National Protection and Gender Specialist at Food and Agriculture Organization Of the United Nations

Location: Maiduguri
Grade Level: N/A
Duration: 11 months
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Organizational Unit: FAO NIGERIA
Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)

Organizational Setting

• The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. Massive population displacements and insecurity in the Lake Chad basin have put livelihoods and food security at high risk.
• The findings of the October 2018 Cadre Harmonisé analysis highlighted that between June and August 2019, 2.73 million in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States may struggle with high levels of food insecurity (Phase 3 and above on the Cadre Harmonisé scale).
• The conflict has uprooted over 2.0 million people from their homes. Of the total number of the displaced population, 81% IDPs are in Borno State, 11% in Adamawa and 8% in Yobe State (IOM DTM Round XXV of October 2018). However, in some areas,  the situation is becoming more stable and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are back home or close to their home.
• The conditions for recovery, resettlement and reconstruction are met and many donors are supporting FAO, to restore and promote sustainable agriculture based livelihoods for food security and nutrition improvement in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.

Reporting Lines:

• The Protection and Gender specialist reports to the FAO Representative in Nigeria under the direct supervision of FAO Deputy Representative also based in Maiduguri.
• She/He will work closely with the head of programme and maintain a wide range of contacts with managers, staff and stakeholders inside and outside the office, ensuring the quality and consistency of programme/ projects. 

Technical Focus:

• The Protection and Gender Specialist will support the mainstreaming of protection, including protection from gender-based violence, gender and AAP in FAO Northeast Nigeria interventions.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, operational and programmatic advice based on sound analysis to ensure FAO operational and programme activities take beneficiaries’ protection concerns and gender equality considerations into account and support safe, dignified, and accountable livelihood assistance;
• Provide and facilitate professional and technical support for FAO Northeast Nigeria interventions to ensure quality in the development of gender equality and GBV/protective livelihood programmes and in mainstreaming gender perspectives;
• Undertake gender and GBV analysis;
• Develop strategy for integrating GBV and gender equality principles and actions through FAO interventions in line with FAO resilience strategy;
• Integrate gender and GBV in current project tools, concept notes, monitoring exercises ensuring sex and age disaggregated data is collected and analysed by collaborating closely with relevant project staff;
• Support the delivery of an orientation session on FAO GBV Guidance. Deliver ad hoc training on gender, protection, GBV including PSEA as required;
• Support implementation of measures on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA);
• Support the capacity building of FAO staff, partners, Food Security Sector and national government to prepare for and respond to gender & GBV protection initiatives;
• Provide guidance to support staff, acting as a point of gender & GBV Protection referral and assisting them with analysis and queries;
• Strengthen mechanisms to allow affected populations to provide feedback and make complaints related to FAO’s programmes;
• Linking up with inter-agency mechanisms for complaints handling;
• Engage with local and international protection, GBV and women’s empowerment organisations and interagency coordination mechanisms e.g. Protection Sector Working Group/GBV Sub Working Group, PSEA Focal Points and AAP/Community Engagement meetings etc., provide inputs and information to these and assist FAO to coordinate other UN humanitarian agencies, NGO partners and other relevant interlocutors on assessments of current and emerging gender, AAP and protection, including GBV and PSEA issues and response planning.

Minimum Requirements
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Master’s level degree or equivalent in Gender, Human Rights, Social Sciences, Development, Politics, or other relevant disciplines;
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in protection, gender and/or GBV with the UN system, non-governmental organizations or research institutions, with at least 3 years’ experience in the field and preferably proven experience in emergency contexts;
• National of Nigeria.

FAO Core Competencies:

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people from diverse background
• Flexible and adaptive to change
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills:

• Gender analysis and gender/protection mainstreaming, in food security, livelihoods programming preferred
• Familiarity with gender in humanitarian action, protection needs in humanitarian settings, the IASC commitments on accountability to affected populations and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, the core humanitarian standard on quality and accountability
• Experience with organizing training on gender and GBV, and other cross cutting issues such as protection, AAP and PSEA
• Sound understanding of the functioning of UN agencies and the UN system in an emergency context
• Analytical skills and ability to write clear and concise reports in English
• Ability to work under pressure and with limited supervision
• Strong willingness to undertake deep field missions.
• Experience of projects involving multiple and diverse stakeholders including; Governments, private sector, civil society and end users.
• Knowledge of one of the major languages (for e.g. Kanuri, Hausa) spoken in the northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe would be highly desirable.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills, MS Office
• Interpersonal skills, including cultural sensitivity