Senior Gender and Youth Advisor

Job Location: Washington, DC     

Telework Eligible: Yes, at least 3 days per week in-person reporting at Washington, DC office.

Remote Eligible: No.

Summary Statement:

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

Credence and its partner, the Public Health Institute (PHI), are both employers for GHTASC, and are seeking a Senior Gender and Youth Advisor under GHTASC. This position will be hired under Public Health Institute (PHI).

We are hiring for positions under the Global Health Training, Advisory, Support Contract (GHTASC) in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health (GH). These roles deliver institutional support services in a wide range of technical areas at the junior, mid, senior, and expert levels.

The USAID Global Health Bureau (GH) supports field health programs, advances research and innovation in selected areas relevant to overall Agency health objectives and transfers new technologies to the field through its own staff’s work, coordination with other donors, and a portfolio of grants. Global health issues have global consequences that not only affect the people of developing nations but also directly affect the interests of American citizens. The overall goals of the Global Health Bureau are to prevent maternal and child deaths, control the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and combat infectious diseases.

The Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (GH/MCHN) serves as the Agency’s technical and policy lead on maternal and newborn health; child survival; immunization; and nutrition, with a focus on ending preventable child and maternal deaths. Cross-cutting activities managed by the Office in support of this goal address private sector partnerships, community health systems, social and behavior change communication, multilateral partnerships, gender, mental health and monitoring and evaluation. The MCHN office contributes to the achievement of the Agency's Feed the Future goals as well as those laid out in the Agency's Multi-sectoral Nutrition Strategy and Water and Development Strategy.  The Office consists of four divisions:  Maternal and Newborn Health; Child Health and Immunization; Nutrition and Environmental Health; and Research and Policy.

Position Summary:

The Senior Gender and Youth Advisor will primarily support the Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (GH/MCHN) as a PHI Institutional Support Contractor (ISC). In this role, the selected candidate will serve as the lead technical advisor and resource across complex portfolios on gender, youth and social inclusion considerations and integration across MCHN ’s Divisions and for MCHN activities in the field.  In coordination with other GH Gender Advisors and other GH Youth Advisors, they may also participate in activities with MCHN or GH with the Office for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, as well as at international meetings and fora. 

Key responsibilities for the Senior Gender and Youth Advisor for MCHN include: providing technical coordination and guidance on gender, youth, and social inclusion to MCHN; proactively facilitating integration of gender and youth into MCHN central program and activity design; engaging with activity management teams to promote and facilitate operationalization of gender principles into the implementation of MCHN managed activities; responding to gender and youth-related requests related to MCHN; and providing monitoring and technical support on gender and youth considerations for MCHN and missions, technical counterparts, implementing partners, and cooperating agencies. 

The Senior Gender and Youth Advisor may also be selected to represent GH in high-level fora.  The Senior Gender and Youth Advisor will pay particular attention to the needs of youth, as a priority population in the context of gender. They should also have strong understanding of key emerging issues such as mental health, which is an Agency priority. The Senior Gender and Youth Advisor will work closely with leadership and colleagues across all the technical areas in MCHN, while also working closely with the Office of Population and Reproductive Health, across GH, and regional bureaus, to develop or compile policies, strategies, and reports on gender and youth-related activities within MCHN.  This position will serve as a point person for all gender and youth-related issues in MCHN, will support cross-Bureau gender and youth work, and may serve as a member of interagency gender working groups.

