Career Opportunity: Roving Program Manager (Hunger Crisis), Plan International
Reports to: Regional Head of Disaster Risk Management
THE ORGANIZATION
Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for better lives for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and in particular the goals on gender equality.
Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work, and our strategy has a growing emphasis on Humanitarian work. We are prioritizing work on the Hunger Crisis, which is widespread across East Africa and the Sahel. This position contributes to all four Plan International global outcomes namely “Learn, Lead, Decide and Thrive” across all the areas global distinctiveness of our Plan International Global Strategy.
HUNGER CRISIS
The world is amid a devastating food crisis. Conflict, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency and economic turbulence is leading to a steep rise in hunger globally. 41 million people are now on the brink of starvation, facing famine or famine-like conditions, with girls and women likely to be the hardest hit. According to the UN, 928 million people were severely food insecure last year– an increase of 148 million on the previous year. This is equal to one in eight people globally. Without urgent action, we face a humanitarian catastrophe.
Poverty and hunger also increase the risk of children entering the labour market to help feed their families, or simply to survive. It can also lead to family separation, as parents migrate in search of employment, with profound impacts on children’s safety and wellbeing. Plan International is on the ground in many of the countries bearing the brunt of this global food crisis. We are rapidly scaling up programmes such as cash and voucher assistance (CVA), food distributions, child protection and school meal programmes. We need an experienced Programme Manager to oversee a multi-country hunger crisis response programme centered on CVA and Child Protection in Emergencies. The programme is subject to contract and funded through a private donor, and will last for one year. Implementation countries include Mali, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
ROLE PURPOSE
The programme is split into 4 country projects. The proposed projects have the following main outcomes and thematic results:
1) Under the Food, Security and Livelihood sector, the first outcome is to improve food consumption and nutrition for women and children in IPC 3+ areas and strengthen communities’ capacities resilience to face shocks. This will include provision of multipurpose cash assistance to vulnerable families.
2) Under the Child Protection/Gender Based Violence (GBV) sector, the second outcome is to protect children and young girls from abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation through appropriate prevention and response interventions in line with the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
The role will oversee the implementation of the projects within the four countries.
Ensuring timely start up, technical input, adequate monitoring, sound financial management. The role seeks to add to country level capacity and share learning between all countries. The role will oversee monitoring and donor reporting.
This role involves regular travel of up to 50% to the four project location countries
ACCOUNTABILITIES AND MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES
1.Project management and capacity building
- Working with 4 country offices to ensure timely start up and delivery of the project.
- Financial and work plan support and monitoring to ensure deliverables are on track and on budget and that risks/mitigations on a country and project level are closely tracked.
- Ensure delivery is of high technical standards, enhancing continuous technical development based on effective management of technical inputs (CVA and Child Protection in Emergencies).
- To support country offices delivering the project on agreed reporting requirements.
- Consolidation of multi country reports as required.
- Collaborating with Plan International UK to coordinate and consolidate country level reporting
- Facilitate cross-country learning related to the programme.
- Support to communication and information flow to the donor as required by Plan International UK.
- Close liaison with Plan International UK to ensure smooth delivery of the project, including identifying key technical or operational challenges and working with Country Offices and Plan International UK to resolve programmatic challenges.
- Ensure systems and processes are in place to identify and manage risks including developing, updating and reviewing Program Unit risk register in line with the Global Risk Management Policy and the Global Risk Management Toolkit, and ensuring that risks are adequately identified, assessed, mitigated and reported on.
- Manage capacity-building support of Plan International Country Offices (Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali) and local implementing CSO partners with specific focus on strengthening institutional & individual capacity, enhancement of management systems and governance of regulatory functions and activities to ensure successful delivery of the programme.
- Ensure all staff working on the programme have a solid understanding of DRM for the hunger crisis, and the work that the organization is doing.
- Report regularly to the Regional Head of Disaster Risk Management and Plan International UK on progress/results achieved on the programme and barriers encountered, and resolve any challenges faced and provide input into grant reporting.
- Maintain where possible liaison and coordination with senior officials in the relevant line Ministries and other key stakeholders e.g. like in-country donor offices, bilateral and multilateral institutions, the UN etc. to ensure technical assistance activities are carried out with their active participation for building ownership and sustainability.
2.Networking, Partnerships and Coordination
- Represent Plan International at various technical meetings with other cooperating agencies and participate in various working groups as required, including making technical presentations on key activities and achievements.
