Program Lead: Health

The Organization

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization 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 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.

ROLE PROFILE
Title: Program Lead: Health (Area of Global Distinctiveness (AoGD)-Decide- Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights)
Functional Area: Programme and Influencing
Reports to: Head of Programs
Location: Yaounde, Country Office; Travel required: Yes
Effective Date: July 2023; Grade: D2

ROLE PURPOSE
The incumbent will work closely with his/her supervisor (Head of Programs) and the technical team to provide expertise in the implementation of the Country Strategy.  The purpose will be to provide the necessary technical expertise and support in the design, implementation, monitoring/supervision and evaluation of inclusive and gender-transformative projects  in the  AoGDs of “Decide: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and contribute to “Thrive: Early Childhood Development” in line with the content of Plan International  Cameroon’s country strategy taking into account the  government policies and strategies, and the Organization’s Global Strategy.  He/She will also provide support to the program department to ensure a better positioning of Plan International at local, national and regional levels (WACA).

Dimensions of the Role

A. Scope of the position

The incumbent of this position:
1.    Provides technical support to the Programme Department and the Programme Implementation   and Influencing Areas (PIIAs) for the implementation of the Country Strategy.
2.    Provides technical expertise for programmatic support to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), contributing to the identification of critical factors, gaps and actions needed to promote, protect and respect girls’ rights, including in the theme of gender-based violence, the rights of adolescents and women, the rights of people living with HIV in development and humanitarian contexts.
3.    Provides support for the implementation of interventions in the domain of Early Childhood Development (ECD), particularly on maternal, newborn and child health in development and humanitarian contexts.
4.    Participates in the development of strategic documents at PIIA level, national level in collaboration with the government, at the regional level (WACA) and at the global level in the areas of SRHR and ECD; In coordination with government authorities and partners, ensure that the implementation of guidelines for SRHR and gender-based violence interventions in development and humanitarian contexts and the Minimum Initial Services Package (MISP) are taken into account in emergency response;
5.    Participates in knowledge management and institutional learning in his/her area of expertise;
6.    Supports project managers in developing tools and guidance to harmonize the way we carry out program work and implement program quality procedures consistently;
7.    Produces periodic reports on program activities for the Health components, and any other assigned areas, and reports any risks, related to the quality of the programs and the influence in his/her area of expertise;
8.    Is a member of the program team and participates in the development of a gender-sensitive and inclusive organizational culture;
9.    Works in collaboration with other PIIAs, Lead/Specialists and teams to ensure the quality of the programs contained in the Country Strategy;
10.    Promotes positive attitudes, behaviors and practices in line with Plan International’s values and behaviors framework;
11.    Represents Plan International Cameroon at national and regional levels in his field of expertise;
12.    Plan International Cameroon as an active member of Plan International’s SRHR networks for adolescents and ECD at the regional and global levels.

B. Accountabilities
1.    Ensures the capacity of staff, partners and communities are strengthened in the area of SRHR and ECD;
2.    Projects/programs in the field of SRHR and ECD are monitored and evaluated;
3.    Experiences documented and shared locally, nationally and internationally;
4.    Resource mobilization for SRHR and ECD
5.    Actively participates in advocacy work at all levels (community, regional and national) including influencing government and strategic stakeholders for adolescent and youth-friendly SRHR services in our areas of intervention and other influence initiatives in the country strategy;  
6.    Produces a biannual document on good practices in gender transformation his/her area of expertise, with a particular focus on the three dimensions of Plan International’s theory of change: “norms, attitudes and behaviour”, “social and economic resources and safety nets”, “policy framework and budget”.
7.    Contributes to the preparation of quarterly reports and annual progress report in his/her area of expertise
8.    Contributes to the design and revision of the country strategy
9.    Participates in the development of operational plans and budgets, and their implementation
10.    Identifies funding opportunities in his/her field and participates in the development of quality proposals
11.    Ensures the management and coordination of the activities of his/her domain at the national level;
12.    Provides technical support to other specialists/Lead and PIIAMs and project managers for initiatives related to activities in his/her field;
13.    Provides support in research, publications and dissemination on themes related to his/her field
14.    Collaborates with all current and potential partners of Plan International Cameroon in his/her area of expertise;
15.    Informs and builds capacity of Plan International Cameroon staff and partners on topics related to his/her area of expertise;
16.    Collaborates in the preparation and timely submission of all reports required by Plan International Cameroon donors;
17.    Actively participates in the capitalization of good practices and the development of innovative ideas to support our influencing work
18.    Technical review of all terms of references and project reports in his/her area of expertise
19.    Conduct regular field visits (at least every two months) to ensure projects are implemented to the highest quality standards and in accordance with Plan’s approaches
20.    Designs programs/projects in collaboration with partners, CO and PIIA staffs, ensuring that they are in line with the country strategy;
21.    Represents Plan International Cameroon at the level of all networks, consultation frameworks and other groups concerned with the health of populations, particularly the SRHR of adolescents and young people.
22.    Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for safeguarding children and program participants and those on gender equality and inclusion are fully integrated in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy, including standards and implementation guidelines applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but 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, their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with appropriate procedures.

