INOVASI 3 - Gender and Child Protection Lead

We are searching for an experienced INOVASI 3 - Gender and Child Protection Lead at our Indonesia facility. 

Background

Indonesia’s Vision 2045 sets the goal for Indonesia to transition from a resource-based economy towards an advanced service, technology, and knowledge-based economy by the centenary of its independence (2045). The 2025-2045 National Long Term Development Plan emphasizes the urgency of Indonesia’s human resource development to fully realise 2045 goals.

Faced however with persistent low student performance that is emblematic of a learning crisis, significant improvement in student learning will be required to reach Indonesia’s 2045 goals. Government of Indonesia (GoI) has started an ambitious program of education reforms. Successive education ministers have set out to modernise the education system through reforming the national curriculum and teaching and assessment approaches, to produce citizens with strong foundational skills, open minds, and inclusive values. 

Australia is a long-term supporter of the Indonesian basic education sector, with continuous investments supporting education quality improvements for the past two decades, including through the INOVASI program (Phase 1 2016-2020; Phase 2 2020-2023) that focused on supporting acquisition of literacy and numeracy foundational skills in early grades classrooms; exploring local problems and solutions; and generating evidence to inform government policy development and practices.

This third phase of INOVASI (2024-2027) builds upon the existing program’s approach and lessons learned and takes the focus on the development of foundational skills through to the end of the primary grades. Phase 3 will engage with priority issues of Australia’s development policy: gender equality, effective inclusion of children with a disability, responses to the climate change challenge in education. It will focus on the challenge of policy implementation and the gaps that exist between national policies and practices at district and school levels, and use the well attested-success of INOVASI’s local problem-based approach to continuously support policy development for effective fit between policy and implementation context.

The Program is implemented by Palladium on behalf of DFAT.

Purpose of the Position

The Gender and Child Protection Lead, reports to the Development Priorities Manager, and works in close collaboration with the Gender Adviser, GEDSI and INOVASI teams,  stakeholders and counterparts. The role encompasses overall responsibility for the implementation of the gender portfolio and child protection initiatives for INOVASI Phase 3 program.  The three gender priority areas are (1) women in education leadership, (2) girls’ agency and student well-being; and (3) boys’ engagement. The role involves providing strategic and practical insights on gender and child protection, while consistently evaluating program implementation to integrate gender, and safeguard child protection principles and practices. This cross-cutting role requires a versatile and integrated collaboration across INOVASI teams and partners to ensure a well-coordinated and synergistic approach to activities and inputs throughout the program. Key responsibilities include the identification of gaps, challenges, risks, and opportunities (entry points) across programs and provinces. Additionally, the Gender and Child Protection Lead is responsible to strengthen and promote an internal organizational culture that champions gender equality and the safeguarding of child protection.


Working with children

Is this position likely to come into contact with children? ☒ Yes☐ No

Duties

Under the direction of Development Priorities Manager, the Gender and Child Protection Lead will:

Strategic and Technical Contributions:Provide technical guidance and capacity development to the Gender Officer, staff, and partners in planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring gender activities. Identify capacity gaps, facilitate necessary support, and monitor progress.Contribute to the implementation of the INOVASI 3 GEDSI Strategy by identifying gaps, relevant strategies, partnerships, and performance measures related to the gender portfolio. This involves coordination with the GEDSI and other work units.Program Design and Implementation:Lead the design and planning of the INOVASI 3 gender portfolio, focusing on three priority areas: women in education leadership, girls’ agency and student well-being, and boys’ engagement. This involves preparing work plans and budgets, coordinating activities at and between the national and subnational levels within the education system to ensure effective delivery.Manage the delivery of the gender portfolio, including activity implementation, research, monitoring, and evaluation. This includes:

Leading the design and implementation of pilots on the three gender portfolio, working with INOVASI teams to support the national and sub-national stakeholders.Collaborating with INOVASI teams and stakeholders using the triple A framework to pilot effective solutions for gender-related activities, ensuring alignment with government priorities. Ensuring staff and partners understand and effectively implement the GEDSI strategy.Leading the design and implementation of pilots on the three-gender portfolio, working with INOVASI teams to support the national and sub-national stakeholders.  Managing the Gender Officer and other team members or consultants as needed.Coordination and Partnerships:Collaborate with INOVASI teams and stakeholders to align gender-related activities with government priorities and engage with the district ecosystem to pilot effective solutions.Engage and oversee partners, focusing on local expertise and sustainable partnerships, to deliver the gender activities portfolio. Coordinate with the procurement team to manage contracts and ensure local participation whenever feasible.Child Protection and Safeguards:Develop and adapt child protection policies, procedures, and tools aligned with INOVASI Phase 3 and DFAT's latest policies. Ensure systematic implementation and coordinate with DFAT to stay updated on GEDSI policiesProvide technical support on safeguards and child protection risk screening, integrate management and mitigation measures into work plans, and monitor their implementation.Investigate and report child abuse allegations or other practices violating Child Protection policies; collaborate with the Head of Operations if action is needed.Develop and deliver child protection training for INOVASI staff, including induction sessions for all relevant stakeholders and partners.Provide ongoing guidance on ethical considerations and safeguards for children in education pilots and researchData Management and Reporting:Support systems and utilization of data related to gender at national and subnational levels.Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Performance, and Learning team to collect, analyze, and disaggregate data to track INOVASI’s progress towards program outcomes.Prepare reports, presentations, briefs, and other key documents for internal and external stakeholders.

Communication and Advocacy:Assist the Communications team in enhancing communication products to actively promote gender equality and prioritize the protection of children.Participate in relevant discussions, forums, workshops, and networks that promote gender and child protection issues and GEDSI strategies.Other Responsibilities:Perform other duties as required by the Development Priorities Manager, consistent with the incumbent’s qualifications and experience.

Qualifications and Experience

The Gender and Child Protection Lead will possess the following qualifications and experience:

A degree in Development, Social Science, Anthropology, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).Progressively responsible experience in development, with a focus on gender programming and education; experience with DFAT-funded programs is highly desirable.Ability to collaborate and influence cross-program teams and leaders in a matrixed organization.Strong analytical skills in gender and child protection issues, providing well-grounded and quality inputs.Thorough understanding of child protection issues, policies, and regulations, particularly in Indonesia's education sector.Strategic leadership skills to comprehend context, translate implications, and generate change approaches and solutions.Effective collaboration skills, contributing productively to team efforts and respecting diverse points of view.Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.Strong personal commitment to gender equality and child protection, with a preference for experience in the education sector.High level of integrity, initiative, adaptability, and ability to perform effectively under pressure.Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both Bahasa Indonesia and English.Willingness to travel to INOVASI partner districts, including remote locations.

Application closes on Mon, 20 January 2025 at 23:59 Jakarta Time

Fixed-Term

Month

0.00 - 0.00

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.