EU Project Manager at Plan International

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 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: EU Project Manager

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Length of Contract: 24 months, starting March 2021
Type of Role: Two year fixed term contract, Mandatory unaccompanied position
Reports to: Matrix management
Any Travel Required: Yes
Start date: ASAP – May 2021
Accompanied or Unaccompanied Posting: Unaccompanied Posting
Functional Area: Lake Chad Programme Unit

The Opportunity

• Plan International has full-fledged Country programmes in three out of four affected countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Since 2016 Plan International is coordinating and harmonizing its response to the Lake Chad crisis through the Lake Chad Programme, currently coordinated by the Lake Chad Programme Unit. Plan International Germany is supporting this programme right from the beginning through projects focusing on Education, Protection, Youth economic empowerment and Youth participation through a multi-country intervention in Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger.
• As the EU Project Manager you will support the coordination and implementation of the EU funded youth participation intervention under the Lake Chad Programme Strategy in close collaboration with the three concerned Plan International country offices (COs), the Lake Chad Programme Unit and its Regional Manager and Plan International Germany.
• You will ensure the smooth implementation of the intervention by ensuring that the EU Programme Cycle Management is on track across the three implementing country office teams and that the programme activities are following minimum quality standards related to youth participations interventions. You will act as an interface between the key EU intervention stakeholders and you will also support, initiate and accompany programme related cross border actions and will regularly update Plan International Germany and the Regional Lake Chad Programme.

Role Purpose

• Plan International strives to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organisation, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and allvulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and 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. For over 80 years, we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.
• Plan has been operating in Nigeria since 2014, in Niger since 1998 and in Cameroon since 1996. Plan’s global ambition to empower and enable children, adolescents, and youth, in particular girls and young women, to realize their universal rights and agency, by knowing and practicing their rights –free from gender inequality and age-related prejudice and discrimination.

We are seeking a Programme Manager (PM) for the European Union Project “Youth leading stabilizations efforts in the Lake Chad Basin” to ensure and support:

• That the EU funded project implementation is following the Lake Chad Programme’s objectives, outcomes and targets, which is the contractual & programmatic basis for the EU funding.
• That EU Programme Cycle Management is on track across the three implementing country office teams
• That the programme activitiesacross the three countries are following minimum quality standards related to youth participation interventions
• That programmatic and financial progress reporting is done on time
• The EU funded intervention’s visibility as part of the wider Lake Chad Programme
• All relevant stakeholders engaged in the EU funded intervention implementation and representing the same on behalf of Plan International both internally as well as externally.

Dimensions of the Role

• The protracted crisis in the Lake Chad Basin Regionremains one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies in the world, affecting the North-East of Nigeria, the Far North Region of Cameroon, the Lake Region of Chad and the Diffa Region in Niger. More than 17 million people are living in the affected areas across the four countries. In February 2020, 9.4 million people need humanitarian assistance to survive; more than 6 million of them are children. These figures will also have worsened during 2020, given the impact of COVID-19 and the resulting increasedfood insecurity in the region. The crisis has unfolded in a region beset by chronic fragility, where poverty, underdevelopment, gender inequality, unemployment and a lack of prospects for young people fuel extremism and are compounded by environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change.
• The Lake Chad Programme (LCP) is a joint initiative from Plan International’s Country Offices (COs) in Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, as well as Plan International’s West and Central Africa Hub. It was established to address the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin through an integrated and regional programme approach. The LCP has built a clear regional programmatic vision in the areas of Education, Protection (Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence), Youth economic empowerment and Youth participation.
• The LCP is based on the Lake Chad Programme Strategy (2018 -2023), which moves beyond a humanitarian vision towards a full spectrum programme, working at the nexus of humanitarian and development efforts to promote children’s rights and gender equality. This approach recognizes the importance of meeting immediate humanitarian needs while tackling the developmental deficit of the region which is both a contributor to and an outcome of the crisis.
• In 2020, Plan International started to implement a multi-country project funded by the European Union (EU) in Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria. This project directly contributes to the effective participation of young people in peacebuilding efforts in the Lake Chad Basin. In this regard, youth will be engaged in a mapping and monitoring exercise of basic services and causal peace factors, resulting in a) user-friendly map-based platform and b) youth will be empowered as active agents of change, promoting a peaceful co-existence at local level and beyond, claiming their rights as right-holders.
• The PM role will be to support the coordination and implementation of the EU funded youth participation intervention under the Lake Chad Programme Strategy in close collaboration with the three concerned Plan International country offices (COs), the Lake Chad Programme Unit and its Regional Manager and Plan International Germany. The latter acts as prime contractual partner of EU. The main objective of this position is to support the smooth implementation of the EU funded project intervention across the three countries and to act as interface between the key EU intervention stakeholders (CO implementation teams, Lake Chad Programme Unit and Plan International Germany).
• The PM will also facilitate staff exchange around the EU programme between the countries on lessons learnt and best practices. The position will support, initiate and accompany (where deemed feasible) programme related cross border actions and will regularly update Plan InternationalGermany and the Regional Lake Chad Programme Manager on the intervention progress/status in the three COs, as well as creating synergies between the COs implementing the intervention.

