Strategy and Portfolio Manager at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Strategy and Portfolio Manager

Location: Nigeria
Type of Role: Permanent or maximum fixed term contract available as per employing entity terms and conditions
Functional Area: Strategy & Engagement - Global Hub
Reports to: Strategy Director
Grade: GH4

The Opportunity

• You will work closely with senior leaders across Plan International to develop strategies and operating models that are aligned to the global strategy, context specific, coherent and consistent and helping them to understand trends and likely future changes in the external environment, particularly around our global footprint and the implementation of the global strategy.
• You will build and lead projects, undertaking analysis and developing insightful recommendations for senior management consideration, delivering presentations and facilitating discussions that succinctly and creatively communicate robust and evidence-based messages for complex projects.

Role Purpose

• This role supports broader strategic analysis and development across the organisation, ensuring a strong understanding of the external environment to inform strategic choices particularly around its global footprint and the implementation of its global strategy.

Dimensions of the Role

• The role has no line management responsibilities but will work with cross-organisational teams, with members from different levels of the organisation, often in dispersed locations

Accountabilities

• Provide specialist strategy subject matter expertise, working on strategic initiatives at global and regional levels.
• Support senior leaders within Plan International to design and implement strategies and projects that are context specific, coherent and consistent, and aligned with the global strategy; and helping them to understand trends and likely future changes in the external environment and the potential implications of these.
• Projects will include contributing to the realisation of Plan’s Global Strategy and performing the global country portfolio review which makes recommendations for Plan’s global presence.
• Design and lead analytical projects, undertaking analysis and developing insightful recommendations for senior management consideration; such as the development of a global dataset to enable effective decision-making regarding Plan’s global country presence.
• Develop complex data models that compare Plan’s footprint with demand around girls’ rights and assess our financial viability across our country offices.
• Design and develop quality products that support the organisation to answer identified strategic questions such as Business Cases for entry into new countries.
• Deliver presentations and facilitate discussions that succinctly and creatively communicate robust and evidence-based messages for complex projects or elements of highly complex projects.
• Manage all projects to time, cost and quality, reporting updates and forecasts to the Senior Strategy Manager.
• Build valued relationships with senior internal stakeholders, positioning self as a knowledgeable subject matter resource on strategy.
• Actively identify new opportunities for the global strategy team to create value for Plan International, proposing these to the rest of the Strategy team.
• Ensures 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.

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge:

• Experience within a consulting firm or INGO strategy experience from a strategy team
• Experience earning the trust of and negotiating with senior colleagues
• Experience in modelling and data analysis alongside presentation of insights
• Strong project/programme management and programme governance experience
• Good understanding of Plan and/or other INGOs (desirable)
• Good understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges that working in a global federated/membership organisation can bring (desirable)
• Experience working in countries Plan operates in (desirable)
• A track record in consulting is highly desirable.

Skills:

• Outstanding strategic and financial analysis and evaluation skills
• Operating Model design ideally including an understanding of INGO/NGO country office operating models
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Facilitating, influencing and negotiating with senior executives
• Understanding, building relationships and engaging tactfully across cultures
• Excellent written and verbal presentation skills
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills
• Strong PowerPoint skills.

Behaviours:

• Ambitious and driven and can work independently
• Takes initiative and navigates through ambiguity
• Logical and structured approach
• Holds a high-quality standard and helps others meet standard
• Comfortable working with and challenging senior managers within a complex governance and management structure
• Builds trust and understanding amongst stakeholders

Key Relationships:

• Strategy and Engagement Department
• Senior executives in the Leadership Team, Regional Teams and Country Management Teams
• Staff across Global Hub departments and offices (eg. Finance, legal, membership, P&C etc)
• Peer organizations
• Specific partners

About You:

• With prior experience working on strategy in a consulting firm, INGO or comparable organisation you will have outstanding strategic and financial analysis and evaluation skills.
• Strong project management and programme governance experience are essential as is the ability to facilitate, influence and negotiate at senior levels.
• You are confident navigating ambiguity, proactive and driven, with a logical, structured approach.

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.

Physical Environment:

• Typical office environment

Level of contact with children:

• Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction.

Application Closing Date
3rd April, 2023.