Livelihood and Gender Advisor – Consultancy Contract

Background

The Johanniter is a German Non-Governmental organization, dedicated to excellence in the field of first aid, ambulance service, social service programs and other projects in the medical and social field. The Federal Headquarters are based in Berlin, Germany.

Johanniter International Assistance (JIA) is the operational unit for humanitarian aid, development co-operation and emergency relief, implementing and supporting mostly health projects worldwide. (www.johanniter.de)

JIA is active in the Middle East for many years and opened its office in Amman in 2012. The Programs in the region are focusing on the provision of Health Care and Livelihoods, with a transversal approach on Gender and Climate Change.

JIA has been implementing projects through local partners in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Syria, and responding to the humanitarian needs and strengthening localization agendas. JIA implements a diverse range of livelihood activities in Northwest Syria together with local partners aimed at fostering resilience, self-reliance, and economic stability in vulnerable communities affected by the February 2023 earthquake, by implementing structured business coaching sessions to enhance self-awareness, confidence, and decision-making. Additionally, efforts are underway to develop tailored TVET curricula, provide training in digitalization, ICT, and soft skills for university students and youth, and facilitate internships through partnerships with companies.

To support sustainable agriculture, JIA together with its partner is establishing an agroecological research center to analyze soil and water quality, train farmers in climate-resilient practices, and share data via weather stations and a mobile application. Further initiatives include technical training on entrepreneurship, good agricultural practices, and food processing, empowering women and communities—particularly in camps—through cash-for-work programs and food provision.

Lebanon:

JIA, in partnership with Arche Nova and their local partners in Lebanon, has submitted an application for a five-year project within a consortium to Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Transitional Development Assistance. The project focuses on enhancing the economic stability and resilience of vulnerable populations, particularly those affected by economic crises, conflict, and displacement. The project targets key areas including Saida, Bourj Hamoud, and the Bekaa region, addressing the needs of displaced Syrians, Palestinian refugees, and vulnerable Lebanese communities.

The project is structured around two primary outcomes:

• Improving employability and employment through vocational training, job matching, cash-for-work initiatives, and startup business support.
• Enhancing food security by strengthening local food production and agricultural practices.

By offering targeted support and resources, the initiative aims to improve livelihoods, ensure food security, and foster resilient communities. The project also integrates gender throughout its implementation, ensuring an equal and inclusive work environment for both men and women from affected communities. It actively supports their participation in employment, business startups, and ongoing entrepreneurial activities, aiming to empower them to become resilient and independent through sustainable income sources.

Additionally, the project promotes peaceful coexistence and sustainable development by integrating refugees and host communities, working to enhance social cohesion and address shared challenges through collaborative efforts.

Overall job purpose

The Livelihoods and Gender Advisor will play a critical role in advancing advocacy efforts related to livelihood policies, ensuring they are inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. By adopting a nexus approach that integrates humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding objectives, the advisor will facilitate effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders, and will provide technical support and oversight to ensure that livelihoods activities are inclusive and promote gender equity within the above-mentioned project in Lebanon, as well as across other relevant initiatives led byJIA and partners.

Additionally, the Livelihoods and Gender Advisor will actively contribute to achieving the objectives of the JIA Regional Strategy by developing and refining gender-sensitive livelihood approaches that are contextually appropriate and sustainable. The advisor will support regional initiatives aimed at promoting inclusive economic opportunities, fostering gender equality, and ensuring the integration of both men and women in employment, entrepreneurship, and community-based activities, among other livelihoods activities.

In cooperation with the Global Strategy & Learning team and the programme team of the country/regional offices, s/he supports the further development and implementation of the JIA regional strategy in the Middle East and thus contributes to the implementation of the global strategy and vision of JIA.

Tasks:

Strategy and Vision

• actively supports the values of JIA and shapes work accordingly
• together with the Technical Advisors and Programme colleagues, supports the development and implementation of the Livelihood integrated with Gender strategy
• facilitates the achievement of strategic programme and organisational objectives
• contributes to the achievement of JIA’s Regional Strategy objectives in livelihood and gender by refining approaches to gender-sensitive programming in Lebanon
• supports regional initiatives aimed at promoting economic resilience and gender equality, ensuring alignment with JIA’s broader mission and goals
• collaborates with JIA partners across the region to replicate successful models and foster cross-country learning on livelihood and gender integration.
• supports programme development technically in terms of providing technical guidance and advice during concept notes/proposal development, and contributing to the development of technical logframe for the proposal in line with JIA strategy