3.Influencing and donor engagement
- Work with Communications and MERL teams to develop key donor influencing and advocacy strategies for the hunger crisis.
- Work with Plan International UK and the Regional Head of Disaster Risk Management to support policy impact and change, representing hunger crisis programming with relevant stakeholders.
- Contribute to the adequate documentation and dissemination of program results and lessons learnt, including the development and submission of project’s mandatory reports, technical documents and reports; and abstracts and articles for scientific journals and conferences.
4.Child Protection, Accountability, Gender Equality & Inclusion
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in the programme in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility.
- This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
- Ensure that the voice of the affected population is heard in all stages of programme implementation including establishment of child friendly complaints and response systems.
5.Other
- For up to 20% of the time be available to support regional hubs on other hunger crisis activities that are not related to the programme.
- Work with media and communications to document and share success stories emanating from the programme or other hunger crisis projects
Leadership Competencies
- Courageous, taking a lead, challenging myself and others to achieve purpose, safeguard others and role model values, inside and outside work. Responsible for my work and learning, striving to improve. Self-aware, resilient and constructive in embracing change. Striving to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. Challenging myself to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused and innovative.
- Understand and adhere to the policies, processes, practices and standards relevant to own work and keeps their knowledge and skills up to date.
- Collaborating with team members, colleagues and partners in finding creative solutions to problems by sharing information, experience and ideas and actively seeking their input.
- Respecting all people, appreciating differences and challenging inequality in programmes and the workplace. Supporting children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. Empowering other staff to give their best and develop their potential.
- Achieves desired outcomes and finds innovative solutions by using the expertise and creativity of others and adopting a coaching approach with the people they manage or advise.
- Creates space for reflection and uses external evidence and internal evaluation to identify what and how we need to improve and then to support others through change.
- Understanding Plan International’s purpose, priorities, values and approaches in our work context. Adhering to relevant policies, processes, practices and standards, and being pro-active in continuing technical and professional development
Business Management competencies
- Articulates the purpose, values, and global strategy to a range of audiences.
- Can explain how Plan International will deliver on its objectives through the theory of change and communicates the implications for their team.
- Understands the purpose, lines of accountability and decision-making capacity for each structural element of the organization. Helps their team to understand where they sit within the organizational structure.
- Considerate of the political, economic, social and cultural climate of the local operating environment and the implications for our work and are aware of the local business environment, including financial, employment, and business laws.
- Understands digital enablers to improve team performance and working practices. Encourages digital behaviours through role modelling, the personal development processes and capability building. Uses digital and technological tools to support the management of risk, activities and resources, and people and information.
Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
Essential
- Proven experience of managing complex programmes with increasing responsibility in an international environment related to humanitarian work. Experience in managing or overseeing large projects that have Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) modalities highly desirable
- Proven experience of working within in a matrix management structure, including coordinating, and working with multidisciplinary teams, including those who are based remotely.
- Excellent knowledge of CHS and SPHERE standards and experience in applying these within programmes.
- Experience in regular travel to fragile contexts for work.
- Understanding of Safeguarding within programming.
- Proven understanding of “child rights” and “gender in development” concepts and the promotion of girls’ rights in the context of relevant International Conventions (Convention of the Rights of the Child, Convention for the Eradication of Discrimination against Women) and the Global Goals (SDGs).
- Experience and understanding of the concepts of Accountability to Affected Populations and participatory approaches and practice in humanitarian interventions.
- Knowledge of the requirements of donor compliance and financial management.
- Knowledge of programming in challenging environments with good understanding and appreciation of the historical, security context, political environment, economic, social/religious and humanitarian context in the implementation countries or a comparable environment.
- Excellent English written and verbal communication skills.
- Proven networking and negotiation skills with governmental and non-governmental actors.
- Strong diplomatic and communication skills, including through mass-media to influence decision-makers and key stakeholders.
Desirable
- Relevant University degree in development, social science, business administration or related field
- French written and verbal communication skills.
- Post graduate university degree in social sciences, international development or equivalent may be an added value
- Knowledge of the geopolitical factors affecting the hunger crisis in the implementation countries and the political, social and environmental opportunities for change is an advantage.
Languages required
- Fluency in English, both verbal and written, knowledge of Swahili language required.
Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.
We foster an organizational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.
Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organization, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
Disclaimer: Plan International is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate applicants on any basis. We also do not charge Job seekers any fees at any point of the recruitment process.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.
