Project Manager ECW

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 it’s 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 80 countries.

ROLE PROFILE
Title    Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Project Manager  
Functional Area    Program Department
Reports to    Program Implementation Manager
Location    Bamenda    Travel required    Frequent
Effective Date    FY23    Grade    
ROLE PURPOSE

Value Proposition
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 girls are the 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 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries. Plan International aims to reach as many children as possible, particularly those who are excluded or marginalized with high quality programs that deliver long lasting benefits by increasing its income, working in partnership with others and operating effectively. Plan International is committed to responding to children affected by emergencies in the countries of our operation.

Given the current humanitarian crisis in the Northwest, Littoral and West regions of Cameroon, schools have shut down in several localities and never opened their doors. Teachers and students who attempted to go to school in many localities have faced security threats and this situation has forced many parents to send their children to other regions to study while those who can’t afford have stayed and remained out of school.
Plan International is engaged in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance, protection, education and psychosocial support. Our operations are implemented in key sectors of Child Protection, SGBV, Education, Food Assistance and Nutrition, Livelihood, WaSH and NFIs in coordination with all other humanitarian organisations. Plan International is looking to continue supporting vulnerable children amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – particularly girls – and assess how Plan can further expand the way these girls and boys are supported through education.
Plan International’s response in these crisis-affected regions also consists in a high commitment in coordination mechanisms with a special focus on Education and Child Protection.

Under Education sector, the position is responsible for the technical management, leading, representation and oversee and monitoring & evaluation of projects implementation. He/She will ensure quality and norms in the education projects implementation. He/She will also act as Co-coordinator of the Education Cluster.

The post-holder is responsible for assessment, response analysis, design/revision and implementation of the Education component of Plan’s emergency response in the Northwest, Littoral and West Regions of Cameroon. He/She will provide technical support to implement the education in emergency programming in the Plan’s International Cameroon ongoing emergency response to this area.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE
Programme implementation:
Provide technical support for the implementation of Education Cannot wait project in the Northwest and Southwest, West and Littoral. This will include providing capacity building to the Project Staff, partner organizations, community based organizations, governmental officials; develop the monitoring tools of the Project in collaboration with MERL teams and programme’s team; work in close collaboration with the Child Protection Coordinator, Gender Specialist and the Child Protection team to ensure CPiE-EiE as well as Gender integrated programming; contribute to the design of Education in Emergency proposals; Work with M&E staff to coordinate ECW project data collection and reporting.
The ECW Project Manager will particularly need to ensure the technical support to all education projects implementation in an integrated manner with other program components and other on-going interventions in the response.
Representation, Advocacy and Networking: The post-holder may also be required to represent Plan International Cameroon in the Education Cluster, the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and other relevant Inter-agency coordination mechanisms; Liaise regularly with relevant Government, UN Agencies, NGOs, CSOs working in the field of education; contribute to ongoing efforts to develop context specific guidance notes and policy making efforts. Play a leading role in EiE Cluster activities on behalf of Plan International Cameroon as Co-coordinator.
Reporting: Provide technical input into reports for donors, government and partners. Collaborate with M&E team and programme staff on producing SitReps, Newsletters and EiE indicators monitoring and sharing with CO, RO and GH.
Strategy and proposal preparation: Contribute to the design and/or review Plan International Cameroon Education in Emergency response plan; prepare Concepts notes and proposals, to strengthen Plan International Cameroon’s contribution to Education in Emergencies response within the country and in programmes.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
Key End Results and typical Responsibilities:
    Support in the project budget monitoring and management, including for procurement and distribution of resources, time management, work-plans and records;
    Ensure the development of all narrative and financial reports (with the support of the grants and finance department and technical review by the EIE, Gender and inclusion specialist, etc.) in accordance with the requirements of the donor and Plan International.  
    Ensure compliance with the donor requirements (rules, policies, procedures): Monitor and manage the project budget, including procurement and distribution of resources, time management, action plans and records;
    Ensure the quality of the intervention in accordance with Plan International’s standards, standards and requirements of the donor and within the established deadlines.
    Control the budget and ensure an adequate absorption rate with the support of the project staff and the technical Team.
    Ensure that Plan International, donor guidelines, as well the Plan minimum standards and minimum standards of participation and transformative gender are respected in the implementation of the project.
    Contribute to the preparation of situation reports for internal and external use. Work with Education, Gender and Protection, Advocacy and Partnership Coordinators and stakeholders to identify and define project requirements, scope and objectives;
    Coordinate activities, manage project resources and information according to defined schedules.
    Identify the risks and opportunities of the project and put in place risk mitigation and prevention measures.
    Act as a focal point and communicate the status of the project to all stakeholders and work with them to ensure their alignment and ownership of the project’s achievements.
    Work with the DRM, specialists and  leads from the education, gender and protection, communication and advocacy, Head of Program (HoP) and the Program Implementation Manager (PIM) at the national level to convey and resolve issues identified during implementation.
    Undertake other administrative tasks to support the project as required by the team and the project, which may include support for training development/delivery, support for forums and key stakeholder meetings/calls.
    Ensure that Plan International’s global policies on safeguarding children and youth, gender equality and inclusion Policy are fully integrated into project activities in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy, including implementation standards and guidelines applicable to its area of responsibility. This is not limited to ensuring that staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct, but also their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with appropriate procedures;
    Ensure that all activities implemented in the areas of education, advocacy, participation are gender-sensitive and clearly focus on meeting the basic needs of adolescent girls, and other vulnerable people in the community;
    Support education experts in the development of guidance and training materials for monitors, facilitators, relays and community structures;
    Support communities to empower themselves to address issues related to the gender-responsive education of their children, especially girls;
    Contribute to the identification of best practices and lessons learned to strengthen implementation and ensure compliance with quality standards in the response of the integrated Gender Education and Child Protection programme.
    Provide advice and support to the implementing project team in all phases of the project cycle;
    Develop a detailed business implementation plan with the project team;
    Lead/organize regular monitoring visits and, if necessary, revisions and amendments to project action plans;
    Provide input to the development of training materials and modules for teachers as needed

Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning
    Support the design and development of appropriate, monitoring, evaluation and learning systems for project implementation;
    Carry out regular monitoring of project activities in the field in accordance with established deadlines;
    Contribute to the monitoring of compliance with the safeguarding policy for children and program’s participants and ensure feedback to stakeholders’ concerns;
    Contribute to ensuring timely and rigorous implementation of quality assurance and accountability mechanisms, particularly in project implementation;
    Provide the necessary support to ensure gender-sensitive  and safe and inclusive quality education
    Ensure the organization of capitalization activities that include all stakeholders;
    In collaboration with the M&E coordinators, ensure the implementation of a feminist approach and the adequate capture of project beneficiaries’ data and the quality of implementation.
    Support Timely and accurate monitoring and financial and narrative reporting;
    Make frequent field visits to monitor implementation of the project, identify opportunities and constraints and any adjustments needed including additional staffing or staff trainings among others
    Visit and provide ad hoc support where needed to the field activities on a regular basis and share reports with management for any critical actions;
    Lead the design and develop appropriate surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and learning systems for education Projects implementation.
    Ensure early and rigorous implementation of quality assurance and accountability mechanisms in the Project implementation.
    Contribute to documenting Plan International Cameroon’s experience in EiE.
    Provide input to the development or revision of a monitoring and evaluation system.
    Monitoring the quality of the project’ s activities and reporting of the relevant partners.
    Provide hands on/mentoring support to field involved in the project’s activities

Information and coordination
    Liaise and provide information updates and project reports on the basis agreed in the FAD;
    Establish a clear communication system within the project team and ensure that it is functioning;
    Organize, facilitate and attend regular meetings with project stakeholders (implementing partners, key project stakeholders, Plan International Cameroon, the Donor deemed necessary for the organization;
    In coordination with the DRM, represent Plan International Cameroon in coordination meetings, with local external stakeholders (local government, traditional authorities, peer agencies and target communities) and non-governmental as required (education working group;  MINEDUB, etc.);
    Contribute to the monitoring of the security situation in the project areas and share with management as appropriate;

