible Funding Mechanism for Women’s Rights Organisations, adapted for Humanitarian context in Ukraine, through the planning and delivery of activities, managing donor relations and reporting (incl. supporting the financial reporting).
• Programme Operations: Support the Finance and Operations Teams in ensuring the timely and effective management of finances, compliant and VfM-focused procurements, administrative and HR processes as needed. 
• Monitoring and Evaluation: support MEAL colleagues in strengthening and implementing M&E frameworks, in particular the rollout of a more feminist MEAL framework across the project, and also in all countries, in coordination with the MEAL-reference positions within the team, to track project progress, assess impact, and identify areas for improvement.
• Continuous Learning: Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement by promoting the use of evidence-based practices and lessons learned from programme activities.
• Capacity strengthening of partners: Work closely with partners and staff to ensure capacity-building activities are tailored to their needs and contribute to their development objectives, and ensure that capacity strengthening initiatives are tailored, relevant and effective for local partners, and in line with sector strategies.

2. Develop the Women’s Rights program and advocacy strategy (45%- flexible) 

• Develop the Women’s Rights program and advocacy strategy inside the Ukraine Response/Eastern Europe line of work, including its alignment with the general strategy for the region and the global strategy of the ActionAid Federation
• Support the development of a feminist protection and security line of work, with the Safeguarding and Protection Officer and the Safety Training Officer
• Support the Safeguarding and Protection Officer in putting into place the Women-Led Community Based Protection initiative, including the identification of potential groups, the development of the planification and deliveries, in particular between the January-April period
• Participate in networking spaces at national and international level, including in humanitarian and non-humanitarian set-ups
• Participate with others in the development of relevant statements and positions with necessary
• Support the comms team when developing messages related with women’s rights, gender equality and intersectionality

(The terms and responsibilities of this position are subject to change as required by the rapidly evolving context and needs of the team.)

Who we're looking for:

- A master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as development studies, public policy, international relations, political science, law, economics, or similar.

- Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in working in a similar role in women’s rights organizations or broader civil society organizations with a strong women’s rights or gender justice focus; preferably in Ukraine and/or Eastern European countries.

- Experience in advocacy in regional and international policy spaces relevant to women’s rights and gender equality, and related negotiation and networking skills.

- Significant fundraising experience with a range of funding institutions and knowledge of feminist funding approaches.

- Experience with budgeting, tracking budgets and budgets reporting, in particular for Women- Rights Organisations/ Women-Led Organisation.

- A strong understanding of civil society dynamics in Eastern Europe, in particular in Ukraine.

- Excellent project management skills with a proven track record of managing complex, multi- stakeholder projects and a solid understanding of MEAL processes.

- Significant experience in working with a wide range of stakeholders including women, LGTBQIA+ communities, young people, minorities, but also senior decision makers and donors. 

- Exceptional interpersonal skills: tact, patience, diplomacy, and appropriate assertiveness when communicating with external stakeholders.

- Proficiency in English, additional skills in Ukrainian are considered an asset.

- A results-oriented self-starter with a ‘hands on’ attitude who can work independently, find solutions, and shape the civil society development programme in Ukraine.

- Consultative and empowering working style and willingness to learn from others.

- Candidates who have completed a HEAT training in the past 24 months will be preferred.

In addition, we expect:  

- A strong commitment to AA’s vision, mission, and values, especially the rights-based approach and the principles of equal opportunity as outlined in ActionAid’s Code of Conduct.                                                                                         

- A strong commitment to embedding feminist leadership and ActionAid’s humanitarian signature.                                                                                                    

- A strong commitment to adhering to and promoting ActionAid’s approach to Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse and other Safeguarding concerns (including child abuse and abuse of adults at-risk).                                                     

- A strong understanding of and commitment to women’s rights and cultural sensitivity.                                                                                                                            

- A commitment to the importance of downward accountability to rights-holders and transparency in humanitarian response.

What we offer:

ActionAid is committed to providing a welcoming, supportive workplace where we recognize a job well done, encourage close collaboration and sharing power, and where safeguarding standards and feminist leadership are exemplified everywhere. At ActionAid, you can look forward to a fair compensation package and a flexible working environment, including

• A workplace that embraces intersectional feminist principles
• Generous maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Flexible, family-friendly working arrangements.

ActionAid’s Regional Eastern Europe Office and Guesthouse is in downtown Kyiv, where the security situation is generally stable given the current circumstances.

Please submit your application including a CV and cover letter in English (maximum two pages each) via [email protected] with the subject 'Women's Rights Specialist'

Please submit your application no later than December 3, 2024, 23:59 Kyiv-time.  

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply early.

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This offer is contingent upon pending funding applications for the role. ActionAid conducts thorough reference checks before making an offer.

Due to high volumes of applications received, we can only correspond with short-listed applicants. Should you not have received feedback on your application within two weeks of the closing date, please consider your application as unsuccessful.

 ActionAid International will not consider unsolicited candidates from recruitment agencies.

 ActionAid reserves the right to modify, re-announce, or withdraw any of our vacancies at any time.

 ActionAid is committed to recruiting candidates who promote ActionAid’s SHEA and Safeguarding policies and values and will only recruit candidates who are committed to SHEA and Safeguarding and ActionAid’s values, thereby helping to create safer working cultures.

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