Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Senior Adviser – South Asia and Pacific Region

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 31,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Employee Contract Type:

Job Description:

JOB PURPOSE

Provide strategic and technical leadership to advance gender equality, disability inclusion and social inclusion across the South Asia and Pacific region. The role develops and delivers a regional GEDSI roadmap; strengthens organisational practice and staff and partner capability; embeds GEDSI across strategy, programme and proposal design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning; and positions World Vision with donors, governments, UN agencies, civil society and representative organisations.

Core areas of focus:

• Develop and execute a regional GEDSI strategy and roadmap aligned with organisational policy and child well-being priorities.
• Lead GEDSI mainstreaming and quality assurance across regional and national office programming, grants and organisational systems.
• Build the capability of GEDSI focal points, technical teams, leaders, partners and representative organisations.
• Generate evidence, learning, innovation and external positioning on GEDSI across development, humanitarian and fragile contexts.
• Manage and coordinate GEDSI-related consultancies, technical assistance engagements, and partnerships, including development of scopes of work, procurement inputs, onboarding, quality assurance, delivery oversight, and dissemination of outputs to ensure alignment with global and regional priorities and standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead regional GEDSI strategy, policy implementation and organizational change.

• Develop and monitor a regional GEDSI strategy and roadmap aligned with organizational priorities and policy.
• Engage regional and national leadership, People & Culture, operations, programmes, grants, advocacy and communications to embed GEDSI in programming, organizational practices, advocacy and external engagement, and in communications, as per World Vision’s GEDSI Policy.
• Guide organizational GEDSI self-assessments and action plans; promote inclusive language, accessible workplaces, non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation.
• Ensure GEDSI is visible in organizational priorities,program strategies and design, key messages andresource allocation.

Lead GEDSI mainstreaming in programs, implementation and proposals across funding streams.

• Provide technical leadership for GEDSI responsive and transformative programme and proposal design across sectors and contexts.
• Ensure designs are informed by GEDSI analysis, including gender and disability analysis, barriers, disparities, harmful norms, root causes and intersectional risks.
• Advise teams on GEDSI objectives, theories of change, indicators, budgets, risk mitigation, Do No Harm, safeguarding and donor requirements.
• Contextualize and promote GEDSI tools, approaches, minimum standards, domains of change, continuum and marker.
• Strengthen identification and use of disaggregated data, including appropriate use of Washington Group Questions or other approved tools, informing program / project designs based on analysis.
• Coach teams to monitor emerging barriers and adapt implementation to improve equitable access, participation, decision-making, systems and well-being.
• Promote rights-based and social-model approaches that address attitudinal, environmental, communication and institutional barriers.

Build GEDSI capability, networks and communities of practice.

• Assess competency and capacity gaps and develop regional capacity-strengthening plans for staff, focal points, partners and leaders.
• Deliver and coordinate contextualised training, coaching, mentoring and peer learning on gender equality, disability inclusion, social inclusion and related frameworks.
• Empower GEDSI focal points and technical teams with tools, models, resources and quality assurance support.
• Strengthen regional collaboration networks and communities of practice, including linkages with gender equality and disability inclusion leadership networks.

Lead evidence, learning, innovation and knowledge management.

• Develop and implement a regional GEDSI learning agenda linked to child well-being outcomes.
• Initiate and oversee research, pilots and testing of new or adapted GEDSI approaches and programming models.
• Support analysis and use of data, evaluations, learning reviews, impact stories, case studies and promising practices.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing across national offices, the wider Partnership and external audiences.

Build strategic partnerships, external positioning and thought leadership.

• Represent and position World Vision with governments, donors, UN agencies, clusters, working groups, NGOs, faith actors, academia and regional networks.
• Build or increase capacity to build strategic and equitable partnerships with women-led organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities and minority groups as part of social inclusion, including children, to ensure that they participate meaningfully in assessment, design, implementation, monitoring, learning and advocacy.
• Identify opportunities for shared learning, advocacy, policy influence, resource mobilization and thought leadership.
• Support communications and external engagement colleagues to use inclusive, rights based and evidence-informed GEDSI language and narratives.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender studies, disability studies, social or political sciences, social work, international development, economics, public policy, programme management or a related field. A bachelor’s degree with substantial relevant experience may be considered.
• Relevant professional development in gender equality, disability inclusion, social inclusion, safeguarding, programme design, MEAL or humanitarian programming.
• Minimum 7 years of demonstrated experience providing strategic and technical leadership on gender equality, disability inclusion and social inclusion in international development and/or humanitarian programming.
• Experience supporting GEDSI-responsive and transformative designs, mainstreaming strategies and activities across multiple sectors and funding streams.
• Experience leading GEDSI analysis, including gender and disability analysis, and integrating findings into design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Substantial experience in disability-inclusive programming, accessibility, disability disaggregated data, partnership with organisations of persons with disabilities, and rights-based approaches.
• Strong facilitation, coaching, relationship-building, partnership, influencing, writing and presentation skills.
• Experience in organisational change, policy implementation, advocacy, research, knowledge management, external engagement and donor positioning.
• Experience leading or supporting organisational GEDSI self-assessments, audits or action plans and building the capability of staff and partners.
• Experience applying Do No Harm, safeguarding and ethical approaches to gender-based violence and other GEDSI-related risks.

Required Language: English

Required travel and/or work environment accommodations: Approximately 30%, subject to operational needs

Preferred Experience, Knowledge and/or other Qualifications:

• Detailed knowledge of current gender equality, disability inclusion and broader social inclusion approaches in development, humanitarian and fragile contexts.
• Knowledge of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CEDAW, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and relevant donor frameworks and markers.
• Ability to connect GEDSI programming and organisational change to child well-being outcomes.
• Ability to analyse and communicate disaggregated evidence, identify barriers and root causes, and translate findings into practical programme, policy and budget recommendations.
• Experience working in or across the South Asia and Pacific region and adapting global approaches to diverse national and local contexts.

Applicant Types Accepted: