Regional Lake Chad Programme Manager- Nigeria 251 views0 applications

The Organisation

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.

The Opportunity

Now in its eleventh year, the protracted crisis in the Lake Chad Basin Region remains 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. As the Regional Lake Chad Programme Manager, you will provide strategic leadership to ensure the successful implementation of the revised Lake Chad Programme Strategy (2018-2023) across Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Nigeria. You will support programme integration across these three countries by moving from a coordinated to an integrated regional programme approach.

Now in its eleventh year, the protracted crisis in the Lake Chad Basin Region remains 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 were reported as needing 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 increased food 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.

In the last four years, the LCP addressed the needs of girls, boys and their communities through integrated sectorial approach addressing protection, education and livelihoods. As a result, Plan International has gained the recognition of its peers, UN agencies and government bodies at both local and national level as one of the lead agencies in the field of child protection and education

Considering the protracted nature of the crisis, a Lake Chad Programme Strategy (2018 – 2023) was developed and endorsed, outlining Plan International’s bold ambition to transform the life of girls and their families in the Lake Chad Region. It 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. The strategy has been recently revised to address new challenges and emerging issues.

In this role you will represent Plan International at national, regional and global level in order to position Plan and its Lake Chad Programme as a regional leader for promoting gender equality and protecting girls’ rights in the Lake Chad region. You will ensure that new intervention ideas are in line with overall programme and donor priorities whilst also providing programme presentations to COs, NOs and donors to enhance resource mobilisation.

The Individual

We are looking to recruit an individual who has a sound knowledge and understanding of Interagency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE) and Child Protection in Emergency (CPiE) minimum standards, Core Humanitarian Standards, SPHERE, Red Cross/NGO Code of Conduct and other relevant international standards for humanitarian response. You will have demonstrable experience of organisational representation and stakeholder management with humanitarian donors and can demonstrate leadership whilst working with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.

The Post holder will among other responsibilities.

• should be ready to work with Lake Chad Unit country offices to identify priorities, intervention areas and opportunities for business development, supporting strategic collaborations with external organizations as appropriate.
• S/he shall coordinate with the regional team, country office staff and network partners for submission of innovative and high-quality proposals.
• Support Lake Chad Unit regional staff and country programmes to continuously manage donor networking process and liaison, ensuring that Plan International’s profile and influence is increased across the donor community at national and regional levels.
• Represent the Lake Chad Unit in the region by contributing to improved networking with other organizations on funding issues, sharing learning and jointly exploring programme opportunities.
• Lead in identification of funding opportunities and support programme, network and technical staff directly or indirectly in preparation of funding proposals.
• Coordinate the gathering and sharing of information on existing and emerging donor opportunities and liaise with Lake Chad Unit Country Offices in securing project funding.
• Creativity, with experience funding activities in ways that both cover costs and generate operating margins

To be successful in this role you will have well developed written and oral communication skills in both French and English and effective negotiation and representation skills.

You will be well-organised, even within a fluid working environment and you will have a capacity for initiative and decision making with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

The postholder will provide:

• External: Position Plan International and its Lake Chad Programme as regional leader for promoting gender equality and protecting girls’ rights in the Lake Chad region.
• Internal: Strategic leadership to ensure the implementation of the revised Lake Chad Programme Strategy (2018-2023) across Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Nigeria.

For the full job description, please follow the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gnr1ptf1kruqeqn/JD%20-%20Regional%20Lake%20Chad%20Programme%20Manager.docx?dl=0

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Type of Role: 3-year Fixed term contract.

Reports to: Matrix management – Country Directors

Grade: Competitive salary and package available

Closing Date: On-going until a suitable candidate has been identified.

Anticipated 1st round interview: 21st and 22nd July 2021

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

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International 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 foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

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 organisation, 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 submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.