Helen Keller Intl. Bangladesh
Job Announcement

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

Country Program Overview:
Starting in 1978 by promoting and implementing Nutrition programs, today, Helen Keller Bangladesh is implementing large scale food and health systems program work in Dhaka, the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Sylhet, Bogura, Pabna and Narayangonj through and with the government of Bangladesh, as well as national and international partners and NGOs, academic and research institutions, and the private sector. Since its beginning, Helen Keller Bangladesh has worked with over 150 local, international and government partners to establish Enhanced Homestead Food Production (HFP) programs benefiting over 4.5 million people. We are currently implementing programs to prevent blindness and Neglected Tropical Diseases alongside to programs to improve nutrition and food security that integrate gender-sensitive approaches

Position: Technical Lead, Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion (GYSI) and Protection
Location: Cox’s Bazar Contract Length: 24 months with the possibility of extension
INTRODUCTION:
Cox’s Bazar and the three Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) districts are among the lowest ranked in Bangladesh for education, skills training, food security, poverty and agricultural productivity. The situation has worsened since 2017, with the Rohingya refugee influx, which has put enormous pressure on the local economies, resulting in loss of livelihoods, depressed local wages, increased food insecurity and distorted local market systems. The increased population has also put severe pressure on already limited resources. There is a need for safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. Forests have become degraded negatively affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Moreover, these districts are prone to natural disasters including fires, flash floods, landslides, extreme heat and drought. Cox’s Bazar experiences these as well as rising sea levels, salinification of soil and water, and tropical cyclones.
In response, USAID’s Host and Impacted Communities Resilience Activity (HICRA) led by Friends In Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) with DevWorks International, Helen Keller International, Christian Aid, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation and Nature Conservation Management (NACOM) as technical partners, and implementing partners ASHIKA Development Associates, ANANDO, and Bolipara Nari Kaylan Somity (BNKS) will take an integrated approach to improve the overall well-being and resilience of people residing in the communities hosting or impacted by the Rohingya refugee crisis.  HICRA will achieve this goal through the implementation of livelihoods; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); natural resource management (NRM); and disaster risk reduction (DRR) interventions with an estimated 114,000 households across the four prioritized districts.
ROLE:

The Technical Lead, GYSI and Protection will lead the integration of GYSI approaches into all aspects of the project, and ensure differentiated approaches to engage women, youth, indigenous and other marginalized populations. The Technical Lead, GYSI and Protection will also ensure systems are in place to ensure safeguarding, protection and social inclusion. The Technical Lead, GYSI and Protection will ensure that gender equality, women’s empowerment and youth engagement are central to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the interventions, thereby enhancing the impact and sustainability of the HICRA’s outcomes.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Head of Nutrition and Health with HKI; DCOP within the Project.
Dimensions: Cox’s Bazar, with field visits as required 50% travel
Staff directly reporting to this post: Direct: Coordinator- GYSI and Protection
Doted:  
Budget Responsibilities: Planning and coordination for intervention-related budgeting and tracking
Key contacts: Technical leads, Coordinators, Specialists, officers, MEL Team

 