Full salary range for this position is $133,380 to $200,720 per year, with the starting salary determined based on candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Technical Coordination: (45%)

Gender

• Provide technical coordination, guidance, training, assistance, and mentoring in gender and gender-based violence for MCHN programs and activities in GH and in the field.
• Identify and share information and evidence-based best practices regarding gender and MCHN programming.
• Respond to gender-related requests and tasks on behalf of MCHN, including Congressional reports, USG and donor queries, indicator development, ad-hoc information or document development requests, briefers and talking points and other deliverables as directed.
• Under direction from MCHN leadership, serve as gender representative for MCHN in partnerships with PVOs/NGOs, bilateral and multilateral donors, other USG institutions, think tanks, Congressional staff, and others.
• Contribute to Bureau reports and other information products highlighting USAID’s accomplishments in women’s and gender assistance.
• Prepare and present technical presentations at MCHN global, regional, and country level meetings and workshops, as requested.
• Work in close coordination with the Budget and Operations team to ensure budget attribution to gender activities has been completed accurately.
• Keep abreast of new developments and emerging issues in gender that affect USAID’s MCHN technical priorities, including youth issues and mental health

Youth

• Work in collaboration with the Agency Youth Coordinator in the implementation of USAID Youth Policy.
• Lead the design and implementation of a strategic plan for strengthening and expanding youth activities within MCHN-funded projects managed by Washington staff, including identifying youth-appropriate indicators, and designing activities.
• Develop an action plan for youth programming in MCHN for mission programs.
• Develop annual budget requests, present at annual results reviews and strengthen technical oversight of youth specific MCHN activities of implementing partners.
• Provide strategic input and technical expertise to senior GH staff and other Agency staff on proposed service delivery activities, policy initiatives, and research proposals to improve youth access to and use of MCHN services.
• Collaborate with other USAID programs and initiatives such as the EPCMD, PMI, PEPFAR, Feed the Future, and etc.

Program and Activity Design, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation: (45%)

Gender

• Provide technical coordination, technical assistance, and guidance in assessing gender, gender-based violence, and social inclusion to develop MCHN global and mission strategic direction and programming.
• Provide gender input for MCHN centrally managed procurement documents and concept notes.
• Engage on design teams for new projects and provide technical guidance in the implementation and evaluation of the programs.
• Join prioritized project management teams to promote and facilitate operationalization of gender principles into the implementation of MCHN activities.
• Travel to monitor the gender aspects of field activities of centrally managed projects as needed and contribute to bilateral mission MCHN designs as requested.
• Review partner work plans and other documents for gender integration and related
• Refine methods to track, monitor and measure progress and impact in all gender-related programming within MCHN.
• Organize and/or participate in conducting gender related MCHN program evaluations and/or preparing scopes of work for independent evaluations.
• Support staff in adhering to Agency policies and regulations, including policies related to family planning programming.

Youth

• Support the monitoring and evaluation of youth MCHN activities in the field.
• Keep abreast of major developments in MCHN and across sectors      for youth and contextualize these developments for potential Agency use.
• Serve as a thought leader in youth programming with MCHN field support and mission programs.
• Coordinate and share lessons learned from youth programming and promote utilization of that knowledge into MCHN programs.
• Serve as a senior technical counterpart to youth advisors in other offices and bureaus, including, but not limited to those working in the Offices of HIV/AIDS, the USAID Intra-agency Youth Working Group, and to staff supporting the Youth Development Policy and Public Law 109-95 Assistance to Highly Vulnerable Children, and other Agency-wide initiatives.
• Coordinate with other development donors regarding youth development issues.

Communication and Reporting: (5%)

Gender

• Increase Health Officers’ awareness of the most effective interventions for improving MCHN outcomes by improved gender programming through technical leadership and outreach.
• Collaborates closely with the Senior Communications and Outreach Advisor and other MCHN Front Office staff in all aspects of communications and outreach to outside groups involved in legislation and public affairs.
• Prepare  and/or supervise drafting of speeches, briefing materials, policy memoranda, and analytical reports for senior USAID officials for both internal and external use.
• Responds to and coordinates Freedom of Information Act requests and Office of the Inspector General and Government Accountability Office program audits.

Youth

• Increase Health Officers’ awareness of the most effective interventions for improving health outcomes among youth through technical leadership and outreach.
• Collaborate closely with the Senior Communications and Outreach Advisor and other MCHN Front Office staff in all aspects of communications and outreach to outside groups involved in legislation and public affairs.
• Prepare and/or supervise drafting of speeches, briefing materials, policy memoranda, and analytical reports for senior USAID officials for both internal and external use.
• Respond to and coordinate Freedom of Information Act requests and Office of the Inspector General and Government Accountability Office program audits.

