Director Sub-Region Sahel

Founded in 1937, Plan International, Inc. (“PII”) is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that believes in the power and potential of every child, but knows this is often supressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

About Plan International in West and Central Africa

The region covered by the Plan International West and Central Africa Hub (WACAH) stretches from the westernmost tip of Africa to the Republic of Congo in the south, on both sides of the equator and partly along the Atlantic Ocean. It brings together 22 countries that stretch from the semi-arid lands of the Sahel to the vast coastal areas of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Guinea, while the rainforest covers large territories, from Guinea to the Republic of Congo, via Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Gabon.

In addition to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is “the largest economic and political union” on the African continent, and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the region also includes two monetary unions — the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).

In West and Central Africa, Plan International is present in 15 countries, including 12 in West Africa, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and 3 in Central Africa: Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Plan International’s approach in the region aims to multiply impact for children and youth, in particular girls, by leading, enabling and connecting key players with innovation. As such, WACAH is a reliable partner for girls’ rights issues at regional level and a facilitator of joint engagement with regional and sub-regional institutions and networks.

Plan International engages and partners with regional and sub-regional networks, bodies and movements to advance children’s rights and equality for girls using evidence from our own interventions and partners best practises. We empower youth and young women-led organisations through regional level networking, capacity building and support to children and youth/girls-led initiatives to promote gender equality in West and Central Africa.

The WACA Regional Hub promotes an enabling environment and supports our countries’ team to ensure excellence in our gender transformative programming and influencing.

About the role

Plan International is looking for an experienced, feminist leader, accountable for the coherent and consistent implementation of Plan International’s across the sub-region, in line with Plan’s values-based leadership, underpinned by feminist principles. She/he will ensure quality, aligned strategies are developed and resourced for all countries in the region and programmes delivered with the expected impact. As a member of the regional hub management team and of the regional leadership team, She/he will have specific accountabilities to drive elements of the regional hub plan.

The Director of Sub-Region will lead their respective sub region and work closely with Country Directors to ensure:

• Programmes are well funded and growing and our work is recognised locally and internationally and remains relevant to the needs of girls and vulnerable children across WACA Region.
• Teams across WACA Region are motivated and skilled and relevant and our organisation is effective and efficient, compliant with the policies, standards and expectations of PII, ready and able to respond to emergency and development needs of the most marginalised children, especially girls. This includes effective and up to date safety, security and risk management practices relevant to complex operating environment.
• Accountable to ensure that the overall long-term workforce requirements for the sub region are defined, overall talent, in line with capabilities needed, is identified and actively managed in country and across the region.
• Our work is guided by effective operations, strong financial management of budgets and performance of workplans to create a positive change for children, youth and their communities.
• Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded.
• Commitment to fulfilling our duty of care to our Staff, and where applicable to our Associates and Programme Participants, by providing a safe and secure environment so that we can better fulfil our Purpose of a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Specifically, ensuring that five essential elements are in place at every level: Prepare (training and equipment), Assess (security risk assessments), Act (SOPs, local policies, etc.), Respond (incident and crisis management), and Learn (incident review and incorporating lessons learned).

The Director Sub Region will have strong strategic leadership, people, financial, organisational development and safety, security and risk management capabilities. Have strong background in business development and good programming and influencing experience to sustain the excellent growth dynamics of the programme and advance public policy in favour of girls.

As a member of West and Central Africa’s Regional Leadership team, the Director of Sub Region will have shared accountability, with CDs and the Regional Director to contribute to the overall learning and strategic direction of Plan International’s West and Central Africa Region (WACA) in 14 countries in the region.

This role will have overall accountability for Plan International’s work one of the three sub regions in WACA- Sahal- a sub region that has 4 country offices (Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso) and a total budget of approximately 64 million Euros with approximately 820 people.

The DSR role will also liaise with the Plan International National organizations.

Plan International’s Values

Our values are at the heart of everything we do. Only by defining a common set of values that are important to us – and that we also want to see in our partners – can we deliver on our shared aspirations. If we are to work towards fulfilling our new purpose, it is critical that we understand the behaviours we have to demonstrate to get us there.

We strive for lasting impact

We strive to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused and innovative.

We are open and accountable

We create an environment of trust inside and outside the organisation by being open, honest and transparent. We hold ourselves and others to account for the decisions we make and for our impact on others, while doing what we say we will do.

We work well together

We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organisation, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities and our partners.

We are inclusive and empowering

We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge inequality in our programmes and workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and realise their potential.

ROLE ACCOUNTABILITIES

Leadership, People and Culture

• Accountable for overall delivery of Plan International’s strategic goals, meeting Plan International Standards, and ensuring alignment to PI purpose and values in a portfolio of countries through line management of Country Directors.
• Accountable to ensure that the overall long-term workforce requirements for the sub region are defined, overall talent, in line with capabilities needed, is identified and actively managed; and that the region as a whole has sight of the requirements, plans and talent to deliver longer term objectives of the region.
• Be a role model in driving positive culture change across the organisation, consciously embracing and personifying the values-based leadership framework under pinned by feminist principles, holding self and others accountable for behaviors, drawing on strengths and reflecting on areas of self-development. Be intentionally aware of the impact and power, purposeful and visible about changing the organisational culture and our internal power dynamics and empower teams to live and participate in the culture as a group.

Strategy and Business Management

• Ensure that Country Offices have ambitious, impactful and achievable country strategies that are aligned to the global strategy and connected to other countries’ and are driving future focused change in country office structures, capabilities and culture to ensure Plan remains relevant and sustainable and delivers increased impact in a rapidly evolving region.
• Raise Plan International’s profile through effective influencing and advocacy, working with the regional influencing team in line with the strategy. Being an ambassador for the subregion and the region and representing Plan International at appropriate regional events and on regional bodies.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks, (including reputational, operational and safety and security) resolve recurrent/systematic challenges within the sub-region and across region.
• Lead on specific region-wide priorities and initiatives and contribute to regional wide decision making
• Build and maintain effective relationships within the Regional Leadership Team, Global Hub, functional leads and National Organization representatives to ensure courageous and innovative solutions to challenges are taken forward.
• Build influential relationships internally across Plan International to strengthen a culture of collaboration, resource sharing, partnership, and learning within the region and at the global level. Build relationships externally with peers in other organisations and representatives in the region to create opportunities to further Plan’s mission and strengthen Plan’s reputation.

Corporate Governance

• Oversight on performance on programme delivery and compliance, across the sub-region, against Plan International’s policies and management standards, key performance indicators and legal/ regulatory requirements.
• Regional Risk management and maintaining risk registers to identify and mitigate relevant business, strategic, financial, legal, safety, security, reputational and project risks, by undertaking regular reviews and assessments to manage risks appropriately in context, taking professional advice or escalating where appropriate.

Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion

• Ensure that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded 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.

While these points are framed as accountabilities, the Director of Sub-Region will support country directors to identify and resolve challenges and work with other parts of the organization to protect countries from excessive or unmanageable priorities.

COMPETENCIES, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Values based leadership behaviours* – Strategic Leadership Level Competencies

• Drive progress in the area of responsibility by setting and communicating an ambitious but realistic strategy, and ensuring it is appropriately resourced.
• Use own behaviour to role model the culture change we need, upholding our values and accelerating progress towards gender equality inside Plan International, with our partners and in wider society.
• Ensure effective delivery by leading through others, working closely with our support functions, keeping abreast of what is going on in the own business unit or function and responding quickly if problems arise.
• Make timely decisions, even in uncertainty and when information is imperfect. Manage opportunities and risks and adjust actions as situations unfold and we learn more.
• Grow the professional and leadership capabilities we will need in future by developing the skills and potential of our workforce and coach teams to act in turn as developers of other people.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively with large and diverse groups of people, giving them the understanding and motivation to succeed and involving all staff in reflection, innovation and improvement.
• Build strategic relationships with key leaders, experts and stakeholders across the Plan International family and externally, navigating political and power interests and negotiating positive outcomes.

