Job Posting Template

Basic Job Information                                                                   

Job Title: Local Expert on Gender Inclusion                                Location: Pristina, Kosovo

Position Type: Consultant                                                               Job Stage: Currently Open

Category: Local (CCN)                                                                      Number of positions available: 1

Employee Status: N/A                                                                       Close Date: 4/1/2024

Job Summary

The USAID Social Contract Activity (SCA) in Kosovo (the “Activity”) aims to introduce sustainable practices for public participation to improve Kosovo citizens’ quality of life and strengthen their partnership with the municipal government. Local governments in Kosovo have various mechanisms for public participation that have developed over the years, but participation remains low, and mistrust in mechanisms remains high. In particular, women’s inclusion in public participation is low. The Social Contract Activity strives to utilize social and behavioral science to make some of the participation mechanisms feasible.

USAID’s Social Contract Activity supported five municipalities (Prishtina, Prizren, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Obiliq/Obilić, and Sukareka/Suva Reka) in 2022 and an additional five scale-up municipalities (Ferizaj/Uroševac, Gjakova/Dakovica, Vushtrri/Vučitrn, Viti/Vitina, and Kamenica) in 2024 to enter into a dialogue with community groups to agree on a Social Contract Agenda, comprised of actions to improve public participation in the municipality and identify two-to-four community issues to resolve in a participatory approach. Municipal leaders of all partner municipalities have committed to implement the Social Contract Agenda in their municipality. 

Among the actions committed in the Social Contract Agenda by stakeholders of all partner municipalities is improving the inclusion of women and other less-represented groups in public consultations and municipal events. Nevertheless, inclusion of these groups has remained a challenge, as there are social barriers impeding their participation. The Activity seeks to work more closely with women in the partner municipalities and respective non majority communities to overcome challenges of participation and prepare them to take an active part in local matters. As such, the Activity seeks to hire a Local Expert on Gender Inclusion to provide advice and support to the Social Contract Activity team to boost women’s inclusion in activities and municipal events. 

The Social Contract Activity point of contact for the Local Expert will be the Chief of Party (CoP); the Senior Governance Advisor will provide technical direction. The level of effort (LOE) for this consultancy will be up to 75 days from April 15 – October 15, 2024.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities of the Consultant

The Consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:   

• Conduct a desk research study of the enablers and barriers to women’s participation in public consultations and on local councils as members and in events sponsored by local councils;
• Conduct tasks contingent on findings from the desk research and approved by DI in advance, such as: 
• Work with women in communities in the 10 partner municipalities to prepare them for meaningful participation and advocating their ideas in participatory budgeting processes and budget hearings, potentially through coaching;
• Work with women in communities in the 10 partner municipalities to encourage them to participate in local council meetings and prepare for candidacies for local council positions; and
• Coach local organizations that focus on public engagement in partner municipalities to mobilize women in municipal consultations and other municipal activities through at least 10 coaching sessions. 
• Review Activity reports, deliverables, and materials to provide feedback for inclusion of women groups in municipal events;
• Other tasks related to increasing women’s participation in municipal events.

Key Deliverables

1. Research paper, between 7-10 pages, describing the enablers and barriers to women’s participation in public consultations and on local councils, providing recommendations for increasing women’s participation in public consultations and local councils, and outlining specific activities and timelines for increasing women’s participation in the partner municipalities for the duration of the consultancy. The research paper will be due within 30 days of the effective date of the consultancy.
2. Based on the findings of the research paper, a work plan describing how the consultant will engage women in communities and which organizations the consultant will engage, and outlining schedule of meetings and activities.
3. Documentation related to activities outlined in approved work plan. Examples could include meeting notes from meetings with women in both majority and non-majority communities, training materials used to train local organizations on women’s inclusion, etc.
4. Monthly reports summarizing work conducted and providing written feedback on women’s inclusion.
5. Written report of no more than five pages that describes but is not limited to the following: the purpose of the consultancy, progress made during the duration of the consultancy, and any other notable observations; issues and/or problems encountered; and expected follow-on actions, as well as actions to be performed by counterparts; and lessons learned or advice for the Activity moving forward.
6. Presentation to the team summarizing the consultancy, identifying challenges, and providing recommendations for future programming. 

Required Qualifications  

The candidate should have:

• Minimum of fifteen years of experience in gender inclusion;
• Experience in local governance;
• Proven experience in facilitating coaching sessions with institutions and/or community groups;
• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, public policy, economics, or related field;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple demands, prioritize, and produce high-quality work;
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills in Albanian, Serbian, and English languages;
• Experience working with non-majority communities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social sciences, public policy, economics, or related field;
• Experience with USAID-funded programming;
• Experience working with civil society and/or NGOs.

Reporting

The Consultant will report to DI’s Chief of Party.

Application Process:
Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and a CV by April 1, 2024. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. DI is dedicated to attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent, and the position will be filled as soon as a qualified candidate is identified. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Application Link: 

https://recruitingbypaycor.com/career/JobIntroduction.action?clientId=8a78826757e082f20157e44efef80218&id=8a7883ac8df214a5018e527f349d3438&source=&code=&fromAggregate=false&qToken=

About the Organization:
DI provides technical assistance, analytical services and project implementation for democracy, human rights, governance and conflict mitigation programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department and other development partners. Since its founding in 2003, Democracy International has worked with civil society organizations, political parties, election-management bodies, government agencies, legislatures, justice-sector institutions, and others in 70+ countries.