Gender Specialist

Organisation’s Profile

Transform Schools believes that every child must realise their full potential in school and life beyond. Critical learning experiences enable children to change the course of their life journeys, impact their families and communities. These are essential for realising India’s enormous human potential. Our Mission - Transform Schools’ mission is Improving learning outcomes for secondary school children in India. Transform Schools encompasses of the following two affiliates: 1. People For Action is a charitable society registered in India for delivering grants and CSRprojects through Foreign and local funds to improve learning outcomes for secondary-school children in India, through co-designed learning enhancement programmes & capacity strengthening of system actors. 2. The Transform Trust is a registered trust in India for delivering payment for outcomes and consultancy contracts that aims to support the large-scale implementation of education programmes in collaboration with training institutes, communities, policymakers, implementers, researchers, and other government and non-government organisations.

Strategic Priorities

1. By 2030, we aim to commence work with 20M children thereby reaching and sustaining to impact 25% of children in elementary and secondary government schools in India. To achieve this, we prioritise core education outcomes and impacting life beyond schools for children in the last five years of school i.e. ages 13-18 years, with a special focus on government schools, vulnerable groups and geographies. These include but are not limited to Girls, Dalits, Tribals and Aspirational districts. Our work is informed by SDG 4,5, & 10, global, national policy and evidence.

2. Produce long-term measurable impact on 2.1 Improved transition rates from primary to secondary 2.2 More children staying in school & completing secondary school 2.3 Reduced gender gap in educational attainment 2.4 Improved student performance We establish these through appropriate robust internal, independent qualitative and quantitative approaches.

3. Establish long-term systemic interventions, partnerships and change focus to enable 3.1 Rapid growth of our impact at scale work especially on student learning 3.2 Build an innovations Institute to test and scale interventions 3.3 Leverage our knowledge and expertise to establish sectoral leadership to inform policy and practice.

Learning Equaliser Programme The Learning Equaliser Programme tackles the challenges of gender inequality and lack of support in educational environments, which hinder adolescents of all genders from exercising equal rights, choices, and voices leading to unrealized potential and limited life opportunities. Through gender-responsive learning and life skills inputs, and leveraging adolescent networks, we aim to create a supportive and equitable ecosystem. Our goal is to enhance learning outcomes, personal development, and overall well-being for all adolescents, enabling them to reach their full potential.

Job Purpose

The Gender Specialist will play a pivotal role in advancing gender equity within the Learning Equaliser Programme. This position demands a deep understanding of gender dynamics, intersectionality, and the specific challenges faced by different gender groups in educational settings. He/She/They will bring technical expertise in gender equity, critically examining and addressing the role of gender in our operating context. S/he/they will be responsible for integrating gender into programme design and implementation, addressing gender disparities, and delivering high-quality, results-oriented interventions focused on the needs of all genders. S/he/they will train project staff on gender awareness, share guidance with partners, review all teaching and learning materials developed from a gender equality and transformation perspective for coordinating activities that promote community participation, engagement with government and other civil society organisations.

Reports to Chief of Party Collaborates with Internally - Director - Programmes, Associate Director – Research Impact and Quality; Deputy Director - Programme Design and Quality; Deputy Director - HR Externally - Knowledge partners, community-based organisations, NCERT, SCERTs, National, State(s) & District counterparts (Government & Non- Government)

Job Location Delhi

Employment Contract Length Two-year fixed term contract (renewable)

Compensation Circa INR 10-12 lakhs per annum (on a cost to the organisation basis) dependent on qualifications and experience.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Leadership

● Provide overall technical leadership to develop the programme’s approach to building a gender equity lens by integrating and aligning gender across our programme.

● Lead the development of social and gender inclusion strategies for the Learning Equaliser programme which will be reflected in the teaching, learning, and training

resources and classroom activities.

● Lead the design and facilitation of gender training for project staff, partners, and other key stakeholders to understand how gender is integrated into the programme’s overall approach and implementation.

● Support the Chief of Party to lead the strategy and plan for pilot implementation of gender-integrated programs.

2. Programme Implementation and Quality

● Work closely with the Director - Programmes, Chief of Party (CoP) and other program staff to develop gender-transformative and gender-equality focused lenses grounded on intersectional gender and social identities.

● Provide gender technical support to program teams, volunteers, and teachers to operationalise and roll out gender transformative tools including Gender Perception & skills survey tool, learning assessment tool, classroom observation tool etc.

● Facilitate quarterly learning and work planning sessions with staff to assess results and adapt approaches to be responsive and reflective of learning.

● Promote and monitor integrated programming in a way that increases overall impact of gender sensitive and transformative programmes at the community level.

● Develop and implement gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of interventions and track progress towards gender equality goals.

3. Capacity Building, Training and Curriculum development

● Lead the development of the pedagogical approach that will embody a gender equity lens with activities designed to build learning competencies as well as foster life skills and gender responsive behaviour.

● Design training modules for Teachers and Head-Teachers to include gender responsive pedagogy and inclusive teaching practices besides subject knowledge, effective pedagogy, and classroom management.

● Develop facilitation skills among teachers and other system actors to effectively engage with parents and community members and enhance knowledge of gender and social concepts, empathy, adaptability, and critical thinking.

● Conduct needs mapping and analysis to best engage boys and men in promoting gender equality and shifting harmful social gender norms and practices.

● Enhance content and resources as per the gender responsiveness framework.

● Lead capacity development initiatives with field teams and partners, on the themes of inclusion and gender.

● Work closely with the Deputy Director - HR to deliver training programs and develop policies and guidelines to promote gender equity and establish a gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory work environment.

Qualifications and Skills

● Master's degree in Gender Studies, Social Work, Education, or a related field. A combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.

● 6-8 years of proven experience working on gender equality and social inclusion initiatives within educational or community settings.

● Strong understanding of gender issues, including gender-based violence, gender norms, and intersectionality.

● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.

● Experience in designing and delivering training programs and workshops on gender equality and related topics.

● Ability to work independently, prioritise tasks, and manage multiple projects simultaneously. ● Demonstrated ability to successfully work with a range of stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, donors and NGOs on issued-based advocacy initiatives.

● Strong management and leadership qualities, including the ability to innovate.

● Excellent organisational and planning skills, ability to work in a fast-paced work environment and meet deadlines consistently.

Technical Skill Requirements

1. Strong grounding in feminist principles and approaches to gender equality.

2. Skills in using participatory engagement techniques to involve marginalised and vulnerable groups effectively.

3. Ability to conduct and apply intersectional analysis in program planning and evaluation.

4. Proficiency in conducting gender analysis, developing and implementing gender-responsive pedagogy, and creating monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress and impact.

5. Desirable: Experience in addressing and integrating non-binary and diverse gender identities into program design and implementation.

Desirable Requirements

1. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to facilitate diverse groups.

2. A passion for creative problem-solving and enthusiasm

3. Experience in writing education resources/research papers including implementation, training, teaching and learning resources

4. Alignment with Transform Schools priorities

5. A sense of humour and patience

Additional Information:

● This position may require travel to various schools within the Transform Schools network.

● Fluency in additional languages spoken within the local community may be advantageous.