     Representation, advocacy and Networking
    Comply with and work according to local policies and regulations
    Work in close relationship with the government education authorities at regional levels, including delegations of Education, the UN agencies, other international as well as local organisations
    Identify or work with suitable local partner organizations and institutions within the education network.
    Contribute to strengthening the capacity of local organisations in compliance with Plan International policies and strategies
    As co-lead, represent Plan International Cameroon at key coordination meetings most especially in the Education Cluster and keep management informed as needed.
    Liaison between Plan International Cameroon and any relevant stakeholders, partners or authorities, at local, regional, national and international levels.
    Participate in field Coordination Meetings/bilateral meetings, etc.
    Initiate or strengthen interagency coordination mechanisms for education where appropriate.

Human Resources development and Administration
•    Mentor and supervise the project team, including performance evaluation of all project staff under his/her supervision, regular team meetings, coordination and support to team members;
•    Support the integration of sexual exploitation and abuse prevention activities;
•    Hold team building sessions and propose capacity building activities.
•    Ensure that each member of the project team has the materials, equipment and tools they need to complete the project.
•    Support the project staff to develop the necessary flexibility to adapt when contexts change.  
•    Coordinate and/or implement training and briefing of Plan staff, partners, and other key stakeholders on education in emergency and/or related issues.
•    Support to the management of the project’s staffs in compliance with Plan procedures.
•    Work with the Education Lead and other experts in the areas required to support guidance, continuous development/training and capacity building of project staff, partners and communities (community relays and social workers, focal points, etc. )

              Resource mobilization
•    Support resource mobilization efforts in proposal writing and related engagement;
•    In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Grant Coordinator, specialists and leads from the relevant sector (including Education and Gender and Protection) develop project summaries, lessons learned and best practice documents that could be used for new projects.  
•    In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, specialists from different components, in this case Education in Emergencies and the Emergency Response Manager, lead evaluations and other project documentation, which could potentially feed into the development of project proposals.
•    With the technical support of Specialists and leads from sectors of different programmatic components, participate in the development of concept notes for the implementation areas of the project.

•    Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) 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.

ABILITY TO COPE WITH PROBLEMS AND ADAPT
•    The job requires decisions to be made on the basis of assumption and experience, as little information might be available sometimes.  Decisions need to be context-specific and there will often be no precedents to draw upon.
•    Good judgement will be required to negotiate and influence local Plan teams and take steps to respond in ways that are innovative in contexts that are stressful to all involved.
•    Excellent risk-assessment and management skills are required to support decisions that may require overcoming attitudinal, systemic and physical barriers.
•    Ability to manage competing priorities and expectations of internal and external stakeholders and remain calm and resilient in the face of pressure;
•    Coordinate the work of several colleagues, including remotely to form an effective virtual administrative team;
•    Use Plan International’s procedures and values to resolve conflicts between colleagues;
•    Resolve issues/conflicts that are not covered by the established process.
•    Analyze the possible causes of problems and propose solutions to solve them;
•    Analyze well before making decisions because they can affect the lives of thousands of affected children, millions of dollars, the safety of staff and Plan International’s image in the humanitarian sector and in the media;
•    Flexibility and positive attitude to problem solving
•    Fast learning, comfortable learning to become familiar with new and unfamiliar content and systems.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Internal – who, what and why
    Reports to the Program Implementation manager,
    Works in close collaboration with CPiE Coordinator, GBV officers program managers and, PIIAMs and ERMs,
    Collaboration with Emergency Response Management Team, the Education Program Lead, the Disaster Risk Manager and the Country Management Team.

