Gender, Peace, and Governance Specialist

Job Posting Organization:
Relief International (RI) is a global humanitarian and development organization that partners with communities in fragile settings to address the root causes of poverty, respond to emergencies, and support long-term recovery. Founded in 1990, RI operates in over 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, specializing in integrated programs in health, education, economic opportunity, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The organization emphasizes resilience-building and systems strengthening, focusing its work in fragile and conflict-affected contexts where state institutions are weak or under pressure. RI collaborates with local partners, civil society organizations, and national governments to ensure that interventions are contextually appropriate, inclusive, and locally owned. Its programming is guided by a commitment to accountability, gender equity, inclusion, and the protection of vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. With over three decades of experience, RI combines rapid emergency response with long-term development strategies to support people in navigating crises, restoring dignity, and building a more secure and self-reliant future. In the Philippines, RI operates with a strong focus on peacebuilding, humanitarian response, and development programming in areas affected by conflict, natural disasters, and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The country program integrates gender equality, youth empowerment, and community resilience across its portfolio, ensuring that interventions address both immediate needs and long-term structural challenges.

Job Overview:
The Gender, Peace, and Governance Specialist plays a strategic and technical role in advancing gender equality and social inclusion across peacebuilding, governance, and development initiatives. This position serves as the technical focal person on Gender, Peace, and Governance, providing strategic direction, facilitation, and technical support for designing and implementing peacebuilding capacity programs within the Tanggol Kababaihan Consortium and across RI’s peacebuilding programming. The role-holder is expected to contribute to evidence generation, partnership building, and knowledge sharing to advance Women, Peace, and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security (WPS) localization and institutionalization in RI’s target areas. The Specialist will support the planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of RI’s “Tanggol Kababaihan: Operationalizing the Philippine National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security,” collaborating with Consortium partners and key local stakeholders to ensure sustainable project outcomes and impact. This role is crucial in ensuring that the Tanggol Kababaihan Action and Relief International’s peacebuilding programs are inclusive, conflict-sensitive, and aligned with national and international frameworks.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Gender, Peace, and Governance Specialist is responsible for providing technical leadership and strategy by ensuring that peacebuilding, governance, and social cohesion initiatives are gender-responsive, inclusive, and conflict-sensitive. This includes providing expert analysis on the current status of women’s involvement in peace and security efforts in the Philippines, identifying barriers and opportunities for greater inclusion, and ensuring alignment with frameworks such as the UNSCR 1325, WPS resolutions, NAPWPS, RA 9710, and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The Specialist will lead or support project activities, ensuring that interventions promote women’s leadership, participation, and protection in governance and peace processes. They will provide technical support to ensure that gender equality and conflict sensitivity are mainstreamed across all project activities and deliverables, and contribute to developing WPS-sensitive policies, programs, and tools. Additionally, the Specialist will design and conduct trainings, coaching, and mentoring sessions for project staff, partners, and local government officials on gender mainstreaming, WPS, and inclusive governance. They will engage with government agencies and civil society organizations to promote policies supporting women’s participation and leadership in governance and peacebuilding, and support advocacy initiatives that strengthen the implementation of GAD mandates and local WPS action plans. The Specialist will also contribute to monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning by supporting the selection of participants for capacity-building programs, ensuring data quality, and tracking progress of WPS mainstreaming efforts at the local level.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Development Studies, Political Science, Social Work, or a related field. A Bachelor’s degree with equivalent experience may be considered. Candidates must have at least 5 years of progressive experience in gender mainstreaming, governance reform, and peacebuilding, with demonstrated experience in implementing WPS, GEDSI, or governance programs within humanitarian or development contexts. Experience in building and maintaining relationships with government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and UN agencies in sensitive political environments is essential. A proven record in capacity building, policy engagement, and advocacy at local or national levels is also required.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Development Studies, Political Science, Social Work, or a related field. A Bachelor’s degree with equivalent experience may be considered, indicating that practical experience can supplement formal education in this role.

Experience:
The position requires at least 5 years of progressive experience in gender mainstreaming, governance reform, and peacebuilding. Candidates should have demonstrated experience in implementing Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), or governance programs within humanitarian or development contexts. Experience in building and maintaining relationships with government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and UN agencies in sensitive political environments is crucial. A proven record in capacity building, policy engagement, and advocacy at local or national levels is also necessary for this role.

Languages:
The mandatory language requirement for this position is excellent command of English, both written and oral. Knowledge of local languages or cultural context is considered an asset, particularly for candidates who have experience working in the covered region.

Additional Notes:
This position is full-time and involves working in a challenging environment, including remote or underserved communities and areas affected by conflict. The role may require adaptability and resilience in challenging work environments. The organization values inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, agility, innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. The contract duration and seniority level are not specified in the provided information, but the role is critical to the success of the Tanggol Kababaihan project and aligns with RI's mission and values.