Director of Regional Programming & Influencing

THE ORGANISATION

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years and are now active in more than 75 countries.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Director of Programming & Influencing, provides strategic leadership to Plan International’s programming and influencing work in the West and Central Africa (WACA) region in line with our 2022-2027 Global Strategy All Girls Standing Strong Creating Global Change. The Director will ensure that all our programming and influencing initiatives are focused on increasing our impact, strengthening our legitimacy and improving our sustainability. The role will drive the realization of the global strategy in West and Central Africa region working with Country Offices, National Offices, Global Hub departments on high quality gender transformative programming and influencing interventions models, promoting innovation and design for scale approaches. The Director will ensure Plan International agenda is represented in relevant spaces across the region and work with Liaison Offices (UN, AU, EU…) to connect to local to the global and the global to the local. The role is responsible for leading the multidisciplinary regional team to provide high quality support to country offices and to carry out impactful regional initiatives in line with the WACA Regional Strategic Framework. The role will ensure that regional and country perspectives are represented and contribute to global initiatives and forums within Plan. This position will also lead the regional strategic partnerships, multi-country business development and fundraising agenda.

REQUIREMENTS

• Extensive years of progressive senior management and/ or development experience, with a strong background in programming and influencing for child rights and gender equality,
• A graduate degree in a field of study relevant to rights-based international development,
• Experience in gender transformative programming and in one or more of the Plan International Areas of Global Distinctiveness: education, protection, early childhood development, child/youth engagement and advocacy, SRHR, youth employment,
• High level program leadership experience in a complex and dispersed organisation; Experience and knowledge gained from working with Plan International would be an asset.
• Senior management experience in programme design, partnerships, quality assurance and learning.
• Strong working knowledge of program development and quality functions in a large, federated structure and their value for driving consistent, sustainable, scalable, high-quality project delivery at the country-level.
• Proven experience and effectiveness leading cross-functional teams and working in a matrixed structure,
• Experience leading advocacy and policy work with government systems in West & Central Africa
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender analysis, rights-based program approaches, and child safeguarding
• Proven experience in leading strategic planning, change management and program management processes.
• An appreciation and understanding of the issues concerning the NGO sector in West & Central Africa both development and humanitarian,
• Embraces leadership in the global south and has worked with social movements; understands social movements and power dynamics in countries in West & Central Africa
• Able to work well under pressure and deadlines,
• Excellent listening, inter-personal, communication and networking skills,
• High level of self-awareness and willingness to take feedback for growth and self-development.

This possible can be located in any of our country offices in the West and Central Africa region namely Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.