Gender Integration

• leads efforts to ensure gender integration throughout project design, implementation, and monitoring, with a focus on creating equitable and innovative opportunities for both men and women in all livelihood activities
• develops gender-sensitive tools and frameworks that foster inclusive economic participation, focusing on women empowerment, in coordination with JIA MENA team and technical advisors and Programme Manager in Lebanon
• advocates for and establishes gender-inclusive work environments in the target communities

Capacity Building

• leads capacity-building efforts to strengthen Johanniter in the Middle East and consortium local partners’ ability to design, implement, and monitor livelihoods interventions that are gender sensitive
• provides training, mentorship, and technical assistance to local partners and consortium partners on best practices for inclusive programming, gender mainstreaming, and livelihoods development
• ensures that local partners are equipped with the right tools, resources knowledge and skills to align their activities with the humanitarian and context related standards, particularly in promoting resilience, gender equity, and economic stability
• undertakes regular visits to field locations to oversee technical aspects of the project(s) and supports partners where needed i.e. provides training, mentorship, technical assistance, while ensuring that livelihoods standards and gender integration tools and strategies are understood and being implemented effectively

Stakeholder Engagement

• engages with key stakeholders, including local authorities, civil society, working groups and international organizations in Lebanon, to support sustainable livelihood development integrated with gender in crisis-affected regions
• represents Johanniter in relevant technical working groups at country/regional levels
• fosters collaboration and technical knowledge-sharing between project teams in Lebanon and other regional programs as well as key stakeholders, ensuring the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned

Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (PMEAL)

• collaborates with the PMEAL team to develop livelihood and gender sensitive indicators
• ensures comprehensive tracking of project outcomes, collection and analysis of data to assess the impact of project activities from a technical prospective
• contributes to regular technical reporting to programme team, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and showcasing project success and impact

Compliance

• ensures all project activities comply with donor guidelines and JIA’s internal policies on gender, and livelihoods
• prepares regular reports, policy/ advocacy briefs, and presentations on the progress of livelihoods and gender-related activities for donors and internal stakeholders
• regularly conducts context-specific gender and livelihood assessments to adapt strategies in response to changing needs in the region.
• leads the development and integration of innovative approaches in gender-sensitive livelihood programming, including new technologies or methodologies to improve project outcomes
• engages in policy dialogues and advocacy efforts at local, national, and regional levels to promote gender-sensitive livelihood policies
• collaborates with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to influence and contribute to the development of policies that support inclusive economic growth and gender equality

Person Specification

Profession/Qualification:

• Relevant technical qualification (3 years) in International Development, Gender Studies, Economics, Agriculture, Social Sciences, or a related field at least 7 years of professional experience in livelihoods programming and gender mainstreaming, or related fields, preferably in conflict or post-crisis contexts such as MENA Region and more specifically in Lebanon
• proven experience in designing and implementing gender-sensitive livelihood strategies within donor-funded projects, particularly those funded by BMZ or other institutional donors
• demonstrated experience in capacity building for local partners, including training, mentoring, and technical assistance
• experience in advising on Livelihood and Gender advocacy and policies
• highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching, with fluency in English and Arabic
• good analytical skills
• strong organizational skills required, with the ability to work with others
• willingness to travel to project sites with up to 30% of the time in field sites
• ability to meet deadlines/perform duties on time
• high degree of computer literacy
• ability to work under pressure, making decisions in urgent situations with high problem-solving skills
• experience with market analysis and value chain development, especially in contexts involving vulnerable populations is desirable
• strong skills in data analysis and the use of quantitative and qualitative methods to measure impact, including proficiency in tools such as SPSS or similar software for analysing survey and evaluation data
• ability to interpret complex data and translate findings into practical recommendations for project adaptation and improvement

Skills:

• highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching, with fluency in English and Arabic
• good analytical skills
• strong organizational skills required, with the ability to work with others
• willingness to travel to project sites with up to 30% of the time in field sites
• ability to meet deadlines/perform duties on time
• high degree of computer literacy
• ability to work under pressure, making decisions in urgent situations with high problem-solving skills
• experience with market analysis and value chain development, especially in contexts involving vulnerable populations is desirable
• strong skills in data analysis and the use of quantitative and qualitative methods to measure impact, including proficiency in tools such as SPSS or similar software for analysing survey and evaluation data
• ability to interpret complex data and translate findings into practical recommendations for project adaptation and improvement