Background
The Mali Sub-National Governance Project (SNGP) aims to support the Malian government (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance) to develop sound policies, structures, systems and processes to more efficiently, effectively and responsibly deliver services to their citizens, with a particular focus on health and education. SNGP is taking advantage of renewed efforts to decentralize government in Mali through regionalization: the process of giving more resources and authority directly to the regional governments. The project focuses on Public Financial Management (PFM) as a catalyzing theme and consists of three components: 1) strengthen national and regional PFM systems; 2) improve coordination and communication between national and sub-national government and civil society and 3) improve the capacity of the Controle General des Services Publiques to conduct performance audits that meet international standards and to monitor public spending and service delivery at the national and sub-national levels.
Banyan Global is providing technical expertise to the Mali Sub-National Governance Program, which is a five-year program (2016-20210 funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The aim of the program is to promote targeted changes in public and regional financial management systems at the national and regional levels to improve financial decentralization, through adequate transfer of resources from the central to the local level, and an increase of the quantity and quality of basic social services (Health and Education).
Banyan Global carried out a baseline Gender Analysis during project in Year 1 (2016). The analysis examined the following: 1) the status of women and men and their differential access to/control over assets, resources, opportunities, and services relevant to SNGP; 2) knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions that shape gender identities and behaviors; 3) practices and participation that could prevent or facilitate participation in the project; 4) gender differences in the allocation of time and the locations where time is spent; 5) relevant laws, policies, and institutional practices that may contain implicit or explicit gender biases; and 6) gender norms that may affect women’s ability to participate and assume leadership roles and decision-making in the project. The gender analysis also provided demand-driven input on how SNGP could promote the scaling of existing women’s empowerment efforts—for example, offering leadership training, mentoring, and internship opportunities to a wider pool of participants. In addition, Banyan Global led project staff in designing a project gender implementation plan to develop roadmap for SNGP’s gender integration efforts and activities throughout the project’s lifecycle.
The project is currently in its fourth year of implementation. In partnership with its national partner, Women in Law and Development/Mali, the project has undertaken a series of comprehensive activities to support the Malian Government to provide gender-responsive, decentralized service delivery. To this end, the project has provided gender-responsive budgeting training and women’s leadership training at the regional level to civil society organizations (women and youth), agents of technical deconcentrated services, and regional councils, among others in all regions of Mali. It has also produced public goods, including training materials a Guide to Women Cadre A (senior echelons of the Malian Civil Service), a training toolkit on women’s leadership in Mali, and a training toolkit on gender-sensitive budgeting in Mali. It has also carried out advocacy for the political participation of women and youth at the regional and national levels within the context of the 2018 elections.
To support project planning for years 4 and 5 of the Mali SNGP project, the consultant will carry out a gender assessment to measure project successes, identify further advances and gaps, which will support lead to the development of a two-year gender implementation plan. The consultant will carry out the assessment in partnership with WILDAF/Mali and the Mali SNGP Gender Specialist.
Job Overview
The Senior Gender Expert (SGE) will collaborate with WILDAF/Mali and the Mali SNGP Gender Specialist. The SGE will carry out a desk review of project documents, carry out initial key stakeholder interviews by phone, and will travel to Mali for four to five (4-5) weeks to conduct the field work for the Gender Assessment. The field work will include key stakeholder interviews with WILDAF staff and project participants, key Government of Mali stakeholders at the national and decentralized level, Mali SNGP senior staff, pertinent international and national organization staff in Bamako and at least 3 regions of Mali. While in Mali, the SGE will also develop and make a presentation of preliminary findings to Mali SNGP, WILDAF and other pertinent stakeholders, also lead a workshop to develop a gender integration action plan with programming recommendations for years 4 and 5 of the project. Upon completion of the workshop, the SGE will prepare a gender assessment report and gender integration plan (total 35 pages, excluding Annexes) in English in line with USAID and Banyan Global formatting and graphics standards.
Deliverables Include:
• Preparation of an inception report, which will include a review of existing literature and project documents and deliverables, a detailed methodology, work plan, table of contents, and question guides for the Gender Assessment. The work plan will include: a plan for the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; draft data collection instruments; the table of contents of the gender assessment report, and an outline of the structure of the gender integration plan.
• Carry out preliminary phone interviews with Banyan Global Program Manager, Mali SNGP Gender Specialist, WILDAF Program Manager and Associate, and.
• Carry out a workshop to present the preliminary findings of the Gender Assessment to Mali SNGP, WILDAF, and key Government of Mali stakeholders; and also develop an outline of the gender integration plan for years 4 and 5 of the project.
• Draft a Gender Assessment report and integration plan; and make revisions to the draft based on Banyan Global, Mali SNGP and WILDAF feedback; and submit the Final Gender Assessment Report to Banyan Global.
Qualifications:
• At least ten years of experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment in international development or related field.
• 10 years of experience with gender-responsive public administration and civil service reform, including the development of tools, procedures and networks to support increased recruitment, retention and capacity of women in public service
• Full Professional Fluency in French.
• Ability to undertake a four to five (4-5) week mission to Mali, including travel to regions outside of Bamako (April 22-May 22, 2019).
Salary commensurate with background and experience. Banyan Global is an equal opportunity employer. Please apply at https://banyanglobal.com/careers/
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