Gender and Diversity Advisor

A. About the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre

ADPC is an intergovernmental regional organization with a vision to reduce disaster and climate risk impacts on communities and countries in Asia and the Pacific by working with governments, development partners, international organizations, NGOs, civil society, private sector, media, and other key stakeholders.

Established in 1986 as a technical capacity building center, ADPC has grown and diversified its expertise across social and physical sciences to support sustainable solutions for risk reduction across a broad range of specialist areas. With over 100 staff from 19 different nationalities and a wide range of professional expertise from atmospheric scientists to social scientists with experiences from all levels of engagement typically required for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Resilience (CR) in an effective manner. ADPC is a competent regional resource center and has seven thematic departments: ADPC Academy, Risk Governance, Climate Resilience, Urban Resilience, Health Risk Management, Preparedness for Response and Recovery, Geospatial Information. These are supported by Finance, Human Resources and Administration, and strategic planning departments. In addition to the departments, ADPC works on three cross-cutting themes through permanent working committees: Gender and Diversity, Poverty and Livelihoods, and Regional and Transboundary Cooperation.

ADPC Strategy 2020 guides the organization in providing comprehensive risk reduction support to countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC recognizes the importance of examining the linkages between disaster risk management, poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainability, rights-based approaches, climate change and regional cooperation.

ADPC takes various levels of actions in a close connection with the national, regional and global frameworks including; e.g. ASEAN, SAARC, MRC, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the New Urban Agenda, and the World Humanitarian Summit, etc.  

For details please refer to ADPC's website.

B. Background

The Risk Governance Department of ADPC aims to ensure that policies and practices driving development in Asia and the Pacific include effective measures to reduce disaster and climate change risks equitably and transparently. ADPC’s Risk Governance framework puts gender and diversity at the heart of DRR and CR and promotes the use of sex-age-disability-disaggregated data for formulating policies and designing plans and programs. The Risk Governance Department aims to achieve the following objectives: 

• Assisting countries in enhancing risk governance through mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development policies, strategies, plans and programs.
• Providing technical support to communities and the private sector organizations for strengthening disaster risk reduction at local level.
• Promoting the integration of gender and diversity concerns in national and local disaster risk reduction and development policies and plans.
• Promoting regional and trans-boundary cooperation for disaster risk reduction through sharing of knowledge, innovations and best practices.
• Supporting the integration of gender equality and human rights in DRR and CR through the implementation of a dedicated 5-year program on ‘building resilience to inclusive and climate-adaptive disaster risk reduction (BRDR)’ in Asia-Pacific. 

C. Statement of intent

The Gender and Diversity Advisor will implement the position-specific technical activities at a departmental as well as at an institutional level. The position essentially requires a thorough understanding of DRR and CR to be able to provide technically sound advice and inputs for strengthening the mainstreaming of gender equality and diversity across ADPC’s programs, projects, policies, and operational manuals. This position is located in Bangkok, Thailand and reports to the Director of the Risk Governance Department.

Note: It is not the intent of this Terms of Reference to cover every aspect of the position requirements, rather to highlight the most important areas of personal and joint responsibilities.

D. Competencies

Core competencies:

• Professionalism: Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate clearly links between ADPC’s strategy and the mainstreaming of on gender equality in DRR and CR. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment; shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; ensures an equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. 
• Planning & organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

​Managerial competencies:

• Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the organization’s strategy and the department’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.
• Building trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidences in colleagues, staff members and clients; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately. 