Support to Bureau and Agency: (5%) 

• Gender
• Collaborate on gender issues within GH, across USAID Bureaus, across the USG, and with external partners such as the UN and other donors.
• Advise senior management on ways to strengthen the integration of gender considerations into USAID policies, programs, and procedures, including innovations and new strategic directions.
• Monitor and provide input into gender Global Leadership Priority activities on behalf of the MCHN technical areas and across GH.
• Identify opportunities to include gender in USAID training and dissemination activities/mechanisms (e.g., USAID intranet, State of the Art Conferences, mini-university, e-learning).
• With other GH Gender Advisors, provide technical coordination, strategic planning, and programmatic guidance for the work of the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) and Gender Champions meetings.
• Synthesize, package, and disseminate evidence on best program practices based on emerging outcomes from gender special initiatives, projects, and policy analyses.
• Assist, as needed, with the preparation of information briefs, etc., including information for Congress and other activities regarding gender programming.
• Participate in strategic initiatives at the Office or Bureau level, as needed.
• Provide technical support to USAID/Washington Health Country Teams.

Youth

• Collaborate on youth issues within GH, across USAID Bureaus, across the USG, and with external partners such as the UN and other donors.
• Advise senior management on ways to strengthen the integration of youth considerations into MCHN programs, and procedures, including innovations and new strategic directions.
• Monitor and provide input into youth Global Leadership Priority activities on behalf of the MCHN technical areas and across GH.
• Identify opportunities to include youth in USAID MCHN training and dissemination.
• activities/mechanisms (e.g., USAID intranet, State of the Art Conferences, mini-university, e-learning).
• Synthesize, package, and disseminate evidence on best program practices based on emerging outcomes from gender special initiatives, projects, and policy analyses.
• Assist, as needed, with the preparation of information briefs, etc., including information for Congress and other activities in regard to youth programming.
• Participate in strategic initiatives at the Office or Bureau level, as needed.
• Provide technical support as a member of one or more USAID/Washington Health Country Teams. 

Other

• Work at least 3 days per week in-person at Washington, DC office.
• Travel at least 15% of the time.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree with 10 years of relevant experience, bachelor’s degree with 12 years of relevant experience, Associate’s degree and 14 years of relevant experience, or High School graduate and 16 years of relevant experience.
• US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency with the ability to obtain and maintain a Facility Access clearance is required. For Permanent Residents, this means having resided in the US for at least 3 of the past 5 years.  

Other Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability in managing gender and youth analyses, program design, strategic planning, program coordination and implementation, especially within a low-income country context.
• Experience in leading and facilitating training/workshops and public speaking.
• Proven technical expertise in a broad range of programs and strategies including, but not limited to, addressing gender norms, preventing and responding to gender-based violence, and/or human rights and LGBTI issues and mental health.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to plan, coordinate and implement work inputs from several sources and partners, and manage the simultaneous delivery of multiple outputs.
• Demonstrated experience managing and prioritizing workflows in a complex environment and context.
• Demonstrated experience in translating abstract or theoretical concepts of gender and inclusion into practical, measurable activities and services.
• Demonstrated experience in policy application.
• Ability to work at least 3 days per week in-person at Washington, DC office.
• Ability to travel at least 15% of the time.

Competencies:

• Innovation: Takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work. 
• Client Service: Communicates with clients, handling any issues politely and efficiently; understands and is available to clients; maintains pleasant and professional image. 
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met.  Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to organization policies and procedures. 
• Interpersonal Skills: Works in cooperation with others and communicates effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients, and other outside contacts. 
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goals; proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the organization. 

Prior to submitting your application, your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position. Please ensure that all relevant experience and education is documented on your resume. There is no limitation to resume length; updates to resumes will not be accepted during the interview and selection process.