| | Plan International is one of the largest global NGOs working on children’s rights in 50 developing countries. We are now strengthening the Global Technical Team in our International Headquarters, as a core component of achieving our One Plan, One Goal strategy. The Global Technical Team provides technical leadership across Plan International’s varied programmes. In line with our current strategy, the team focuses on: Gender, Child Protection and Education. We are also starting to build capacity in emerging fields including: Community Savings Groups, Early Childhood Care & Development and Youth Employment. The Global Advisor: Savings Groups will lead Plan’s programme and policy work in their field. This will build on Plan’s substantial international experience of working with Savings Groups. Between 2007 and 2011, Plan brought financial services to over 850,000 individuals globally, the vast majority of these being poor rural women who would not otherwise have access to financial services. Over 60% of these are members of Savings Groups. We use a highly developed, simple, standardised methodology that can be easily and cost-effectively scaled. The Global Advisor: Savings Groups will lead the development of global strategy, to ensure that Plan’s analysis, policies and programmes are informed by cutting edge research, based on internal and external experience. They will represent Plan international and influence high level policy makers, building Plan’s reputation as a highly respected contributor to the field. They will lead global programmes,that ensure that Plan’s programmes combine to make a distinctive contribution to international practice. They will lead internal processes to promote innovation, learn from experience, build capacity and identify high impact drivers of change across the organisation. - This role has a global leadership presence within Plan, working with all of Plan’s Offices and member organisations.
- Leads the development and implementation of strategy, policy, organisational change processes, and global programmes.
- Represents Plan in international bodies and regularly seeks to influence international policy makers. Helps shape the international research agenda.
- Promotes a clear vision and consistent agenda, which build support by Plan Offices for this work, including at the most senior levels.
- Works globally with Plan’s member organisations (National Organisations) to support their work in winning major grants.
- Engages in global strategy and related processes, at a senior leadership level, across the organisation. Ensures that technical activities are aligned with wider organisational processes.
- Ensures the appropriate knowledge, skills, tools and capacities are in place to support Plan staff’s performance in this area.
- Manages a direct budget of approximately EUR 200,000 and influences a programme budget of many millions. Manages one or two specialist technical staff.
Key End Results and typical Responsibilities: An inspiring and achievable strategy to guide Plan’s global work, built on the best available evidence from internal and external sources, which is widely owned by staff across the organisation. - Lead identification and analysis of evidence from the most credible internal and external sources.
- Ensure that the process of developing the strategy is highly inclusive and catalytic, drawing staff together across the organisation and inspiring them to greater achievements.
- Identify strategic goals for our international programmes and advocacy that represent the best contribution that Plan can make with our specific experience, resources and opportunities.
- Develop an operational approach and tools to implement and embed the strategy globally.
- Identify different levels of engagement and achievement which allow the strategy to be realised by different offices as an on-going, progressive effort.
- Devise and implement methods to monitor and evaluate the strategy, driving learning and improvement.
- Ensure regular review and improvement of the strategy in the light of emerging experience.
- Communicate the strategy and bring staff together around it as an inspiring vision, including at the most senior levels.
- Ensure that the strategy is aligned with Plan’s core values and reflected in other initiatives across Plan, such as our global campaigns, policies and other thematic strategies.
Influence senior external policy makers, based on Plan’s robust vision, analysis and experience. - Identify key decision making bodies, proactively identifying opportunities for high impact advocacy and policy engagement, based on a sophisticated understanding of their political realities.
- Develop advocacy and public position statements on relevant issues, which reflect clear, strategic advocacy objectives, based on top quality external analysis and Plan’s internal experience.
- Represent Plan’s positions in the sector to key external audiences, including at high level international policy making. Develop strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the field. Build Plan’s profile as a respected thought-leader and high-level contributor to international policy.
- Develop highly effective personal networks and relationships with key decision makers and influencers.
- Engage with subject-based decision making bodies, networks, donors, academics and research bodies.
- Identify new topics for global and regional research in the technical field, which may potentially be researched through Plan’s programmes. Contribute to further developing analytical and theoretical frameworks for research in the field.
- Develop high impact publications and communications materials for external advocacy and influencing work.
Lead coherent global programming that makes a distinctive and strategic contribution to the technical field both internally and externally. - Lead a process of identifying focused programme strategies that can be implemented in different countries, potentially at scale, in order to maximise Plan’s impact. Ensure that the strategies make a distinctive contribution to wider progress in the field. Ensure that staff are highly committed to the strategies.
