Protection, Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Community Engagement and Accountability (PGIE) Delegate – Somaliland

The Canadian Red Cross’s mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world. Reporting to the Country Representative, Canadian Red Cross in Somaliland, the Delegate for PGIE in Somaliland will work with the Canadian Red Cross, the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS), and other consortium partners to further refine, develop, and kick-start implementation of the Protection, Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Community Engagement and Accountability actions of the “Supporting the Continuum of Care” project in Somaliland.

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is managing a project supported by a number of consortium partners in Somaliland. Implemented by the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS), the project aims to build on the work partners have already supported in previous years and decades, focusing on increasing the access of community members in Togdheer and Adwal regions to health and protection promotion and care. Activities will focus on community health promotion and prevention, epidemic preparedness and awareness-raising at the community level. It will include prevention and awareness raising on protection, gender and inclusion issues such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including appropriate response, like referral information to communities to provide increased support to survivors. All of these initiatives will be supported by the Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) approach that puts communities at the centre of what we do, by integrating communication and participation throughout the project.

The PGIE Delegate will support the gender responsive start up and implementation of the Continuum of Care (CoC) project. The Delegate will be responsible for assisting SRCS to plan, manage, implement, monitor, and report on the PGIE elements defined in the project documents, integrating IFRC and international humanitarian standards of PGI and CEA in emergency preparedness and response.

In addition to the above-mentioned roles the PGIE Delegate will ensure that the PGIE focus area is prioritized and mainstreamed throughout the project, while respecting the difficulties imposed by the cultural environment of Somaliland. This includes working at preventing sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) which refers to policies, rules, and actions intended to prevent CRC personnel or our partners from engaging in any form of sexual exploitation and abuse and to respond where it has occurred. The PGIE Advisor will collaborate with and mentor members of the SRCS, consulting closely with key Red Cross Movement consortium partners.

Who you are:

• You have international experience providing technical assistance in one or more of these fields: Protection, Gender Equality, Social Inclusion, Community Engagement and accountability in a humanitarian organisation.
• You have demonstrated experience in senior level representation, relationship building, strong diplomacy and negotiation skills.

You will enjoy:

Culture: an organization that is guided by our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality

Opportunity: to work with the best and brightest in the non-profit field, in an environment that promotes continuous learning, creativity and collaboration

Employee Benefits: achieve a work/life balance for you and your new team with competitive vacation time, generous personal days and flexible work arrangements

Meaningful Work: to support the gender responsive start up and implementation of the Continuum of Care (CoC) project also ensuring that the PGIE focus area is prioritized and mainstreamed throughout the project.

In this role you will:

• Provide technical advice, project planning and monitoring support specific to the CoC Project.
• Provide technical assistance and guidance in planning, management, monitoring, and reporting on protection, gender equality, social inclusion and community engagement and accountability (PGIE) related to the project plans and budgets.
• Coordinate the inputs of Partner National Societies (PNS) to ensure technical support on PGIE issues in the project, to align Gender Equality (GE) strategies, policies, tools and trainings.
• Support ongoing project performance monitoring, evaluation, and reporting based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Results Based Management (RBM).
• In collaboration with the GE consultants from PNS, provide or develop informational, educational, and communicative (IEC) materials for the National Society to guide and provide orientation of the integration of gender equality and social inclusion in emergencies, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), child protection, prevention of sexual and gender based violence in emergencies, community engagement and accountability, gender and climate-change adaptation, and other related topics.
• Provide mentorship and support to the SRCS Gender & Diversity Manager on PGIE issues and aid the person in planning and starting implementation of the project activities.
• Contribute to the selection, hiring, and support of NS GE consultants or other external consultants sourced for specific technical work and/or evaluations or assessments for the project.
• Undertake other duties that may be assigned from time to time which are commensurate to the role of the Delegate.

We’re looking for:

• University Degree, preferably Masters level, in the field of women’s studies, gender and development, social sciences, or related studies.
• Three to five years experience in providing technical assistance in one or more of the cross-cutting themes (Protection, Gender Equality, Social Inclusion, Community Engagement and Accountability) to international humanitarian and development agencies and/or governmental and non-governmental organizations.
• Previous Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement experience is required along with a demonstrated commitment to the principles of the RCRC Movement.
• Proven leadership, mentoring, team building, relationship building, negotiating, and influencing skills and ability to work effectively in teams.
• Experience working for a humanitarian aid organization in East Africa.
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Fluency in Somali will be considered an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in senior level representation, relationship building, and management, and strong diplomacy and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment; strong sensitivity to intercultural effectiveness and relations.
• Resilience and ability to think clearly and rationally in stressful situations in a constantly evolving environment.
• Proven experience in effective country-level planning and coordination with a range of different stakeholders.
• Solutions-oriented with demonstrated analytical skills.
• Mobile data collection knowledge an asset.

Working Conditions

This is an unaccompanied position based in Hargeisa, Somaliland, and may require travel to other areas of Somaliland on a short-term basis. Somaliland lacks some basic infrastructure and social services and a significant percentage of the population lives in poverty. The security situation is considered volatile and unpredictable. Security rules and regulations have been developed by CRC and must be adhered to at all times.

This is a field-based position. Working in countries of operation is very demanding, both physically and psychologically. Difficult working conditions are expected, including the following:

• Issues of access and mobility due to the security context.
• Long hours of work in a demanding context with limited resources.
• The ability to work in a high risk, fluid and evolving situation may be required, as is the ability to work in stressful and often ambiguous conditions.
• Basic living conditions that may include intermittent electricity, Internet, and other basic services
• CRC supports a safe working environment and comfortable accommodation, however, as in all contexts, delegates must be aware and responsible for their personal safety and that of employees under their supervision.
• In some contexts, legal frameworks and institutions to enforce the rule of law are largely undeveloped.
• In some remote areas, access to healthcare could be limited or non-existent.
• Periodic travel by road to the project implementation sites.
• Travel to Nairobi for meetings may be required.
• All CRC delegates must be cleared by the Travel Health Team with full medical and vaccination clearance.

The Canadian Red Cross is committed to gender equality and social inclusion in our workplace. All qualified applications will receive consideration without regard to sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, color, religion, nationality, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We encourage all qualified persons to apply particularly Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, visible minorities, and others who share our values and contribute to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Please notify us as soon as possible of any adaptive measures you might require at any stage of the recruitment process.