C. Key relationships

Communications and Work Relations

The incumbent of this position:
Internally with:
1.    The supervisor, for the development of strategic documents, development of initiatives and their implementation;
2.    The Business Development Manager (BDM) execute the strategy to mobilize additional resources;
3.    The quality control team to ensure the consistency and quality of Plan interventions;
4.    PIIAMs and ERMs for technical support and coordination of local community capacity building initiatives in the field of SRHR, emergencies, gender-sensitive protection, ECD;
5.    Other Leads and Specialists to strengthen the impact of the program and influencing strategy;
6.    Le MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning) specialist for monitoring, evaluation and research initiatives
7.    The PIM (Program Implementation Manager) for monitoring the quality of project and program implementation
8.    The Communication and Influencing Specialist for Influence and Visibility Initiatives
9.    Colleagues from the Regional Office (WACA)

Externally with:

1.    The focal persons of partners and state structures, for better visibility of initiatives and better partnership;
2.    Networks and coalitions of national and international NGOs, technical and financial partners for health (including adolescent and youth SRHR), ECD for the coordination of interventions at national, regional and local levels, through consultation frameworks and networks;
3.    Networks and coalitions of associations and clubs of children and young people at the national level for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights  
4.    Partner Communities to monitor and evaluate progress in SRHR, ECD including maternal, newborn and  child health.

D. Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential:

1.    Have a State Doctorate in Medicine or a Higher University Diploma (BAC + 5) from a recognized university in the field of health; including studies in Public Health;
2.    Have at least 3-5 years of experience in either Public Health, Community Health and/or Sexual and Reproductive Health;  
3.    Have at least three (3 ) – five (5) years of experience in a similar position, preferably in an International Organization.
4.    Experience in participatory approaches related to health, community development, child rights and working with children and youths
5.    Have at least three years of experience working with children and youths
6.    Experience in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights, including programs on child marriage, maternal, health and ECD will be an added advantage;
7.    Have experiences in the field of gender, preferably in gender-transformative
8.    Advanced knowledge on policy development, SRHR strategy documents, monitoring and evaluation and programming in low-resource settings.
9.    Desirable
11.    Have proven knowledge in the field and the health system of the country
12.    Being able to work in a team, and sometimes under pressure
13.    Be a good advocator/negotiator
14.    Strong writing and analytical skills;
15.    Knowledge of marginalized and excluded groups (children, women, poorest and socially excluded…) and ability to work with them;
16.    Have mastery of computer tools and the internet (Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook);
17.    Excellent written and spoken English and French skills;
18.    Know how to manage conflicts
19.    Highly committed to the defence of children’s and young people’s rights;
20.    Be able to work in a multicultural and diverse environment
21.    Be flexible, approachable and full of initiative;
22.    Have team spirit and share experiences;
23.    Have a sense of responsibility and respect for deadlines;
24.    Ability to establish very good interpersonal and partnership relationships.
25.    Be honest and transparent;
26.    Ensure that all tasks are carried out in line with Plan International’s objectives, values, behavior’s and principles;
27.    Comply with/adhere to the Organization’s policies signed at the time of commencement of service
28.    Have proven knowledge in:
29.    Design and use of training tools
30.    The development of standard norms and policies;
31.    Capacity building;
32.    Strategic programming, coordination, programmatic and financial management and project monitoring;
33.    Research and policy development;

Problem/conflict resolution:

The Health Program Manager will work under the direct supervision of the Head of Program. He/she takes initiatives for the resolution of specific problems within his/her competence, with a view to ensuring the effective and efficient management of activities relating to the Programme. He/She has the ability to resolve conflicts. He/She submits to the direct supervisor the problems that could exceed his/her skills/abilities.
1.    Complexity of the problems addressed and degree of investigation, analysis and creative thinking required to solve them;
2.    Excellent management skills and effective communication are essential for the incumbent to succeed;
3.    Supporting staff development to perform will be critical to the success of this role.

Physical Environment

The position of Health Program Manager will be based at the Cameroon country office
 He/she:
1.    Participate in face-to-face trainings nationally and outside Cameroon if necessary.
2.    Will carry out regular field missions related to projects/programs in his/her field and submit mission reports no later than 5 (five) working days after return.
3.    Participate in meetings and workshops according to the requests of the domain in support of his/her main ministry and/or other partners
4.    Visit, as required, out-of-country for technical networking meetings or other representation of the Organization

Level of contact with children

Mid contact : Occasional interaction with children  

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

We create a climate 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 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 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 our workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.

Closing Date: June 06th, 2023

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

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 applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for. Our organization 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 will provide equality of opportunity and will not tolerate discrimination on any grounds. We foster an organizational culture that embraces and exemplifies our commitment to gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion while supporting staff to adopt good practice, positive attitudes and principles of gender equality and inclusion.