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Key Performance Area 1: Leadership
  • Lead designing and conducting participatory gender needs assessments engaging various stakeholders like partners, producer groups, local government bodies, service providers and market actors in order to promote gender integration in project activities.
  • Lead all gender processes and assessments, including coordinating the interventions in targeted communities and conducting community-led gender analysis.
  • Provide technical assistance to ensure that gender is integrated into program activities and analyze data for gender and youth indicators to support improved results..
  • Provide technical assistance and guidance to ensure a quality implementation, facilitating joint decision-making by household members on the use of productive assets, distribution of labor and other household management decisions.
  • Provide technical assistance, training and mentoring to build the capacity of field staff to apply GYSI empowering approaches to extension activities.
  • Use appropriate tools to plan, review and track implementation progress of program activities, ensuring active and proportional participation by women and youth in productive and value-chain activities.
  • Ensure Protection and Inclusion are central to all program activities.
  • Cultivate networks with stakeholders to amplify the voices of marginalized and vulnerable groups in program design, implementation, and policy development.
  • Provide technical guidance and expertise and ensure that interventions are responsive to the needs and priorities of vulnerable groups and communities.
  • Apply an inclusive development lens, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility principles in the project’s recruitment, technical, and operational components.
  • Develop protection mechanisms and build capacity of the team to support safeguarding.
  • Represent the program and share program learnings in Gender Technical Working Group and other relevant technical committees and groups.
  • Liaise with USAID Gender Specialist as necessary.
  • Key Performance Area 2: Implementation
  • Guide the project on methods and approaches to comprehensively integrate GYSI empowering into all strategies and activities.
  • Lead GYSI analysis and assessments to identify barriers, disparities, and opportunities for advancing equality and inclusion within the context of HICRA.
  • Incorporate Protection and Inclusion into design and facilitate capacity-building activities for project staff to enhance their understanding of GYSI transformative programming approaches and inclusive development practices.
  • Strengthen partnerships with women’s organizations, youth groups, and other stakeholders to amplify the voices of marginalized and vulnerable groups in shaping nutrition policies and programs.
  • Pro-actively build and support local partners’ institutional capacity on gender and inclusive development programming.
  • Provide inputs to ensure gender and inclusive development components are integrated in annual program budgeting and work planning exercises.
  • Formally train project personnel on gender and social inclusion and provide on-the-job training to field-level personnel to improve their application of gender and socially inclusive differentiated implementation approaches;
  • Conduct supportive supervision and coaching visits to build capacity of frontline staff on content delivery and methodologies;
  • Lead work plan development, coordination/learning sharing/planning meetings with GYSI and Protection specialist and GYSI and Protection officers, monitor and provide constructive feedback and guidance to gender team to align their activities with the achievement of HICRA objectives in gender and inclusion and the project’s priorities based on the annual work plan;
  • Develop and encourage new and innovative ideas and solutions among the GYSI and protection team, and other colleagues;
Key Performance Area 3: Advocacy and Representation
  • Advocate for GYSI and protection with stakeholders, including government agencies, donors, and partner organizations.
  • Build and maintain partnerships with local and international GYSI organizations and networks.
  • Represent the organization at gender-related events, forums, and networks to promote the organization’s gender equality agenda.
Accountability:
The Technical Lead, GYSI and Protection is accountable to the Head of Nutrition and Health, Helen Keller Intl
MEL & Reporting:
  • Support the analysis of gender-sensitive indicators to monitor project outcomes and impact.
  • Prepare detailed reports on GYSI and protection-related project progress and impact, highlighting successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
  • Contribute to annual work planning, training plans, quarterly reports, and other required technical reports
  • Support formative research on GYSI the project
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
ESSENTIAL
Working experience:
  • Minimum of 8-10 years of relevant experience in gender advisory roles within the international development sector.
  • Demonstrated experience in integrating gender into project design, implementation, and evaluation.
  • Experience working in Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong Hill Tracts or similar contexts is highly desirable.
  • Strong working familiarity with USAID requirements, regulations, and policies.
  • Experience in facilitating and supporting programmatic decision making, adaptive management, and learning.
Knowledge:
  • Strong knowledge of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar context and priorities in the areas of gender integration and inclusions.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and skills in applying USAID policies, standards, and best practices.
  • Skills:
  • Good organizational skills, the ability to pay close attention to detail and capable of reporting in a timely manner.
  • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines accurately and on time;
  • Excellent report writing and presentation skills, and ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner, and to use innovative forms of communication.
  • Excellent proficiency in MS Excel, SPSS; experience in MS Access and Stata will be advantageous
  • Willingness and ability to travel frequently to the rural areas of Cox’s Bazar and the CHT districts, and other locations as required.
  • Capacity and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult working circumstances.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English;
  • Highly diplomatic and emotionally intelligent with strong oral and written communication skills to influence others;
  • Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience
Networking:
Credibility to advocate for participants and represent HICRA at all levels
    • Leading and inspiring others
    • Delivering results
    • Developing self and others
    • Problem solving and decision making
    • Innovating and adapting
DESIRABLE
Academic:
Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, International Development, or a related field
Expertise:
  • Deep understanding of gender analysis tools and methodologies, as well as experience applying gender-responsive approaches in program design, implementation, and monitoring
  • Strong knowledge of intersectional issues related to gender, age, adolescents and youth, disability, ethnicity, and other dimensions of social identity, and their implications for nutrition outcomes.
  • Demonstrated track record of:
  • Designing and facilitating capacity building activities;
  • Integrating safeguarding into program design;
  • Integrating inclusive development outcomes in monitoring and evaluation tools; an
  • Integrating GESI/inclusive development into operational facets of program implementation.
  • The ability to work effectively with a broad range of diverse groups as evidenced by excellent listening and communication skills, balanced and reasoned approaches to problems, ability to inspire trust and confidence, and flexibility and openness to differing points of view.
  • The ability to make decisions in a dynamic environment, with an appreciation for how future needs may affect those decisions: a willingness to iterate a strategy and approach, with the ability to recognize the need to course-correct as necessary.
  • Demonstrated understanding of the synergy between the programmatic, operational, and financial components of public health initiatives.
  • Excellent English language skills, both in written and spoken forms, complemented by strong interpersonal communication abilities.
  • Experience working in Cox’s Bazar and Hill Districts.
Attitudes:
  • Ability to work independently or as a member of the team, ability to thrive in a matrix organization,
  • Ability to be detail-oriented, and ability to manage stress effectively in a fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality on work-related matters.
  • Non-discriminatory and gender sensitive
  • Willing to work in remote, rural locations
Additional job responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Health and Safety:
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with HICRA Health and Safety policies and procedures.

 
Interested persons are requested to apply with a complete résumé (not more than four pages), cover letter stating your suitability for the position, a contact telephone number and a copy of a recent passport size photograph. Applications should be sent to: The HR Manager at E-mail: Bangladesh-Recruitment@hki.org by  September 24,  2024. Note: Please mention the position title in the subject line. Only short-listed candidates will be called for interview.

“Helen Keller International is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified women and minorities candidates. The organization has a smoke free working environment.”

Founded in 1915 by Helen Keller and George Kessler, the mission of Helen Keller International (HKI) is to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. HKI combats the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition. Headquartered in New York City, HKI’s programs prevent blindness and reduce malnutrition in 21 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States.”