Position Title: Gender Specialist
Status: Consultant
Location: Global
Classification: Consultants roster
Date: December 1st, 2023
About Landesa
Grounded in the knowledge that having legal rights to land is a foundation for prosperity and opportunity, Landesa partners with governments and local organizations to ensure that those experiencing the most extreme forms of poverty have secure rights over the land they till. Founded as the Rural Development Institute in 1967, Landesa has helped more than 100 million families living in poverty gain legal control over their land. With secure land rights, these families can eat better, earn more, educate their children, practice conservation, and achieve dignity for generations. For additional information, visit the Landesa website at www.landesa.org.
Landesa supplements its regular staff with the expertise of skilled international consultants. We maintain and periodically review an active roster of consultants in support of our program needs. This vacancy is posted for anticipated consulting positions: we encourage consultants with specialized skills in legal, policy, and monitoring and evaluation issues related to land access and tenure security to submit their
qualifications to be considered for inclusion in our roster.
When Landesa has specific consultant opportunities, they will be posted below on our website, or our staff will reach out to the consultants included in the roster to verify their interest.
Consultancy Summary
The Gender Specialist provides gender analysis expertise in the design, implementation, and learning related to land rights programming across Landesa’s work, including applying an intersectional gender analysis to technical areas including: increased access to land in the context of communal property and natural resource settings; supporting stronger and more equitable inheritance rights for women and girls; rural land tenure security on customary land; a range of land rights formalization approaches; increased access to land markets for rural land rights holders; land administration and management; access to government extension programs; access to justice; gender-based violence prevention and mitigation; resolution of land and related natural resource disputes; and climate change impacts and mitigation and
adaptation approaches. The Gender Specialist will provide technical input related to the goal of equality for women and girls in the context of land programming, and support integrating gender expertise with an intersectional lens (accounting for other marginalized identities and groups) across designated programs and projects.
The Gender Specialist can also conduct gender analyses, drafts research and briefing papers, advisory memos, training modules, presentations, advocacy materials, and other products and participate in global advocacy efforts focused on gender equality and women’s land rights.
Availability
The Gender Specialist’s scope of work and level of effort will be determined in accordance with specific opportunities as they arise.
Essential Job Functions
Perform research, analysis, and synthesis of topics and issues related to Landesa’s work in regions from a gender equality and intersectional perspective as assigned.
Undertake and occasionally supervise fieldwork (rapid rural appraisal, key informant interviews, public meetings, workshops, surveys) to gather information about current land tenure conditions and the prospects for gender transformational reform.
Make gender-transformative policy, program and project recommendations that are useful and realistic, given country realities and resources.
Contribute to plans for implementing recommendations, including advocating for gender transformative approaches to be adequately integrated and resourced.
Assess progress and results, identify problem areas, and take corrective steps to achieve program and project objectives.
Orally present policy recommendations to government officials and other partners, answer questions and defend recommendations.
Collaborate with foreign government officials, other counterpart country nationals, and international aid agencies, and corporations in the work.
Prepare and deliver public education and awareness presentations consistent with Landesa’s educational strategic objectives.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
A deep commitment to the mission of a better, safer future for the world’s poorest people through secure access to land.
Strong problem-solving skills.
Strong oral presentation skills and an ability to think on one’s feet when defending policy recommendations.
Familiarity with concepts that can be applied to rural development.
Knowledge of international and regional standards on women’s rights and gender equality and demonstrated experience identifying gender-based and intersectional constraints to accessing and claiming rights, particularly as relevant to land, property, and inheritance; ability to analyze gender impact of gender-neutral laws and to craft legal arguments for gender equality.
Familiarity with legal, economic, sociological, agricultural, political, institutional, geographic, and anthropological concepts and information to an extent sufficient to permit the Specialist to initiate, participate in and manage Landesa projects.
Ability to develop concrete work plans and manage elements so that work is performed according to agreed budgets and plans.
Ability to manage documents and correspondence, track, and report on project labor, and carry out other administrative tasks efficiently, routinely, and in conformance to Landesa standards and procedures.
Ability to work collaboratively with a range of people at all levels, including those from host country governmental and non-governmental organizations, and other counterparts, clients, and funders.
Ability to demonstrate cross-cultural sensitivity, tact, and poise.
Ability to lead and work collaboratively as a member of teams, regardless of role within the team, through consensus building, communication, and leadership.
Exceptional ability to communicate in writing and orally in English.
French, Spanish and/or Portuguese skills preferred; other language skills also welcome, such as Kiswahili and Hindi.
Ability to make and use distinctions as to types, frequency, tenor, and levels of communication, depending upon the circumstances and audience.
Legal right to work in the country of assignment.
Required Education
A minimum of a master’s degree in a related field is required, i.e., law, agricultural economics, gender studies, [feminist] economics, sociology, geography, anthropology, or related field.
At least 5 years of experience of relevant international development work experience working at the intersection of gender and land tenure, engaging in policy research and in the design and implementation of projects, including significant focus on the types of thematic and geographic areas mentioned above; experience with climate change programming preferred.
Priority will be given to professionals with strong communications skills and a demonstrated ability to work at a distance and take on a variety of assignments with a quick learning curve.
Experience in women’s land rights and application of gender in all aspects of project design and implementation.
Experience working in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Francophone Africa, and/or South Asia.
Experience working with land tenure issues, field experience in the Global South, and work experience with multilateral or bi-lateral international.
Physical and Environmental Conditions
Work is primarily performed indoors with some potential for exposure to safety and health hazards related to electronics work. This position does not require unusual demands for physical effort. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of places such as offices, meeting or training rooms,
residences, or commercial vehicles, e.g., use of safe workplace practices with office equipment, and/or avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signals.
Work Environment and Working Conditions for Travelers to Developing Countries
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to working conditions and hazards which are prevalent for the location and/or country of assignment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Work is primarily performed indoors with some potential for exposure to safety and health hazards related to electronics work. The employee may be required to travel
overseas and domestically. When traveling in a developing country, the employee may be exposed to:
Physical Hazards (illnesses, noise, extreme temperatures, wet or humid climates, etc.) Road Hazards (unfinished/dirt roads, potholes, traffic-related accidents, etc.), and Atmospheric Conditions (odors, dust, fumes, smog, etc.).
Additional Comments
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. Reasonable accommodation may be provided in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.
To Apply
Qualified candidates should complete the steps below to be considered.
Step 1: Complete the application using the link below. Please ensure you are filling out the entire form
& do not use ALL CAPS.
https://forms.office.com/r/mwYRR90X2m
Step 2: Submit CV to [email protected] with the subject line, “Consultant Vacancy – Name of
Consultant Role – Your Name”.
- Example #1: Consultant Vacancy – Gender Specialist – John Doe
- Example #2: Consultant Vacancy – Land Tenure Specialist – John Doe
Only candidates who have completed their application and submitted their CV will be considered. If you have already applied earlier this year, no need to reapply.
Equal employment opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at Landesa.
Landesa is committed to a work environment in which relationships are characterized by dignity, courtesy, and respect. We are committed to nondiscrimination in all of our business operations and embrace diversity as a key strategic philosophy and strength of how we do our global work. Landesa actively seeks diverse candidates for employment.