As the Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Regional Director, you will lead transformational activities and inspire change across the region by challenging existing practices, creating space for bottom-up learning and influence. Taking learning from countries and regions to advise global GEDI policies and practice, you will build and implement -talking a wide consultative approach – a regional GEDI action plan by contextualizing IRC’s Global GEDI action plan and aligning it to IRC’s intersectional feminist aspirations, the global DEI strategy and by building on previous work including the Gender Action Plan.
The GEDI Director role includes:
- Developing and leading activities to strengthen inclusion and belonging of underrepresented and marginalized staff in the region by bring to bear global resources and devising localized GEDI resources. This includes supporting country-level Employee Resource Groups (i.e. W@W) , regional GEDI Working Groups, and/or regional GEDI-related communities of practice.
- Collaborating with regional and country leadership to increase representation of underrepresented groups among staff, especially at the leadership level (Band 6 and more senior).
- Working with relevant Technical Advisers to support transformative programming and client-responsiveness as it relates to GEDI.
The position will be responsible for supporting regional and country teams in implementing the IRC GEDI action plan, guiding regional colleagues and country offices in applying principles of GEDI in all operational policies and practices. The GEDI Regional Director will work with Regional HR Director to help country staff set and achieve substantial and targeted goals for more equitable internal practices. The position will be responsible for designing and implementing GEDI training and leading office-wide initiatives to spark internal culture change and a universal understanding of equal practices for the workplace. They will also support Technical Advisers (TAs) to adapt or develop tools to support analysis and program design for country offices and support staff in applying these methods in their work.
Major Responsibilities
1. Develop Regional GEDI action plans
Success Measure: the region has a clear contextualized plan and corresponding budget for GEDI activities with buy-in from relevant collaborators.
The GEDI Regional Director is responsible for contextualizing the global GEDI Action plan in consultation with regional and country leadership. They will be:
- Working with country and regional collaborators to identify regional GEDI priorities including:
- Country and regional representational and inclusion gaps for the region and developing timely goals and targets to address them.
- Country and regional foundational policies, capacity and infrastructure to strengthen inclusion and belonging in the region.
- Country and regional programmatic direction to strengthen transformative programming and client responsiveness from a GEDI perspective.
- Bring together identified priorities in a regional action plan in consultation with relevant stakeholders and considering how best to support SAP-IP commitments in the region.
- Developing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation/accountability framework to measure progress against targets set out in the regional action plan.
- In consultation with regional and global collaborators, developing and managing the regional GEDI Action Plan budget, drawing on global, regional and GEDI funds earmarked for regional activities.
- Driving the implementation of the regional GEDI Action Plan in collaboration with regional and country-level collaborators.
2. Team Leadership and Staff Engagement
The GEDI Regional Director is responsible for:
- Mobilize and resource Employee Resource Groups (ERGs, including W@W) and community of practice (CoPs, including GEDI Champions and GEDI working groups) as agents of change in the cultural transformation required for an inclusive, enabling work environment.
- Lead the CoP and provide technical direction to increase their influence and impact.
- Work with ERGs to strengthen their role and their representation in the Global GEDI Council.
- Develop and support the implementation of country-level action plans with ERGs and CoPs
- Allocate resources to operationalize country/regional level activities led by ERGs and/or CoPs
- Hire and lead GEDI-focused consultancies as and when needed.
- Engage with their peers to coordinate and share learning across the 6 CRRD Regional GEDI Working Groups
3. Technical Guidance to Leadership
The GEDI Regional Director is responsible for thought leadership and providing direction on GEDI matters by:
- Participation on regional SMT.
- Serving as a resource, thought partner, and assessor of GEDI progress in the region.
- Build consensus and support for changes needed to strengthen GEDI in operations and programs.
- Advise on GEDI integration into country-level strategy frameworks including SAP and SAP IPs.
- Advise on GEDI Integration into regional and at times (based on coordination with regional leadership and TAs) country-level program development and implementation using IRC program quality frameworks.
- Work with global and regional Technical Advisers (TAs) to ensure GEDI integration into programmatic guidance, tools, and program development opportunities.
- Lead programmatic GEDI analyses where and when needed to feed into improved program delivery to marginalized communities, working closely with TAs.
- Work with regional and –where need- country Human Resource, S&S, Safeguarding partners to address context-specific GEDI gaps and challenges.
- Serve as a hub of GEDI knowledge for the regional and country teams to provide technical knowledge and expertise, to monitor new practices, and document the results.
- Integrate GEDI priority in IRC Advocacy and external communication effort as relevant.
Key Working Relationships:
Direct Reporting: Chief GEDI officer and RVP
Indirect Reporting: Partnership and Consultation: Regional HR Director, Regional Safety and Security Director, Regional Deputy Director, Sectoral and other Technical Advisors including Women’s Protection and Empowerment. Depending on need determined by the region, work with Country level senior management teams including Country Director, Deputy Director Programs and Deputy Director Operations and Safeguarding.
External: IRC Organizational Partners, Donors, and IASC Cluster Groups, Feminist network. D&I focused organizations, Human Rights Groups, LGBTQI+ Groups, etc.
Job Requirements
Education: Graduate degree or years in additional work experience
Work Experience: 6+ years of related experience that includes:
- Direct experience leading and influencing organizational partners to embrace and adopt intersectional diversity, equality, and inclusion processes as core to all programs and activities.
- Experience leading and supporting change management to embed an inclusive work culture.
- At least 2 years in the humanitarian and/or international development sector.
- At least 2 years of experience in one or more countries in the assigned region.
- Experience in crafting and implementing regional and sub regional strategies according to organizational priorities, taking into account a variety of country contexts.
- Experience building communities of practice.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
- Deep commitment to and knowledge of strategies to advance diversity, equality, and inclusion; proven experience in incorporating feminist and gender perspectives and ensuring equal participation in the workplace.
- Demonstrable understanding of how power dynamics affect organizations and the ability to amplify the voices of individuals from under-represented groups.
- Knowledge of and ability to speak fluently about existing and needed evidence about how to achieve meaningful change for women and girls and other historically under-represented groups in development and humanitarian contexts.
- Ability to engage, inspire to action, and influence people outside of direct reporting lines.
- Strong, concise, and compelling written communication skills and excellent public speaking skills
- Receptive and collaborative approach that contributes to a positive team environment; builds and maintains strong relationships with people from all backgrounds, genders, cultures, and viewpoints.
- Ability to support the implementation of a cross-cutting strategy while actively incorporating enterprise priorities and appropriate direction and feedback from colleagues.
- Ability to work effectively and with impact through matrixed relationships.
- Understands the importance of operating with a regional mentality and models cultural sensitivity.
Language Skills:
- Excellent spoken and written English
- Proficiency in at least one other language spoken in the region (French, Swahili, etc.)
Working Environment
Combination of standard office working environment and working remotely (i.e., telecommuting). Applicants must have a home or alternate workspace they can effectively complete their work from during regularly scheduled work hours.
Some travel as needed up to 50%
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Respect in the Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
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