Capacity Building/Gender Director , AECOM/SIKA-East

About AECOM/SIKA-East

Under contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), AECOM International Development is implementing the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) – East program as the prime contractor, jointly with IRD, OSC, Ti and DT as its sub-contractors. The program promotes stabilization in key areas by supporting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) at the district level, while coordinating efforts at the provincial level, to implement community led development and governance initiatives that respond to the population’s needs and concerns in order to build confidence, stability, and increase the provision of basic services.

Job Summary

Leads the cross-cutting unit responsible for facilitating the development, delivery and monitoring of SIKA-East capacity building activities and providing gender mainstreaming advisory support.

The Capacity Building and Gender Unit Director will be responsible for developing a TEP for each employee in the CBGU under his/her direct supervision. He/she will revise each employee’s TEP at the start of year, with collaboration from the employee and, if needed, the DCOP. The Capacity Building and Gender Unit Director will plan trainings, courses, and mentoring activities that provide beneficial guidance and opportunities for professional growth of the CBGU staff. The Capacity Building and Gender Unit Director will make a conscious effort to include his/her supervisees in decision-making conversations and strive to work as collaboratively as possible as a Unit.

The Capacity Building and Gender Unit Director will undertake a wide range of programmatic support tasks, including but not limited to those stipulated below: 

Duties and Responsibilities

•Systematizes training activities across SIKA-East program units, devising a standardized approach to curriculum, content, and tools and preparing a user-friendly training design and delivery handbook.
•Researches capacity building components of relevant stabilization and institutional strengthening initiatives. Collects and organizes materials in an online, multilingual resource library. 
•Assesses district entity capacity linked to SIKA-East facilitated stabilization process. Draws on existing assessment instruments, and compiles related data. Collaborates with program units to develop and facilitate district entity capacity strengthening plans.
•Creates a roster of Afghanistan service providers with training expertise to help strengthen district entity stabilization capacity, including organizational development, project management, gender, advocacy, and other topics as determined by district entities and SIKA-East.
•Applies capacity-building best practices to assure the relevance and effectiveness of SIKA-East capacity building activities
•Develops staff training and facilitation skills to strengthen SIKA-East design and delivery capacity through direct and outsourced technical assistance.
•Facilitates development of scopes of work for contract trainers, consultants, vendors, and grantees who develop or deliver training
•Assists in orienting newly-hired district level SIKA personnel and organizing training of trainers as SIKA-East activities roll out across districts (SIKA College)Manages a team of Afghan national capacity building staff facilitating development, delivery and monitoring of capacity building activities 

SIKA-East Gender Advisory Support:
•Drafts a SIKA-East gender strategy to promote gender mainstreaming, grounded in SIKA-East’s stabilization programming and situated within Afghanistan’s socio-cultural and religious context. 
•Collaborates with program units to assess gender dynamics and integrate a gender perspective in SIKA-East technical and reporting activities. Builds on national policy and relevant stabilization and institutional strengthening initiatives to identify key principles, good practices, and lessons learned. Identifies potential gender mainstreaming champions and entry points.
•Researches and advises on practical approaches and techniques to develop staff and district entity awareness, knowledge, commitment and capacity to advance gender mainstreaming.
•Facilitates effective SIKA-East gender data collection and development of effective programmatic, financial and operations reports on SIKA-East activities impacting women and girls.
•Engages with USAID and other international and national gender specialists on gender mainstreaming best practices and activities.
•Manages a team of Afghan national staff facilitating gender mainstreaming.
•Perform other duties as assigned by the DCOP.

Common Duties:
•Uphold the mission, values, and spirit of SIKA-East in coordinating the program and in interacting with all community members.
•Follow and enforce all SIKA-East codes of conduct, including but not limited to the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Code of Conduct and Drug and Alcohol Policy. Report any violations to appropriate SIKA-East authority, and participate in preventative initiatives.
•Follow and enforce all SIKA organizational policies, procedures, and guidelines including but not limited to personnel, security, communications, finance, procurement, and logistics. Report any violations to appropriate SIKA authority.
•Actively seek opportunities that will complement ability to fulfill position’s responsibilities as well as further professional development, such as taking part in internal and external trainings and participating on relevant advisory boards. 
•Perform other duties as requested by supervisor.

Qualification

•Bachelors Degree in related field although a Masters Degree is preferred.
•Minimum of 5 years of professional Capacity Building and Gender experience with UN, INGOs, or USAID in an unstable environment. Previous experience working in Afghanistan preferred. 
•In depth knowledge of USAID rules and regulations.
•Experience developing and delivering training relevant to the program with focus on stability.
•Knowledge of stability/instability factors. 
•Specific experience mainstreaming Gender in the program is highly preferred.
•Good interpersonal, organizational, diplomatic and reporting skills.
•Ability to work under pressure and to travel to provincial field offices.

Skills

•Minimum of three (5) years of professional Capacity Building and Gender experience with UN, INGOs, or USAID in an unstable environment. Previous experience working in Afghanistan preferred.

Language(s) required

•English, Pashtu & Dari.

Submission Guideline

Please submit your Resume along with cover letter to ezatullah.rahimzai@sikaeast.com no later than the closing date. Please indicate the position & Vacancy Number in the subject line.

Note: Only those applicants meeting the above-mentioned requirements will be contacted for an interview.