Associate Director, Gender Policy, Data for Health

POSITION OVERVIEW

GHAI seeks a mid-career global gender policy expert to work as part of a global initiative to support reforms to low- and middle-income countries’ Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems and legal frameworks. The role will include supervising reviews of countries’ CRVS laws as relates to gender; providing technical assistance for reforms to the CRVS legal frameworks; and leading civil society advocacy for legal and policy change in CRVS systems to strengthen gender rights and protections.

While prior experience in CRVS systems is preferred, it is not required to apply for the position. Full training on CRVS systems, legal frameworks and best practices will be given to the selected candidate.

PROGRAM AND POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), a program of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), supports legal and policy change campaigns around the globe to improve public health. GHAI is one of eight implementing partners within the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health (D4H) Initiative (other partners include Vital Strategies, the CDC and the CDC Foundation, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia, Johns Hopkins and United Nations High Commission for Refugees). This initiative is focused on assisting low and middle- income countries with establishing stronger CRVS systems, including CRVS legal frameworks.

Effective and efficient CRVS systems that register birth, deaths, and other vital events, are a basic function of good government but many low- and middle-income countries do not have effective systems operationalized. Birth registration confers legal identity and is the basis of many fundamental individual rights. Without systems that register births, deaths and causes of deaths, governments do not know what or where their population is and cannot plan or deliver public health or other public policy interventions.

GHAI’s roles within the D4H initiative include providing technical legal assistance for reviews and reform of countries’ CRVS systems; and leading and supervising in-country grantee civil society organizations to advocate for political prioritization of CRVS system and legal reforms.

The CRVS legal reviews entail working closely with in-country lawyers to analyze a country’s current CRVS legal frameworks and offer recommendations for how they can be brought into better alignment with international best practices; then provide legal assistance to the government to adopt those recommendations through legal and policy reforms. The role of the AD, Gender Advocacy is to work closely with an in-country lawyer or legal team to do this careful analysis, in addition to training, educating, and teaching the in-county legal team and key government stakeholders on these best practices.

In conjunction with the legal reviews and technical assistance, GHAI provides grants to civil society organizations in countries where legal reforms may be possible. The CSO’s undertake advocacy campaigns to generate political prioritization to get the gender related legal reforms adopted and implemented. The role will include leading in the development and monitoring of the campaigns with in country consultants.

The Gender Adviser will also work closely with other partners in the D4H Initiative to facilitate CRVS reform, specifically pertaining to gender issues, and will be required to participate in global meetings, monthly and quarterly calls with funders, and attend in- person convenings.

This position reports to the Director of GHAI Data for Health, and is based in Washington, DC. The office operates a hybrid schedule of three in-office days, and two days of remote working.

Global travel is an expected part of this position with travel up to 20%.

WHAT YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH:

The Gender Lead’s principal areas of responsibility will be to:

• Train and supervise in-country legal consultants in conducting reviews of CRVS legal frameworks as related to gender issues
• Supervise technical legal advice and support for reforms to CRVS legal frameworks related to gender
• Train, supervise and monitor grantee civil society organizations in their advocacy campaigns for gender related CRVS legal and policy reforms.
• Position GHAI as a leader in strengthening CRVS systems from a gender lens

In addition, the legal advisor will be expected to:

• Contribute to identifying and onboarding new grantee civil society organizations.
• Assist in developing advocacy strategies and provide strategic guidance to civil society organizations for CRVS political prioritization, and legal and policy reforms
• Review CRVS legal frameworks and evaluate them against international best practices.
• Research to develop global position papers.
• Organize and lead workshops, meetings, and conferences.
• Managing in country advocacy coordinators
• Teach and mentor others on international legal best practices pertaining to CRVS.
• Coordinating with relevant government agencies, international stakeholders, funders and implementing partners.
• Participating in coordination meetings and technical working groups.
• Providing ongoing legal technical assistance as requested.
• Working directly with government officials and their staff.
• Contribute to legal articles, case studies, blogs, toolkits and other reports related to the Data for Health Initiative.
• In collaboration with partners, develop country legal strategies as an integrated part of an overall strategy for CRVS reform and implementation.

AD, Gender Advocacy would work on gender policy issues including but not limited to the following ones at the national, sub-national, and global level:

• Reducing disparities in female death registration at the national or subnational level

• Reducing disparities in still birth registration at the national or subnational level

• Strengthening CRVS registration as third gender/transgender at the national or subnational level

• Using birth registration data to identify trends in child marriage and develop relevant guidance to address it

• Linking data systems to uncover gender-based violence

• Data use to identify and address health disparities amongst gender-diverse populations

• Data use to develop policy related to mainstreaming gender in primary care

SKILLS YOU'LL BRING TO THE ROLE:

• Juris Doctor Degree (or the equivalent first-level legal degree awarded by a law school accredited by the national authority responsible for accreditation).
• At least five to seven years of relevant post-law school legal experience in gender policy and law.
• Experience working on gender related policies, including analyzing laws against international best practices.
• Experience in working for a public policy or gender advocacy organization preferred especially in a global setting
• Knowledge of and experience in using legal analysis to advance gender policy change objectives ideally in an international context
• Experience with developing training seminars and programs for government lawyers and local advocates on public policy or public health legal issues
• Demonstrated experience as project officer or manager of international gender projects.
• Excellent analytical skills, legal writing and research ability.
• Experience in legal analysis of public health or public policy issues, particularly in the area of CRVS, strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated excellence in communication and in working with people from diverse cultures and countries.
• Familiarity or work experience outside the United States preferred.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 20%.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently with only general supervision.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment while juggling and coordinating multiple projects and deadlines.
• English language proficiency.
• Other language proficiency is highly desirable especially in French.

WHY JOIN THE CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS?

•100% company paid health, vision, and dental for you; 70-80% contribution to these coverages for your dependents.

•Paid parental leave benefits (4 weeks paid maternity/paternity leave), in addition to the federal and local leave provisions.

•403b plan participation (with 9% company contribution)

•10 paid company holidays, 15 vacation days, 10 sick days and 5 personal days (on an accrual basis each calendar year

• A hybrid work schedule (3 days in office; 2 days remote)