WOMEN LEAD IN EMERGENCIES (WLIE) COORDINATOR

Location: Lviv (TBC)

Supervisor: CARE in Ukraine TL with reporting lines to Tam O’Neil (WLiE Technical Adviser)

and Siobhán Foran (Regional GiE Coordinator) as necessary (TBC)

Starting Date: ASAP to benefit from working side-by-side with WLiE Technical Adviser who is

contracted for 30 days in the three-month period to the end of June 2022

Contract Duration: 1 year with possible extension

Background:

Since February 2022, CARE International (CI) has geared up its humanitarian response work in Ukraine and bordering countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova. As a result, CARE has multiple lines of coordination and management, including three Lead Members (Germany, France and the USA) and one independent member (Caucuses). CARE Germany is Lead Member (LM) on behalf of the CI Confederation for the work inside Ukraine.

In a rapid assessment of the impact of the war in Ukraine on women’s civil society organisations (CSOs) in early March 2022, UN Women confirmed the findings of CARE’s Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) Brief (3 March 2022) and subsequent Rapid gender analysis of Ukraine: Secondary data review (UN Women and CARE International, 29 March 2022) that women’s groups and CSOs have mobilised quickly to respond to the immediate priorities of their communities but face many challenges to providing support to IDPs, host-communities and those affected directly by violence and insecurity.

To respond to the challenges faced by these groups, common recommendations from CARE and UN Women relate to prioritising funding for women-led CSO that will allow them to stay operational, including flexible funding for institutional support, adaption to humanitarian operations, the changing context and the provision of new services/interventions. Another key recommendation relates to ensuring WROs and WLOs, including those representing marginalised groups, are included and can participate meaningfully in coordination mechanisms and decision-making processes at all levels of the humanitarian sector. This may include capacity development support on how to operate in a humanitarian context and to engage in multiple and sometimes complex humanitarian structures and mechanisms.

As noted in the draft Response Strategy for Ukraine developed by CARE Deutschland as LM for Ukraine, CARE is partnering deliberatively and strategically with WLOs/WROs to ensure that women participate meaningfully in the response and that the response identifies and meets the distinct needs of women, girls, etc. It is further and importantly noted that partnership with WLOs/WROs is one of CARE’s areas of added value and WLiE is the specific programming approach for such partnerships and added value.

Overall Job Summary:

The Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) Coordinator will coordinate all aspects of the WLiE project in collaboration with partners in Ukraine. They will manage partnerships with women’s rights/led organisations and support their adaptation and use of the WLiE model and toolkit. This includes supporting them to use participatory tools and approaches to support women affected by crisis to participate in humanitarian decision-making and emergency response and early recovery. The WLiE Coordinator will also work with CARE staff and partners to build their capacity to support gender transformative programming in humanitarian crises.

The WLiE Coordinator will work with the MEAL colleagues to monitor and report on program activities and outcomes, and work with the CARE Global Women Lead team to document learning about the Women Lead approach and how it can be improved. They will also participate in the CARE WLiE Network and coordinate with other CARE women’s empowerment programmes to build knowledge and learning on what works to increase women’s voice and leadership in humanitarian and nexus programming and contexts.

Specific responsibilities and tasks:

1. Partnership management and staff/partner capacity building

• Manage relationships with women rights/led organisations, including due diligence and grant management.
• Guide and support CARE and partner staff to conduct capacity assessments for partners to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the design and delivery of emergency response, and the use of the WLiE programming model for humanitarian response. Work with women led/rights organisations to strengthen their organisational capacity and independence.
• Adapt and develop the Women Lead tools and materials, with support from the Global WLiE technical team, and provide training and other support in their use to CARE staff and partners, as well as women affected by the crisis.
• Facilitate reflection and learning sessions with CARE Deutschland in Ukraine staff on gender, power and participation, and on gender responsive/transformative humanitarian programming, in collaboration with REDI/GED/Social Analysis and Action focal points/specialist, and identify development needs.

2. Implementation of the WLiE approach

• Coordinate and conduct/support partners to conduct Rapid Gender Analyses on Power and Participation, with technical support from the Global Women Lead technical team.
• Support project staff/partners to facilitate reflection and co-creation spaces with women in crisis-affected communities to analyse the barriers and opportunities for women’s meaningful participation in decision-making, response and early recovery, and to develop WLiE action plans to support women’s leadership, with technical support from Global Women Lead technical team.
• Provide technical assistance to CARE project staff and partners to support implementation of WLiE Action Plans to support their voice, leadership and decision-making of women affected by crisis, and manage small grant activities as relevant.
• Monitor and maintain quality of implementation of the WLiE project and consistency and coordination with other staff and partners implementing complementing programmes, and ensure regular and accurate reporting in accordance with the project requirements.
• As requested by the CARE in Ukraine Team Leader, maintain budget oversight and management of the WLiE partnership agreements and develop periodic reports as required.
• Develop the subsequent phases of WLiE, exploring opportunities for expansion/further roll-out of the programme.

3. Collaboration and learning

• In collaboration with the MEAL Advisor, use the CARE Gender Marker Self-Assessment Tool to improve the quality of gender integration at all stages of the project cycle and facilitate regular reflection on the gender transformative impact of the project. This includes considering protection risks and unintended consequences of programme activities and mitigating harm, such as an increase in violence, harassment and backlash for women and partners through programme activities.
• In collaboration with the MEAL Advisor and WLiE Global MEAL lead, develop WLiE M&E system, including adapting the WLiE global theory of change and MEAL framework to project M&E systems, and design and implementation of baselines, midterm reviews and specific learning events, end lines and/or final evaluations.
• In collaboration with the MEAL Advisor and WLiE global MEAL lead, develop a plan for on-going action learning to assess what does and does not work to support the voice and leadership of women affected by crisis, implementation of WLiE with women’s rights partners, feedback loops to modify the project implementation, and to document the process and promising practices.
• In close consultation with MEAL Advisor and in collaboration with field staff, facilitate knowledge capture and exchange of learning on WLiE by CARE, partners and women affected by the crisis.
• Participate in the piloting of the Global Women Lead Initiative, including working with the Global Women Lead coordinators to document and disseminate process and promising practices.
• Build relationships with, and networks between, women-led groups and organisations advocating for women’s rights, gender equality and women’s voice, and inclusive governance.

Qualifications and competencies

• Bachelors’ degree (or equivalent qualification) in relevant discipline e.g. Gender Studies, Humanitarian/Development Studies, Social Work and Social Administration, Political Science
• Advanced knowledge and at least five years of proven practical experience in partnerships with women rights/led organisations and in implementing and providing technical support to gender transformative programmes, including women’s leadership and political empowerment.
• At least three years’ hands-on professional experience of working in an emergency and/or development context.
• Experience of working with women and men from different cultures and facilitating conversations around sensitive/taboo topics, such as masculinity, sexuality and power.
• Demonstrated skills in participatory techniques, community mobilization and facilitation, gender and power analysis, planning and training.
• Highly developed analytical and inter-personal communication skills and sound judgment and decision-making.
• Working knowledge in M&E, report writing and documentation.
• Experience working with large, cross-cultural teams on projects with multiple deliverables is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to network, build relationships and establish collaboration with different partners, local agencies and international networks.
• Existing relationships with women-led organisations and demonstrated ability to link community activists and social movements advocating for gender equality and women’s rights.
• A demonstrated strong personal commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equality.