Gender Specialist of Membership Development

Job Description

Direct supervisor: Director of Membership Services

Period: 02 years with 06 months’ probation period

Starting date: July 2020

The Gender Specialist is a new position, which will work closely with the Director of Membership Services to provide targeted expertise to AfWA members and partners, and integrate a gender lens into programming in the WASH sector. In its outset, this position will provide technical assistance to AfWA as the overall organization to elaborate and implement its gender strategy, based on a comprehensive gender analysis of the membership and the broader utility industry on the continent. The Gender Specialist will support AfWA to develop a Gender Action Plan that can support members to build gender considerations and gender equality outcomes into decision making processes. Principal duties of this role include providing technical assistance in gender integration (e.g., gender analysis, development of gender action plans, design of results frameworks, etc.); supporting the expansion and strengthening of National Networks of (Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WSH) Women Professionals in selected countries; designing, facilitating, and delivering training related to gender leadership and equality; developing new tools to disseminate learnings, and support AfWA members and partners in gender integration. The Gender Specialist will contribute to the documentation of support provided in order to track progress and capture the impact of these efforts.

The Gender Specialist must have deep expertise integrating a gender lens in the design, implementation, and analysis of African development programs. The Gender Specialist should have prior experience in Water, WSH or a closely linked sector (e.g. environment, health, etc.). Strong candidates will have expertise in leadership and change management, participatory adult learning methodologies and feminist pedagogies, as well as programming experience in Africa and at global.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Gender Specialist develops and advises on gender-related activities/projects that support AfWA membership development as well as specific initiatives and programs. She/He leads the development of an overall organization gender support strategy and its implementation, provides support on quality control, M&E, and integration of gender concepts and issues with AfWA’s projects/programs. She/He capacitates staff and members. This role is based at the AfWA’s headquarter in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, with constant field work to the program areas, AfWA and partners’ events (Scientific and Technical Councils, Congresses, symposiums and workshops).

Gender Integration-Technical Assistance:

• Establish a deep and evolving understanding of AfWA members’ and partners’ existing gender integration strategies and organizational structure in order to ensure that technical assistance is in alignment with members’ nee
• Provide informed, high quality, sector-specific technical assistance, including gender analysis, development of gender strategy, and action plans to support AfWA members and partners in gender-intentional and/or gender transformative investment, program design, and implementation.
• Assist AfWA members and partner teams to develop sector-specific M&E plans that can effectively capture progress or setbacks against gender equality
• Provide support during investment and/or program evaluation phase to ensure learning from gender integration is included effectively.
• Identify and advise on entry points for gender integration within additional investments, programs, and/or sector areas.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships and consistent communication with key AfWA members and partner staff.
• Contribute to internal tracking systems to track technical assistance delivery in order to systematize the Center’s approach to gender integration support.
• Dynamically adapt technical assistance delivery strategies based on members and AfWA partner’s feedbac

Capacity Building:

• Provide support to existing and new national networks of Women WASH Professionals as needed.
• Design face-to-face and virtual training that uses participatory, appreciative, and adult-learning approaches related to gender leadership, equality and female empowermen
• Facilitate face-to-face and virtual workshops for women professionals in WASH and young girl aspiring to work in the WASH sector.
• Provide one-on-one coaching support as needed to AfWA members and partner staff, and/or onboard new employees to gender integration approaches as needed.

Learnings dissemination:

• Develop generic training modules and tools to be used for member organizations;
• Contribute to key documents, reports, and presentations on the gender integration learnings for a variety of purposes and audiences;
• Support the development of journal articles, blogs, and other communications to disseminate learnings.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Deliver presentations at conferences, events, and high-level meetings,
• Manage relationships with consultants and ensure delivery of high-quality output
• Conduct site visits and field work to AfWA member countries and globally.
• Ensure that all gender integration support products and training models represent a clear vision, consistent message and coherent approach to drive momentum in transformative gender equality.
• Provide additional support as needed to the AfWA Executive Director, Director of Programs, and Director of Membership Services for Gender promotion.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Deep expertise in gender analysis, integration and mainstreaming strategies in a development contex
• Strong analytical skills and experience conducting gender analysis and developing gender strategies and action plans that are practical and can be implemented.
• Experience with gender program monitoring and evaluation, including the design of tracking systems, development of indicators, and mechanisms to capture gender-sensitive and gender-transformative dat
• In-depth understanding of working within a complex multi-stakeholder organization, international development processes, actors and cultures.
• Expertise in participatory, feminist adult learning training theory and practice.
• Significant experience in designing and facilitating interactive meetings, workshops, and trainings.
• Strong understanding of, and personal commitment to, a rights-based approach to gender equality and international development.
• Highly effective written and oral communication skills to address a wide variety of audience
• Excellent planning and organizational
• Ability to work amidst ambiguity and thrive in a start-up mode, with initiative and comfort to work with little oversight and with team members in various location
• Ability to multi-task and manage deadline
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally to attend meetings and conduct site visits at least25% of the tim

