Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Adviser

Title: Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Adviser

Project: Australia Solomon Islands Partnership for Justice

Location: Remote with periodic travel to Honiara, Solomon Islands

Reports to: Team Leader

Term: Short-term. Up to 140 days to December 31, 2024, with an option to extend for another year.

Working hours: The adviser is expected to be available for consultation during Solomon Islands working hours

Background

The Australia Solomon Islands Partnership for Justice (ASIPJ) continues Australia’s long-running support to the Solomon Islands justice sector. Its goal is to work closely with the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) to enable justice agencies to maintain delivery of their existing core activities while clearly identifying and engaging with fundamental problems and critical issues affecting their ability to contribute to stability and offer access to justice for citizens.

ASIPJ aspires to be locally led, problem-oriented and learning driven. It is pragmatic, practical, and adaptable, mainstreaming gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI). Deloitte is the Managing Contractor, working with Adam Smith International (ASI) who provides the program operational support.

Role Dimensions

Overview

The GEDSI Adviser will play a critical role in ensuring that ASIPJ develops and implements contextually appropriate, best practice approaches to GEDSI to achieve program outcomes. This short-term position will play an integral role in the inclusive delivery of ASIPJ through the provision of remote technical inputs to support program planning, design and delivery of GEDSI-related programming, monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and reporting activities. Specifically, the adviser will support ASIPJ’s twin-track approach to GEDSI, helping to both mainstream GEDSI across program activities and to implement targeted GEDSI-related interventions.

The GEDSI Adviser will work collaboratively with the ASIPJ team, engaging regularly with the full-time Solomon Islands-based GEDSI Officer, agency-based advisers, the program management team and staff of Deloitte and ASI.

Responsibilities

The GEDSI Adviser will be responsible for the following:

In collaboration with the Deputy Team Leader, work closely with a Honiara-based GEDSI Officer, including engaging on the development and oversight of their annual workplan, implementing agreed upon activities, mentoring, and assisting them with liaising with government counterparts.

Familiarising and overseeing the implementation of relevant elements of ASIPJ’s Program Design Document (PDD); ASIPJ’s GEDSI Action Plan; ‘Step-by-Step’, the Solomon Islands’ Justice Sector’s Gender and Social Inclusion Strategy; the 2021 Review of the Family Protection Act; and other program strategies, policies and procedures. A key task in relation to all of these documents will be working with ASIPJ agency-based advisers to implement activities and/or recommendations relevant to their justice agencies and/or the sector.

Providing GEDSI technical inputs[1] to the ASIPJ design refresh (due to commence in September/October 2023) including participating in consultations and online workshop/s as required.

Following the ASIPJ design refresh, work with ASIPJ management and advisers on understanding and implementing GEDSI-related changes, including leading on the review and update of the ASIPJ GEDSI Action Plan. Working with the GEDSI Officer, the adviser will be responsible for reviewing and updating the GEDSI Action Plan on an annual basis.

Supporting the formation and delivery of ASIPJ’s annual workplans. This will include collaborating with justice agencies, ASIPJ management and advisers on devising and implementing GEDSI-related activities and providing on-going technical advice on the implementation of such activities.

Identifying GEDSI-related partnerships/relationships between ASIPJ and relevant Solomon Islands-based, regional or international actors – both government and non-government – working in the GEDSI and justice spaces, particularly those engaging on gender-based violence. This will include sharing lessons learnt across different contexts and identifying areas for possible collaboration. A feature of this task may include identifying service providers who are able to deliver GEDSI-related and/or gender-based violence training to SIG counterparts or others.

As required, reviewing and/or contributing to ASIPJ’s draft Localisation Plan; draft Indigenous Participation Plan; Six Monthly and Annual reports; program produced learning and communications materials; annual workplans and/or other program strategies; policies and procedures, ensuring that all of these documents adequately identify and incorporate activities which are directed towards mainstreaming and promoting gender equality, social inclusion and disability and addressing gender-based violence.

As required, providing technical advice to ASIPJ’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Adviser and MERL Officer to ensure the design and delivery of MERL data collection and MERL activities are inclusive and consider efforts to promote GEDSI outcomes. This will involve working with the MERL Adviser and MERL Officer, and other ASIPJ advisers, on devising, implementing, drafting and reporting on GEDSI-related program research and learning.

Providing ad hoc advice on GEDSI-related and gender-based violence issues to SIG counterparts, ASIPJ advisers and management and DFAT. This may include capacity building, training and providing advice on developing, implementing and reporting on GEDSI program deliverables and efforts to address gender-based violence. An important element of such advice and assistance will be ensuring ASIPJ advisers’ work incorporates the needs of people living with a disability, including, where relevant, through engagement with Solomon Islands-based disability organisations and other relevant agencies.

Other tasks as agreed upon with the Team Leader.

Deliverables

An annual workplan within the first month of engagement.
Summary reports following each visit to Solomon Islands.
Monthly reports when working remotely.
Specific reports and deliverables as agreed upon.

All deliverables will be provided in a format to be agreed upon to the Team Leader.

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will have:

Demonstrated experience of providing advice to international development programs at a senior level with a focus on developing and implementing GEDSI and/or gender-based violence strategies and program activities.

Demonstrated experience of capacity building, professional development and mentoring in the GEDSI or and/or gender-based violence spaces, including having worked closely with locally engaged staff and government counterparts.

Demonstrated ability to design and adapt program approaches and strategies that promote gender transformative programming and support gender-based violence prevention and responses, including experience of coordinating across organisations to develop strong partnerships.

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders including cross-culturally and remotely.

Pacific expertise with a focus on gender equality, disability, social inclusion and/or the prevention and response to gender-based violence in Solomon Islands and/or another Pacific Islands country, preferably within Melanesia.

The following skills/experience would be an advantage:

Experience working in the law and justice sector.
Familiarity with DFAT policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Tertiary qualification and/or professional experience in law, justice, international development, gender, program management or other relevant fields.

Working arrangement

This position will be primarily a remote-based role. However, the GEDSI Adviser will be required to travel to Honiara at least quarterly, with a duration of at least one week per trip. Some provincial travel may be required.

How to Apply

Please submit your application before 28 September 2023 11:59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) to: hr.asipj@asipj.com.sb.

Please use the following subject line in your email: ‘Application for GEDSI ST Adviser’.

Applications should include a cover letter of no more than two pages addressing the position responsibilities, a CV of no more than four pages and the contact details of two professional referees.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, we encourage you to reach out to the ASIPJ HR Team via hr.asipj@asipj.com.sb or call the ASIPJ Office on +677 26530.