Lake Chad Programme Coordinator (PM) 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: Lake Chad Programme Coordinator (PM) for Ministry, Economic Cooperation & Development (BMZ) and German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) Projects

Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full time
Functional Area: Humanitarian assistance and transitional assistance
Reports to: Plan International Germany Team Leader for West and Central Africa (WACA) with dotted Line to Country Office Senior Management (TBD)
Effective Date: 1. Sept. 2023 (30 months) with possibility of extension
Grade: E

Role Purpose

• Plan International strives to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organization, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters, and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable 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.
• To support the Plan International Germany Lake Chadportfolio, we are seeking a Lake ChadProgramme Manager (PM) to ensure and support:
  • That the GFFO & BMZ funded projects implementation is following the contractual & programmatic objectives, outcomes, and targets.
  • That GFFO & BMZ Project Cycle Management is on track across the three-implementing country office teams.
  • The consolidation of the narrative reports from the three countries, including quality assurance and timeliness.
  • That the programme activities across the three countries follow minimum quality standards related to Child Protection, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), Nutrition and YEE interventions.
  • That programmatic and financial progress reporting is done on time.
  • The GFFO & BMZ funded intervention visibility as part of the Lake ChadProgramme.
  • All relevant stakeholders engaged in the GFFO & BMZ funded intervention implementation and to represent the same on behalf of Plan International both internally as well as externally.

Dimensions of the Role

• The Lake Chad region is affected by a persistent and multidimensional humanitarian crisis which is driven by more than 10 years of armed conflict, displacement, food insecurity and malnutrition, disease outbreaks and extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.
• Violence and climate change have resulted in devastated agricultural production and livelihoods and limited access to essential services and infrastructure.  The humanitarian crisis caused numerous protection issues and human rights violations including sexual and gender-based violence. Because of gender inequalities and their specific needs, children, women, and girls, boys are facing high risks and vulnerabilities in this context.
• The Lake Chad Programme Coordinatorwill support the coordination and implementation of the BMZ and GFFO funded projects in the Lake Chad Region, in close collaboration with the three concerned Plan International country offices (COs)and Plan International Germany.
• The latter acts as prime contractual partner of both German donors (BMZ & GFFO). This 11 Mio EUR multi-country programme comprises the following intervention areas: 1. Livelihoods and Food Security, 2. Health (Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights -SRHR), 3. Conflict Transformation/Social Cohesion, 4. Child Protection in Emergencies -CPiE and 4. Nutrition.
• The projects implementation will be based on Plan International’s Adolescent Programming Toolkit with focus on adolescent girls and young people.
• The intervention levels include individual, family, community, service providers and humanitarian actors/national and sub-national actors. 
• The projects implementation envisages to merge the BMZ and GFFO-projects under the Nexus-Chapeau approach.

Accountabilities
More precisely, she/ he holds the overall responsibility as follows:

Project Management of the GFFO & BMZ funded intervention across the three countries:

• Provide pro-active guidance and technical support to the implementing project teams in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger in all phases of the GFFO & BMZ project cycle (from start-up to project closure) where required.
• Pre-assemble and prepare narrative reports and financial updates on expenditures in line with GFFO’s, BMZ’s and Plan International’s requirements and rules and regulations - on behalf of Plan International Germany.
• Participate in regular monitoring and if required programme /action plans revisions and modifications at country level and facilitate that relevant stakeholders (Donors and Plan International Germany) are informed in due time on progress and related delays and/or modifications.
• Ensure visibility of the interventions, Plan International and GFFO/BMZ.
• Organize/facilitate/accompany start-up and closing workshops as well as all relevant mid-term reviews and evaluations with the three Programme teams.

Information and Coordination:

• Provide intervention updates and reports on a frequent basis and whenever required and requested to Plan International Germany.
• Organize regular update meetings through the country office or the Programme Manager him-/herself with the German Embassies in the three intervention countries.
• Coordinate and interlink the GFFO and BMZ interventions with each other and across the three countries to ensure coherence by providing information to the respective country office’s Disaster Risk Managers (DRMs)/Emergency Response Managers (ERMs) and GFFO/BMZ project 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 Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger on key international humanitarian standards like Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), Sphere Standards, Child Protection Management System (CPMS) and SGBV in Emergencies.
• Provide orientation and guidance on key processes in implementing and reporting on emergency response projects to the GFFO/BMZ intervention teams at country office level.
• Ensure that annual GFFO/BMZ intervention reviews and adaptation designs are informed by needs assessments and contextual analysis.

Resource Mobilization for follow up and/or extension phase:

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

• Previous work experience in the Lake Chad BasinRegion (desirable) & emergency context (mandatory).
• 5 - 7 years of work experience as a Coordinator/Programme Manager for a multi-donor programme /project preferred.
• Fluency in French and English both written and spoken (business level mandatory).
• Knowledge & skills: General knowledge and understanding of Child protection in Emergencies and SGBV in Emergencies minimum standards, 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 considered as an advantage.
• Requires general finance, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in IT/computer skills (including sound MS excel and word proficiency).

Key relationships:
Internal:

• Country Directors of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger.
• GFFO and BMZ Lake Chad Specialists (Compliance and Controlling Specialist, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist, Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist).
• GFFO & BMZ Project Managers of each country office implementing the intervention.
• DRM/ERMs of Plan International in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger, other members of the Emergency Response country teams where required.
• Technical Specialists in Plan International Germany, WACA and International Headquarters and the Country Protection teams as appropriate.
• Lake Chad Programme Manager of the Lake Chad Unit
• Programme and Finance Specialists of Plan International Germany for the respective intervention.

External:

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

Behaviours:

• Networking and representation: Demonstrable experience of organizational representation and engagement with humanitarian 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 can guide local and international staff and is 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 International'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-solvingskills.
• Dealing with Problems: The post is a key linkage/coordination/interface point between the three implementing country offices 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 country office staff, it’s essential that the post holder can 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 GFFO and BMZ funded intervention.
• Excellent and creative - but non-directive- leadership skills will be utilized to overcome delays and other bottlenecks which might negatively affect the impact and the quality of the intervention.

Salary
USD84,000 Annually.

Application Closing Date
14th August, 2023.