SKILLS AND DESIRED QUALIFICATIONs

1. Master degree with 05+ years of experience in gender integration or mainstreaming, with at least 03 of it working in minimum one priority sector: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WSH), environment or health.
2. Proven effectiveness/track record working with or liaising with international development funders.
3. Effective relationship-building and collaboration skills with a diverse range of partners and donors, both in-person and virtually.
4. Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational
5. Culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people.
6. Creative problem solver with rigorous approach and aptitude for managing details in fast-paced environment.
7. Excellent communication and relationship building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to deliver result-oriented recommendations.
8. Commitment to mentoring staff to maximize individual and organization goals across the organization.
9. Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of AfWA.
10. Fluent in at least one AfWA’s official language (English or French) with good basic knowledge of the second. Fluency in both is a plus.
11. Experience and knowledgeable of best practices for identifying and implementing innovative programs, services, or initiatives that enhance member value.
12. Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to collaborate and work effectively.
13. Strong organizational and prioritization skills.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

• Letter of Motivation
• Detailed Curriculum vitae in English or French.
• Names and contact information of three reference persons.

About the Organization

HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN WATER ASSOCIATION

The African Water Association was created in 1980 as a professional membership institution, initially started as a union called the Union of African Water Suppliers (UAWS).

In 2004, in order to take into account sanitation utilities, as well as regulatory and asset holding companies emerging from institutional reforms during the 90’s in many African countries; and taking into account the strong will for these new entities to join the institution, the Union of African Water Suppliers changed name and became the African Water Association (AfWA).

The African Water Association covers the whole African continent and is the unique African Water and Sanitation Organization strategically bringing together water and sanitation operators as well as various sector stakeholders.

VISION, MISSION AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Vision Statement

Being an acknowledged leader in strengthening water utility management practices to support the goals of African Water Vision 2025.

Mission Statement

• Undertake programs and support knowledge sharing in sustainable water management – its science, practice and policy – through professional development, networking and advocacy.
• Support the members in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and other near-term targets that have been established for Africa (SDG’s).
• Advocate a balanced approach to utility management, based on corporate governance that is commercially sound, financially self-sustaining and environmentally compliant.

Main Objectives

• Strengthening the governance and management bodies of the Association
• Improving the quality and variety of capacity building services offered to members
• Diversification of partnerships and strengthening of synergies
• Strengthening the visibility of the Association

The African Water Association is a professional organization of companies, utilities and operators working in the water, sanitation and environment sectors in Africa. We develop programs and support knowledge sharing in sustainable water management through professional development, network management and advocacy. Main AfWA activities involve building the capacity of water utilities through technical sessions during its congresses, seminars, master classes, workshops, and knowledge and know-how sharing programs and platforms.

As a new vision, AfWA is undertaking a transformational change and is looking forward to enhancing its leadership in the African WASH sector through the promotion and strengthening of various groups of stakeholders including women, young professionals, as well as local leaders and small service providers.

“The role of women as key water users and decision makers on domestic level has been largelyrecognized for some time. But the sector is yet to fully recognize or realize the benefit from women’s contributions as water managers and providers. The gender gap in water-related employment needs to be closed if the world is to reach its commitments on water and sanitation for all.” [1]

Focusing on water and sanitation utilities, the World Bank Report, Women in Water Utilities: Breaking Barriers, finds that women in particular face barriers to joining, staying and growing in a sector that is so dominated by men. In terms of advancement, women often face the challenge that they are not offered the same opportunities in training and promotions as their male counterparts. Less than one in five water workers are women. Women are also underrepresented in technical and managerial positions in utilities. Some utilities have no women in technical and managerial positions at all - one in three (32 percent) utilities have no female engineers and 12 percent of utilities have no female managers.[2]

Now is an opportune moment for AfWA to engage in transformational change. Indeed, service providers worldwide already face immense challenges. Billions of people still lack access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation, while rising urbanization is likely to exacerbate this crisis even more. Meanwhile, the sector is changing; modern utilities are becoming more customer-oriented, while new technology and approaches are changing the very nature of work itself. These fundamental shifts, together with an aging workforce, inadequate skillsets and other challenges, make issues of human resource management in the water sector even more important.[3]

In an effort to lift these challenges, AfWA is working to address the gender gap among its member water and sanitation utilities primarily, and more extensively throughout the water and sanitation sector overall, by developing programs that will usher African utilities towards a better gender balanced workforce and sector leadership focusing on retaining skilled female workforce. The Association will develop training options, offer women mentorship and networking programs, and introduce targets for gender composition in leadership positions at member utilities.

AfWA has already begun to work to effect transformational change. Indeed, over the past 4 years, AfWA has been supporting the launching of AfWA Women’s Network of WASH Professionals in Africa and the establishment of a number of national networks of Professional Women in the WASH sector. A total of 12 national associations of professional women in the WASH sector were established with 317 members.

In order to fully realize its new vision, AfWA is recruiting a Gender Specialist who will be charged with facilitating meaningful gender balance primarily within AfWA membership, and secondarily throughout the water and sanitation sector at large. This proposed position represents a key element for sustainably attaining AfWA goals and objectives to effect transformational change.

[1] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/08/27/breaking-barriers

[2] World Bank Report, Women in Water Utilities: Breaking Barriers,

[3] World Bank Report, Women in Water Utilities: Breaking Barriers,

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