Education Gender Analyst

  Researcher: Education Gender Analysis , Lebanon   Social Impact (SI) is a Washington, DC-area international development management consulting firm. SI’s mission is to create dramatic improvements in the performance of organizations and programs working to enhance the social and economic well-being of people around the world. We provide a full range of management consulting, technical assistance, and training services to strengthen international development programs, organizations, and policies. We provide services globally in the areas of monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, project and program design, organizational capacity building, and gender and social analysis. SI services cross-cut all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. SI’s clients include US government agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the US Department of State, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and non-profits.   Project Objective: Through PMSPL II, Social Impact supplements the monitoring and program management efforts of USAID/Lebanon staff and verifies, monitors, and supports USAID program performance in Lebanon. The period of performance of this project is September 2015 – September 2020.   Position Description: SI is seeking a Gender Analyst to support an external team in conducting a gender analysis in the education sector in Lebanon.   Education is an essential component of USAID/L development programs—both as a tool to provide people with specific knowledge and skills and as a stand-alone sector for reform. Equality in education is an essential building block for equality in other aspects of the lives of boys and girls, men and women. USAID is in the process of developing an Education Strategy which builds on the former 2011-2015 strategy which in turn explained that it “should promote gender parity, gender equity, and focus on improving education quality for both boys and girls to lead its education projects worldwide”.   Lebanon exhibits near parity at most levels of education (especially BE), However, stereotyping persists to some extent, in preferred and guided areas of specialization, which impacts the future direction of the careers of both genders Thus, there appear to be few formal barriers to women’s advancement. However, more in-depth analysis reveals many barriers that prevent women in the country from achieving true equality with men. It is precisely this context—where gender equality is a formal country goal and gender differences are not obvious—that makes gender analysis imperative for designing projects that effectively address nuanced gender differences and empower women to participate actively and equally in their societies at all levels.   This gender analysis will look beyond formal declarations, statements and official principles of equality to uncover the reality for women and men. The first step is to understand the gender inequalities that persist in Lebanon and why gender is still a critical issue.   Gender Analysis investigates the different experiences, knowledge and activities of women and men in a given context. It explores these differences so that policies, programs and projects can identify and meet the different needs of men and women/ boys and girls. This analysis will also aim to study the situation of Syrian refugees where education and employment is concerned. Therefore, data collection will also incorporate Syrian refugees in the targeted researched areas.    Responsibilities: The selected consultant will work with the research team to conduct the research and do the corresponding analysis. The Researcher is specifically required to: Collect secondary data from desk reviews of existing and closed USAID projects as well as from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and other relevant literature reviews available by other donors and reliable education related sources, UNICEF, UNHCR, World Bank, and others involved in education and with Syrian refugees. Collect primary data through: Focus groups and participatory appraisal activities with men and women from the targeted beneficiary groups; Key informant interviews with experts on gender in education, and with male and female leaders in targeted communities (such as women activists, NGO/CSOs mayors, school principals, etc.)  MEHE personnel, UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, UNHCR, and other NGOs and schools working with Syrian refugees     Coordinate with and supervise the conducting of a survey, covering all governorates in Lebanon, and covering basic, higher and technical and vocational education, from both the private and public sectors, from the Lebanese as well as from the Syrian refugees communities. Document and present findings and make recommendations Oversee the field work, and supervise and manage the research team on the ground, such as all data are provided to SI by the agreed upon timeline, and according to the agreed upon specifications Collaborate with the external consultant on the design of the research methodology and the usage of the tools, and on the provision of the final report.   Deliverables The identified consultant is expected to deliver the following after coordinating with the external research team: Work plan with a timeline, containing the following: Field research strategy design Data analysis Detailed work plan matrix with timeline starting from the design of the methodology, to data collection to data analysis and compilation of findings and developing recommendations and writing the final report. Summary report – not exceeding 10 pages (excluding annexes) , of findings , (broken down by sector, i.e. BE, HE and refugees as appropriate, and by sex, geographical area, and public and private education), analysis and recommendations . Annexes[1]   Debrief: The consultant will be expected to make a 15 minutes Power Point presentation to SI, of his/her findings Revised draft report: Submit a revised draft report based on the feedback received from the debrief. Satisfactory final report: Report has to be written entirely in English and submitted electronically in Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint format.   Timeline, Logistics and Payment The duration of the consultancy will be 30 working between the calendar days of the 15th of August and the 30th of December 2016.   The Consultant will directly report to SI’s Sr. Gender Specialist and COP, and will work closely and in consultation with the Encompass team in the US.   Payment will be made in installments and in accordance to the deliverables timeline.   Qualifications Advanced degree in sociology, education, international development, rural development or other related field. At least 10 years of experience in designing, implementing and analyzing social and gender analyses and/or assessments. Demonstrated capacity in research methods including data analysis, qualitative methods and focus group discussions. Demonstrated ability to think strategically about project design and strategic education programming. Demonstrated capacity to analyze complex issues, draw relevant conclusions and produce a comprehensive technical report. Strong writing skills with advanced skills in editing and formatting in Microsoft Word. Consultant must be independent but collaborative, willing to share thoughts and ideas, and able to give and accept constructive feedback. Cultural sensitivity, particularly in multiethnic and multi-religious contexts. Good knowledge of the Syrian refugee situation Fluency in English and Arabic required; a working knowledge of French is an added advantage. Broad knowledge of gender and development / gender in education in the Lebanese context, an added asset   This is a local position. Only candidates with a Lebanese citizenship will be considered.   To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website: http://www.socialimpact.com   SI is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment with equal regard to of religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.   No need to follow up on your application. Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.   [1]Must include methodology and challenges encountered if any, sample description and size , copies of the different tools used, list and demographic breakdown of interviewees and focus group participants (sex, age group, geographic location, refugee status, other as relevant), final work plan, bibliography of literature reviewed, templates of all actual tools and guidelines used including surveys, interviews and focus group guidelines.