JOB ADVERT: Gender Social Protection

Job Description

At the Rainforest Alliance, we are building an alliance to create a better future for people and nature by making responsible business the new normal. To advance our mission, we focus on amplifying our impact on the ground through systemic transformation: change across the entire supply chain, change in the relationship between people and nature, and change within our own organization. We achieve this transformation by working in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders to create a stronger Alliance. Together, we amplify the voices of farmers and forest communities, improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity, and help people adapt to climate change in bold and effective ways. We embrace transparency because we believe that the best way to build trust across our alliance is through openness about our tactics, our impact, and partners on the ground. Together, we can achieve our vision of a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.

Job Function: Staff Position

Location: West Cameroon/Bafoussam

Deadline:  February 11th , 2020

Reports to: Director, Central Africa

Department: Regions, Africa

status (Full-time / part-time (with hours)): FULL TIME, 2 years Fixed term renewable

classification (cameroon only):

Position summary:

The Senior associate, Gender & Social protection will perform its responsibilities under the EU funded project entitled " Strengthening the economic and social rights of women through engagement in community-based and environmentally sustainable landscape management ". The project is implemented by The Rainforest Alliance in close collaboration with two Cameroonian co-applicants: Association pour les Services d’Appui à la Protection de l’Environnement et au Développement (SAPED) and the African Center for Renewable Energies and Sustainable Technologies (ACREST). The purpose of the project is to Strengthen and sustain economic and social rights of adult women and youth (particularly young women) through engagement in community-based and environmentally sustainable landscape management decisions and income-generating activities in the Mount Bamboutos landscape. It complements the planned Global Environment Facility (GEF) project “Removing barriers to biodiversity conservation, land restoration and sustainable forest management through community-based landscape Management – COBALAM” that will be implemented by the United Nation Environment Program (UNE) and executed by the Cameroon Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) with technical support from Rainforest Alliance. The purpose of COBALAM  is to conserve biodiversity in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC) and the South region through a sustainable landscape approach, in which High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) is protected in law and the surrounding forested and agricultural areas are managed through participatory community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) and the development of local enterprises that use natural resources sustainably and generate livelihoods for local populations.

The Senior Associate, Gender and Social Protection will be mainly responsible to promote the role of women and youth (especially young women) as agents of development and change  in the WHC through women’s participation in the Landscape Management Boards (LMBs),  strengthening gender equity during land management planning   and deliver technical support to the LMBs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) on gender mainstreaming and equity in their interventions.

Responsibilities: 

• Supervise and monitor activities related to gender mainstreaming, of the two co-applicants and approve the delivery of their products in accordance with their responsibilities in the project;
• Advocate for the representation of women and the integration of their perspectives and experiences in the decision-making process in LMBs;
• Technically assist LMBs to ensure gender and youth-sensitive design and implementation of the landscape management plan and balance sheets;
• Strengthen CSOs and CBOs to design and implement a monitoring and reporting system that clearly assesses their effectiveness in improving gender and youth mainstreaming and gender equity in community-based environmentally sustainable landscape management;
• Provide support to LMBs, CSOs, CBOs and women-led enterprises in documenting projects learnings on effective strategies to strengthen the economic and social empowerment of women and youth (particularly young women) through their increased engagement in community-based environmentally sustainable landscape management and value chain participation and discussing them with key local and national stakeholders.
• Develop and propose to the project coordinator inputs in the gender mainstreaming perspective for Annual work plans and budgets;
• Deliver plans and reports required by the project monitoring and evaluation plan and coordinate   short-term consultants in accordance with principles of adaptive management;
• Synthesize key project learnings on operationalising gender mainstreaming and equity in community-based landscape management and exchange knowledge within and beyond the landscapes
• Manage financial resources available to the project in accordance with the rules commonly agreed between EU and RA;
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications & competencies: 

• Master’s degree in development studies, social development, gender studies or equivalent or Bachelor degree with relevant work experience;
• A minimum of five years’ practical experience in the field of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in income-generating activities and value chain development, including at least two years of experience with management and reporting of donor funded projects.
• Experience working with international or non-governmental organizations supporting gender and development work in the specific area of intervention;
• Specific experience and expertise on gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and women’s participation with familiarity with gender analysis tools and methodologies (household approach and participatory methods);
• Organizational development and capacity building experience;
• Thorough understanding of the gender context in Cameroon and knowledge of international/regional agreements and initiatives on gender (The Multisectoral Plan for the Implementation of the Cameroon National Policy on Equality, etc.);
• Ability to work effectively with diverse groups of stakeholders, from government to small-scale producers.
• Strong team-based orientation and demonstrated familiarity with project management within a team environment;
• Strong organizational skills and efficient management of multiple tasks and priorities;
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal;
• Excellent written, oral and graphical communication skills in French and English
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 30% of the time nationally and internationally.

SALARY: 

• Commensurate with experience.

How to apply:  

Send resume and cover letter to Rainforest Alliance. Email: Cameroonpersonnel@ra.org. Please use the following format in the subject line: first name and last name, job title of position you are applying for.

Notes:

• Only candidates authorized to work in Cameroon will be considered
• The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.