Accountabilities
Programme Management of the EU funded intervention across the three countries:

• Provide pro-active guidance and technical support to the implementing project teams in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon in all phases of the EU Project Cycle until project closure where required.
• Pre-assembling and preparing narrative reports and financial updates on expenditures in line with EU’s and Plan’s requirements and rules and regulations -on behalf of Plan International Germany.
• Participate in regular monitoring and if required project/action plans revisions and modifications at country level and facilitate that relevant stakeholders (Lake Chad Programme Unit and Plan International Germany) are informed in due time on progress and related delays and/or modifications.visibility of the intervention, Plan International and EU.
• Organize/facilitate/accompany the youth participation to the Regional Consultative Forum/Governor’s forum, dissemination events of the map-based platform beyond community level in each countryas well as all relevant mid-term reviews and evaluations with the three project teams.

Information and Co-ordination:

• Provide intervention updates and reports on a frequent basis and whenever required and requested to Plan International Germany and the Regional Lake Chad Programme Unit Manager.
• Organize regular update meetings through the CO or the ProgrammeManager him-/herself with the Youth Cooperation Hub for the purpose of exchange of good practices, networking and project monitoringin the three intervention countries.
• Coordinate and interlink the EU intervention across the three countries to ensure coherence by providing information to the respective CO DRMs/ERMs and EU intervention managers –this will be done through joint quarterly conference calls as well as face-to-face meetings while in country.
• Ensure that lessons learnt on the intervention are systematically documented/captured and can be used for further implementation improvement as well as development of new interventions.

Capacity Building:

• Orient/guide the respective project teams of Plan International in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, on key international humanitarian standards like Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), Sphere Standards and theeffective participation, empowerment and leadership of adolescent girls and youth in the Lake Chad region.
• Provide orientation and guidance on key processes in implementing and reporting on projects to the EU intervention teams at CO level.
• Ensure that annual EU intervention reviews and adaptations designs are informed by needs assessments and contextual analysis.

Resource Mobilization for follow up and/or extension phase:

• Support CO resource mobilization teams and Plan International Germany on securing funds for continuous programme scale up through providing lessons learnt and project related contextual information.
• Identifying potential extension/follow up intervention sectors.
• Providing programme presentations to potential donors of Plan International Germany to enhance resource mobilization.

Dealing With Problems:

• The post is a key linkage/coordination/interface point between the three implementing COs, the Lake Chad Programme Unit and Plan International Germany. For this reason, the post holder must be able to master and manage relationships well and respectfully in regards of different needs with different stakeholders, including conflicting priorities and ad hoc request.
• Given the wide scope of responsibility and at the same time limited direct authority over implementing CO staff, it’s essential that the post holder is able to stay on top of a variety of work, make clear prioritization and be creative in making use of internal (and external) resources (people/funding) to ensure that we achieve the envisaged outcomes of the EU funded intervention. Excellent and creative -but non-directive-leadership skills will be utilized to overcome delays and other bottlenecks which might affect negatively the impact and the quality of the intervention.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young Peopleand Gender Equality and Inclusionare 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 withthe appropriate procedures.

Key Relationships
Internal:

• Country Directors of Plan Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon
• Regional Lake Chad Programme Manager
• Youth Engagement and Consultation Advisor, Lake Chad Programme
• EU Project Managers of each CO implementing the intervention
• DRM/ERMs of Plan International in Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon, other members of the Emergency Response country teams where required, technical Specialists in WACA and Global Hub (GH) as appropriate
• Representative of Plan International Germany in the Lake Chad Basin for the respective intervention

External:

• Other agencies and stakeholders related to the intervention in the Lake Chad countries, or decision makers (i.e. national governments).

Reports to:

• Matrix management with direct and disciplinary reporting line to the Lake Chad Programme Manager of Plan International and a dotted technical line to the WARO DRM Programme Specialist of Plan International Germany.

The Individual

• We are looking to recruit a strong communicator who has demonstrable experience of organisational representation and engagement with humanitarian development donors.
• You will have excellent general knowledge and understanding of Regional strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery & Resilience of the Boko Haram affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin Region, Core Humanitarian Standards, SPHERE, Red Cross/NGO Code of Conduct and other relevant international standards for humanitarian response.
• To be successful in this role you will have excellent leadership skills to guide local and international staff and you will also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner. You will be well organised even within a fluid working environment and have a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem-solving skills.

Technical Expertise, Skills & Knowledge

• Networking and representation: demonstrable experience oforganizational representation and engagement with humanitarian and development donors
• Communication: Well developed written and oral communication skills. This includes effective negotiation and representation skills.
• People management: Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to guide local and international staff and also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Integrity: Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to Plan’s core values and humanitarian principles.
• Adaptability & flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under a stressful working environment.
• Work style: well organized even within a fluid working environment and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge & skills: General knowledge and understanding of Regional strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery & Resilience of the Boko Haram-affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin Region, Core Humanitarian Standards, SPHERE, Red Cross/NGO Code of Conduct and other relevant international standards for humanitarian response. General youth participation and economic empowerment related experience is consideredas an advantage.
• Requires general finance, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in IT/computer skills (including sound MS excel and word proficiency)and in digital data collection
• Previous work experience in the Lake Chad region (desirable) & emergency context (mandatory)
• Experience as a coordinator/Project Manager for a multi-donor programme/project preferred
• Fluency in French and English (business level mandatory)

Physical Environment:

• The holder of the position will be working in a typical office environment and entails 60-70 % travel within the Lake Chad countries and the region.

Level of Contact with Children:

• Mid contact: The PM will have occasional interaction with children Medium Contac

Plan International’s values In Practice
We are open and accountable:

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisationfor allchildren, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact:

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together:

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

We are inclusive and empowering:

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

Salary Scale
59,940 USD per annum (Mid-point for grade E).

Application Closing Date
15th March, 2021.

Anticipated Interview Date
22nd and 26th March, 2021.