Associate Director, Gender Policy, Data for Health

### The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) supports civil society organizations and advocacy movements around the world to pass lifesaving policies on a range of critical issues save lives, reduce death and disease, increase investments in public health, and create healthier, more equitable futures for all. GHAI is an initiative of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. For more information, visit [advocacyincubator.org].

### 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 births, deaths, and other vital events are a basic function of good government. However, 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.

### CRVS Legal Reviews and Technical Assistance

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. 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-country 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 CSOs 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.

### Collaboration and Global Travel

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%.

### Responsibilities

**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.

**Additional responsibilities include:**

– 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.
– Conduct research to develop global position papers.
– Organize and lead workshops, meetings, and conferences.
– Manage in-country advocacy coordinators.
– Teach and mentor others on international legal best practices pertaining to CRVS.
– Coordinate with relevant government agencies, international stakeholders, funders, and implementing partners.
– Participate in coordination meetings and technical working groups.
– Provide ongoing legal technical assistance as requested.
– Work 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.

### Gender Policy Issues

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

– Reducing disparities in female death registration at the national or subnational level.
– Reducing disparities in stillbirth 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.
– Using data to identify and address health disparities amongst gender-diverse populations.
– Using data 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, 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 a 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).

Learn more here