E. Duties and responsibilities

The Gender & Diversity Advisor will help ensure the mainstreaming of gender equality and diversity aspects in ADPC’s design and implementation of activities under programs and projects at local, national, and regional levels. The following are some of the key institutional and department specific duties and responsibilities:

Institutional: 

• Develop a strong understanding of the program/project development and implementation processes of ADPC’s thematic departments as well as the operations of the departments for finance, human resources and administration; identify entry points; and develop an institutional framework for mainstreaming gender equality and diversity in DRR and CR, covering the project management cycle in addition to using other tested techniques.
• Work with each department of ADPC and develop a department-specific framework that ensures the mainstreaming of gender equality and diversity across all functions and operations of the department by linking it with the institutional framework.
• Work with the ADPC’s M&E team and develop indicators with regard to mainstreaming gender equality and diversity and measuring the institutional progress on a regular basis linking it with the ADPC Strategy 2020 and other key strategic documents.
• Develop a plan for ADPC staff including the senior management and support its implementation for enhancing technical capacities on mainstreaming gender equality in technical and operational work on a regular basis.
• Work with and seek advice from the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director for strengthening the Working Committee on Gender and Diversity in addition to addressing other institutional concerns on gender equality and diversity in DRR and CR.
• Work with the ADPC’s communications team for developing stories, articles, and other promotional and advocacy materials on gender equality and diversity in DRR and CR.

​Department specific:

• Provide technical advice and inputs to gender and diversity-related work under all projects being implemented by the Risk Governance Department.
• Provide technical inputs during the process of developing concept notes and proposals to ensure that they are thoroughly gender-compliant.
• Support the Risk Governance team in designing, facilitating, and organizing workshops, conferences, and capacity-building sessions on mainstreaming gender and diversity in DRR and CR.
• Organize regular capacity development sessions with the Risk Governance team.
• Keep the Risk Governance team updated on the latest discourse and progress on gender equality and diversity in DRR and CR in the region.
• Provide technical support to the ongoing BRDR program covering the following aspects, in addition to others:
  • ​Analyze the program inception findings and prepare technical framework for mainstreaming gender equality across outcomes and workstreams.
  • Study and analyze the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework, review the gender equality and diversity entry points, and define practical actions for making the M&E framework inclusive and gender-equal.
  • Review the existing contents of the gender-mainstreaming framework of the program and finalize it in consultation with the program partners and stakeholders.
  • Work with the BRDR partners, stakeholders, and the ADPC team including thematic Directors of ADPC for drafting a regional gender-mainstreaming framework/guidance note by undertaking research and conducting interviews, in addition to applying other techniques. 
  • Prepare essential documents and academic materials to be presented and shared at regional and global platforms as part of the BRDR’s efforts on knowledge-sharing and promoting gender equality and diversity in DRR and CR in the region. 

F. Qualifications

Education:

• A Master’s degree (preferably Doctor of Philosophy) in social science, especially gender studies or relevant disciplines.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 9 years of professional experience of working in the area of gender and diversity.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience of working in the area of gender and diversity in DRR and CR in an international setting.
• A minimum of 4 years of professional experience of working in Asia and the Pacific region.
• Demonstrated experience of designing strategies and plans for mainstreaming gender equality in programs, especially in DRR and CR.
• An excellent understanding of the current regional (Asia-Pacific) and global discourse related to gender equality in DRR and CR.
• Experience of working with the UN Common System, international organizations, Red Cross/Red Crescent, or international NGOs is desirable.

​Personal qualities:

• Maintains collaborative relationships within the department.
• Works effectively with diverse colleagues in own and other departments.
• Creates knowledge products endorsed for wider distribution based on lessons and multicountry experience. 
• Actively supports work improvement and/or organizational change by work and deed.
• Develops and adopts change plans to support department initiatives.
• Vocalizes early support for change.
• Recommends inputs to new policies, systems and processes in immediate work area.

​Languages:

• English is the working languages of ADPC. For the post advertised, fluency in English (spoken and written) is required. Knowledge of another language is an advantage.

G. Reporting relationships

Supervisor: Director, Risk Governance Department

Qualified applicants may be evaluated through a competency-based interview and/or other assessment methods. We encourage diversity in our workplace and support an inclusive work environment.

H. Contract duration

One (1) year with possibility of extension depending on performance and other related factors.