*These behaviors are specifically aligned to feminist leadership principles.

Business Management Competencies

Organisational Understanding

• Understanding of Plan International’s purpose, values, strategy, funding sources, organisation, governance, types of programmes and can clearly articulate Plan’s purpose to staff. Has a thorough understanding of the country/Regional context and adapts activities and practices to take account of the political, financial, social, and cultural context in which we are working.

Risk Management

• Exemplifies strategic risk management has a track record of identifying and mitigating relevant business, strategic, financial, legal, safety, security, reputational and project risks, regularly undertaking and interpreting risk assessments and actively managing risks appropriately in context, engaging with relevant stakeholders in Country, Region and Global Hub on a regular basis and taking professional advice and escalating where appropriate.

Managing People and relationships

• Track record of leading a major business unit or function, setting its structure and processes, defining future workforce requirements and talent management, promoting diversity in the workplace, and reshaping the workforce to meet strategic needs.
• Proven ability to build influential relationships internally to strengthen a culture of collaboration, resource sharing, partnership, and learning within the region and at the global level.

Business Delivery

• Business acumen and proven experience of delivering organisational strategic plans, aligned to team and annual plan, incorporating innovation and avoiding duplication of work activities.
• Knowledge of programming in challenging environments and ability to effectively work through partners and proven networking and negotiations skills. Ability to assess safety and security risks to ensure programmes are delivered with minimizing threat to people, programmes and property and in compliance with Plan policies.
• Optimising and managing resources to achieve agreed team or project objectives on-time and within budget, reviewing and adjusting plans if required and ensures compliance with organisational or donor requirements.
• Solid Financial management experience, including understanding relevant funding sources, revenue cycles, budgeting and cost estimation, balance sheets, return on investment etc. Efficiently and effectively uses financial systems to report, monitor and forecast the financial position and work plans adjusted based on regular review.

Other Knowledge

Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of:

• International conventions on child rights and gender equality as well as the Sustainable Development Goals;
• Gender equality and gender-transformative programming and influencing;
• Community-based development and long-term social change;
• The social-economic issues in the region that are affecting the rights and well-being of children and young people, especially girls and the most vulnerable.
• Transparent and accountable financial, asset and resource management
• Donor compliance requirements.

Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Cultural sensitivity
• Well-developed political acumen;
• Able to lead, inspire and motivate people;
• Dealing with ambiguity;
• Managing vision & purpose;
• Innovation management;
• Strong business acumen with an understanding of performance reporting tools and methodologies;
• Delivers results by regularly monitoring performance, anticipating problems/obstacles and implementing effective contingency plans;
• Methodical and organised self-starter who is able to deliver results with minimal supervision and direction;
• Communicates effectively and persuasively with all staff and stakeholders (both verbal and written);
• Considers commercial implications of decisions;
• Negotiates to deliver key results for the cluster;
• Strong problem-solving capabilities;
• Can effectively manage conflict.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

• Country Directors within the region
• Regional Hub Management Team and Regional Leadership Team
• PII Leadership Team, Global Hub’s Departments, Functional Leads and Global Policies / Process Owners
• National Organisation Programme Directors

External:

• Networks and relationships with national and international NGOs, civil society and organizations at the level of the sub-region(s)
• Regional and intergovernmental bodies in the sub-region
• Grants donors: Corporate, and National Institutions
• UN and donor representatives and partners including national and international NGOs, civil society and community-based organizations.

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

Location: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger or Nigeria.

Contract length: 5 years

Terms and conditions: The salary is commensurate with the seniority of the appointment and dependent on location. Relocation package available for internationally relocated candidates.

Reports to: Regional Director- West and Central Africa Regional Hub

Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.