Technical Competency
Understanding Gender, Diversity and Context
Performance review
Often performance reviews will be founded both on a job description or Terms of Reference (see the Anchoring section for suggestions) and on annual work plans or objectives (which can include soft skills or values). It is important that concrete criteria and expectations are set. Here is a reminder of the job description/Terms of Reference provisions suggested for this competency:
“Provide technical support within team and to partners for the conduct of gender analysis OR to integrate gender-inclusive approaches into program design and implementation.”
“Conduct a gender and intersectional analysis of the context/conflict and integrate it into planning and design for this work.”
“Support the integration of gender-inclusive and intersectional responsive approaches into program design and delivery.”
“Ensure gender, cultural and contextual competency built into team, design and planning for this work.”
“Adaptation of work to localise and contextualise planning and approach.”
“Prepare a cultural and contextual approach protocol for this work, to include culturally sensitive communications.”
Prompts for self-assessment or managerial review could include:
During this work period, how have you/has the person contributed to a more gender-informed approach to the work?
How have you/has the candidate integrated gender and cultural competency into the team and its work?
These could be incorporated into an annual plan or review using the Deep Dive table and a scale such as:
Exceeds Expectations: proactively analyses gender, intersectional and cultural dimensions into all aspects of design, planning, implementation and evaluation; proactively consults with or brings in community expertise including on gender and cultural competencies and seeks their mentoring and capacity-building/enhanced understanding of others without such expertise, encourages and mentors others to take same approaches, takes opportunities to showcase competencies in such approaches.
Meets Expectations: consistently integrates a gender and intersectional lens in analysis and planning, effectively applies gender sensitive and inclusive approaches in the field, builds in cultural competency and expertise into planning. (See relevant Deep Dive columns.)
Needs Improvement: does not consistent integrate gender or cultural/contextual considerations into their work, does not work on or seek to enhance their contextual understanding, uses cultural inappropriate language. (See relevant Deep Dive columns.)
You can choose to focus on specific aspects or tailor the expected behaviours specifically to the job or tasks and include these more specific expectations in an annual work plan or job description.
It is important to include free-narrative boxes for evidence-based assessment and explanations both for a person’s own self-assessment of their work, and for the line-manager’s/supervisor’s constructive comments.