External– who, what and why
    Timely participation in education cluster meetings as assigned by the EiE Specialist, ERM or Program Lead;
    Regular interaction with regional and local level government partners;
    Regular interaction with other INGOs, CSOs and UN bodies.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE ROLE’S OBJECTIVES:
Essential
    Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, education, management or similar disciplines and at least 05 years of professional experience in the design and implementation of integrated education projects and programmes;
    Holder of at least a PMD-Pro certificate;
    Fluent spoken and written English. Knowledge of French is an asset;
    Experience in the field of education in emergency is required, preferably in conflict affected and fragile situations. Ability to learn quickly and adapt the experience/lessons learnt in other emergency settings to the Northwest and Southwest emergency response context. Knowledge of Education in Emergencies Minimum Standards and humanitarian coordination mechanisms;
    Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the organizations, under stressful situations;
    Excellent capacity in facilitating training and preparing user friendly manuals and toolkits;
    Has strong networking, team spirit, and partnership-building skills;
    Willing to adapt with new working environment, new challenges, colleagues and work;
    Proven commitment to Plan’s International efforts for gender equality and inclusion
    Proven commitment to participatory, child-centred approaches;
    Demonstrated assertiveness and able to remains calm and positive under pressure and in difficult situations.
    Proven experience/qualification in project management, monitoring and supervision and administration.
    Experience/qualification in budget analysis and monitoring would be preferred.
    Experience and competence in managing partnerships, coaching and empowering local grassroots organizations.
    Experience in management, strategic planning, monitoring / evaluation. Professional experience
    A perfect mastery of key policies, procedures and rules, management of field teams, central and decentralized administration, community development.
    Ability to multi-task and meet various deadlines in a rapidly changing environment.
    Experience in coordination and administration.

Skills
•    Excellent written and spoken English with French an advantage;
•    Demonstrated ability to network and liaise with major Education donors including ECW, UNICEF, ECHO;
•    Committed to ensuring that results are achieved in a timely manner
•    Excellent project design, participatory monitoring and evaluation skills;
•    Excellent communication skills: well-argued plans for response that can be justified and delivered, persuasive of others;
•    Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train local and international staff and also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner;
•    Excellent negotiation, representation, skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment;
•    Excellent computer skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, internet, Outlook) as well as the ability to plan, prioritize and respond flexibly to changing demands are essential.
•    Ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and manage significant activities, budgets, and resources to produce and take responsibility for results;
•    Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively;
•    Proven ability to solve problems independently without direct supervision;
•    Ability to work both independently and as part of a team;
•    Strong organizational and work prioritization skills and attention to detail;
•    Good facilitation skills and ability to deliver induction briefing/training;
•    Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively at all levels, and to maintain this under pressure;
•    Ability to work with limited supervision from line manager.
•    Excellent communication and reporting skills

Behaviours:  
•    Commitment and adherence to humanitarian values and standards,
•    Willing to make rapid decisions even with inadequate information but ready to reflect and adjust course of action if necessary;
•    Focussed and striving for the delivery of programme;
•    Cross-culturally agile
•    Aware of own strengths, weaknesses and pro-active in using feedback and self-development
•    Aware of impact on others and uses impact to create positive climate at work
•    Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to PLAN’s core values and humanitarian principles
•    Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
•    Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner. Has a capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts.
•    Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive under pressure.
•    Preparedness to live and work in uncertain security environments.
•    Experience working in conflict or emergency-affected areas (or other situations where insecurity and corruption can be big issues)
•    Commitment to and skills in capacity building – together with the ability to assess and coach others.
•    Good collaboration with others, comfortable working across cultural boundaries and diversity to achieve common goals; Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships and networks.   
•    Great attention to details and ability to analyze and present information concisely and vividly.
PLAN INTERNATIONAL’S VALUES IN PRACTICE
We are open and accountable
1.    Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
2.    Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
3.    Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
4.    Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
5.    Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people
We strive for lasting impact
1.    Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
2.    Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
3.    Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
4.    Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
1.    Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
2.    Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
3.    Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
4.    Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

5.    Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
6.    Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
7.    Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
8.    Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND DEMANDS
This post is based in Bamenda PIIA.
    The role requires extensive travel to project sites and to donor and sector meetings which may account for up to 50% or above of working time.
    Must be prepared to travel and work in difficult conditions, and stay in simple accommodation, at the rural project sites
    May be required to work during night time, weekends and holidays in order to ensure timely delivery and keep with the pace and availability of beneficiary groups

LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH CHILDREN
Mid Contact: Occasional contact with children

Location: Bamenda

Closing Date: 10/02/23

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 organisational 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 organisation, 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.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.