- Develop practical approaches to implement, monitor and report on global programmes. Prepare reports on progress achieved and critical analysis of programmes.
- Lead credible reviews of Plan’s programme work that contribute high quality analysis and lessons to Plan’s work and to the field as a whole.
- Lead the process of monitoring Plan’s capacity and future needs in the field. Ensure that appropriate high-quality support is available to staff at all levels, including practical tools in response to prioritised requests.
- Integrate work in the technical field across Plan’s existing systems and processes.
- Provide global leadership to the technical and global networks operating in the technical field. Ensure that the networks provide high quality support that is valued by members, including opportunities for learning and exchange that improve performance.
- Communicate Plan’s vision and global programmes widely, inspiring people to get involved, both internally and externally.
- Provide vision for how programmes can continue to achieve more for children.
- Remain up to date with external policy, programming and research practice in the field.
Dealing with Problems: - Influencing Plan globally without direct control over resources or staff.
- Sensitive engagement with National Organisations to strengthen focus on joint working to achieve improved outcomes.
- Scaling up best practice without diluting results, across varied cultural and operating contexts.
- Providing leadership, energising technical networks to influence results.
- Identifying priorities/challenges and identifying practical, sustainable ways to address them.
- Engaging senior influencers across the organisation so they support work in the technical field. Working effectively with different Directors.
- Ensuring that the technical field is properly considered and reflected in a wide range of other organisational initiatives.
- Overseeing the implementation of the strategy in a complex international organisation.
- Managing staff and budget. Supporting efforts to win additional funding where necessary.
- Positioning Plan’s work in response to the dynamic external environment.
Communications and Working Relationships: - Close working relationship with senior managers, technical staff and influencers across Plan, including in Regional Offices, Country Offices and International Headquarters.
- Close working relationship with the Policy Advocacy and Campaigns team for advocacy work and with other members of the Global Technical Team.
- Close relationship with the Knowledge Management and Research team.
- Collaboration with Plan’s National Organisations, including their technical advisors.
- Collaboration with other Global Advisors and senior staff across Plan.
- Lead the network of Technical Specialists across the organisation, including in Regional Offices, Country Offices and National Organisations.
- Active engagement with external thought leaders, influencers and academics.
- Active engagement with grant giving donors in the field.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience: Knowledge - In depth knowledge of the field, NGO perspectives and what Plan could aspire to achieve.
- Experience of rights based approaches to children’s development, contextualised to an NGO.
- Excellent understanding of relevant policy making processes, influencers and institutions – including reliable insights into institutional politics.
- Excellent understanding of the practicalities of designing and implementing high quality programmes.
- Understanding of how to get things done within a complex organisational structure.
Skills - Compelling influencer and communicator
- Able to inspire others and bring them together around a common agenda
- Excellent conceptual, analytical and strategic thinking skills
- Advanced facilitation and consultation skills
- Strong ability to communicate policy and theoretical concepts in simple terms.
- Understanding human behaviours, able to adapt communications style as needed to achieve results
- Demonstrable finance and people management skills
- Strong team building and motivational skills
- Strong project management skills
- Able to build networks and manage /influence across borders
- Confident public speaker with media skills
- Fluent in English. Capacity in French and/or Spanish will be an advantage.
Behaviours - Leading and inspiring staff across the organisation
- Inspire trust and support from others
- Provides vision and direction
- Promotes innovation and learning
- Takes responsibility for achieving significant results
- Able to create rapport with wide range of groups
- Good at listening to others and highly respectful of them
- Demonstrably committed to Plan’s goals and values
- Holds self and others to account to deliver on agreed goals and standards of behaviour
- Consistent in approach to work and decision-making
- Have a high degree of self-awareness and is well aware of his/her impact on others and behaves accordingly
- Sees contribution of children in his/her own part of the organisation as well as throughout Plan
Language: Fluent in English. Other languages are an advantage. Location and Travel: This post will be based at Plan’s International Headquarters in Woking, UK. The post-holder will be expected to travel occasionally, sometimes at short notice to join humanitarian responses. Alternative locations maybe considered. Type of Role: Perm Reports to: Director of Programme Effectiveness Grade: 5 Salary: Circa £54,122 per annum Closing date: Wednesday 15th August, 2012
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