Policy, Research and Influencing Manager at Plan International

Plan international is an independent child-centered international development and humanitarian organization striving for a just world that advances children's rights and equality for girls. Plan International has no religious, political and government affiliation. For over 80 years, we have supported girls and boys and their communities around the world to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights, free themselves from poverty and live positive fulfilling lives. Plan currently works in 70 countries including Nigeria.

We are currently implementing the Kaduna State Peace Building Academy Project. Our objective is to create and implement an integrated program of policy and accountability development, peace building promotion, stakeholder influencing and thought leadership to ensure maximum impact in promoting children’s rights and equality for girls.

We are looking for passionate, experienced and dedicated professionals for our programmes in the capacity below:

Job Title: Policy, Research and Influencing Manager

Location: Abuja
Reports to: Head of Programs & Business Development
Contract Duration: 2 Years
Grade: E
Department: Programs
Reports to: Head of Programs & Business Development

Purpose

• To create and implement an integrated program of policy and accountability development, peace building promotion, stakeholder influencing and thought leadership to ensure that Plan International Nigeria has maximum impact in promoting children’s rights and equality for girls.
• To contribute to positive policy and legislative changes, as well as increases in national and local budgets, at national, state and local government levels for the attainment of Country and Global Strategies of Plan International.
• To establish, foster and maintain relationships with critical stakeholders including policy makers, community and religious leaders, partners, donors, networks, and other critical establishments with the aim of bringing lasting change in discriminatory social norms, attitudes, behaviours, policies, laws; and in the inadequate allocation, ineffective and inefficient use of public funds that limit children and girls from attaining their rights and full potentials.
• To work closely with other units to ensure influencing is evidence based and the programs and influencing approach is applied.
• To ensure the effective and efficient implementation of Kaduna State Peace Building Academy Project.

Dimensions of the Role

• The position holder will lead in the development, implementation and periodic review of policy and accountability, defining effective tactics and partnership strategies, and influencing projects’ design and activities, engagement with broad range of stakeholders, support to projects’ financial and administrative management processes, protocols and systems, including identified risk elements.

Key Result and Typical Responsibilities
Leadership and Program Quality:

• Develop and lead a coherent and coordinated policy and accountability, and influencing program that promotes children’s rights and equality for girls.
• Develop and pursue Influencing strategies with key stakeholders and decision makers in order to create an environment conducive to change, to achieve specific changes in policy which Plan International Nigeria wish to achieve, and to prevent detrimental changes from occurring, working closely with the Heart of Programs and Business Development and other relevant units.
• Ensure the Plan Nigeria influencing Strategy and initiative are aligned with both the Country and Global strategies.
• Develop key positions on our priority influencing areas to drive and support campaigns, media, and other relevant activities at community, local government, state and national levels aimed at creating peaceful environment that assure the rights of children and equality for girls.
• Produce a wide range or high quality written outputs for various audiences including high-quality, Well targeted research reports, policy briefings, key messages, blogs and other outputs.
• Foster strong relationships and work closely with Internet and external stakeholders in policy and influencing work to keep abreast of key policy changes and relevant external issues, and to maximize their role as advocates for the change Plan International Nigeria aims to achieve.
• Proactively involve children, youths, especially girls and women in peace building effort, and in the development of policy thinking and positioning, building on and contributing to Plan International Nigeria existing evidence and insight,
• Participate actively in building the capacity of beneficiaries on peace building using peace building history, skills, and concepts.
• Identity and build strategic partnerships and engagement wth organizations, networks, political contacts and other key stakeholders to further Plan in the delivery of its influencing agenda.
• Provide regular updates to supervisor and other project teem members to informs project programming decision making and advocacy efforts.
• Ensure strong linkages with the Programs and Monitoring, Evaluations and Research (MER) unit so that advocacy and policy approaches are based in evidence.
• Work to strengthen linkages between partners and community support structures and with them Implement community outreach services.
• Represent Plan at meetings and events where necessary,
• Ensure project reports to donors and Plan International and on progress in Influencing and Its contribution to change making are evidence based and timely
• Work with Regional Office and International Headquarters to strengthen and support influencing.
• Collaborate with the Regional Office and neighboring country offices on key region-wide Initiatives.
• Assume any other responsibility as assigned by Head of Programs & business Development.

Administration and Finance:

• Ensure that administrative support functions are established and maintained in accordance with Plan International administrative policies and procedures.
• Ensure with the Head of Finance the establishment, as necessary, and maintenance of Plan International financial management and accounting systems for all activities and assets.
• With support from Finance and Administration Team, ensure that all finance policy and procedure are adhered to.
• Oversee budget preparation, Setting the parameters and ensuring spend and forecast are in line with plans
• Coordinate mobilization of financial resources related to emergency activities.
• Ensure that reliable communicational/Information management facilities are established and maintained.
• Initiate and provide support to development and procurement of consultancy services, and supervise consultants working on policy,and influencing projects.
• Ensure project staff are familiar with usage, procedures and relevant protocols.
• Ensure with the Procurement & Logistics Manager/Officer the establishment and maintenance of a functional procurement and supply chain management system.
• Ensure with the Procurement Logistics Manager/Officer the timely and appropriate establishment of all logistics Infrastructure.

Human Resource Development:

• Supports the Country HR Manager in recruitment's processes as required, strengthening administrative records, documentation and controls and builds capacity of partner and program staff.

Learning end Knowledge Management:

• Shares relevant administrative and programmatic information with the Program team and support the proper documentation of all transactions on the projects.

Resource Mobilization:

• Support resource mobilization effort through contribution to budget preparation for proposal writing and related engagement

Communications and Working Relationships:

• Provide timely responses concerning administrative queries linked with relevant projects or programmes.
• Report in the Head of Programs & Business Development;
• Work amicably with other members of the Plan International Nigeria team im project location and Abuja to ensure effective and efficient program and influencing delivery.
• Work with the CO Communications Advisor in the development of constructive working relationships with media representatives to build international and public profile and ensure positive coverage and the timely provision of situation reports and fundraising material to Plans International Headquarters and National Organizations.
• Ensure at information, publicity and fundraising material recognizes and respects the dignity of the affected persons.

Knowledge and Experience

• Graduate education, preferably post-graduate education (Master's or higher) in Development, Politics, Human Rights, Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, and over 5 years of experience in policy and influencing, peacebuilding, youth leadership, or civil society strengthening, or a related field and demonstrated experience in management of community-based projects.
• Demonstrated experience in using with success key influencing strategies such as advocacy, lobbying, movement building, or policy development.
• Extensive experience managing peacebuilding, youth leadership, or civil society strengthening projects in developing country contexts and preferably in Nigeria or ECOWAS states.
• Significant experience in carrying outpower, legislation and policy and political analysis to inform strategies and projects.
• Experience in developing and delivering advocacy strategies in development and/or humanitarian contexts.
• Strong knowledge of child and women’s rights and gender justice.
• A history of productive involvement with local partners, including from government, traditional leadership, and civil society
• Demonstrated expertise in and commitment to developing the leadership of young people
• Demonstrated expertise in designing, implementing, and monitoring inclusive,gender-equitable development programs
• Demonstrated knowledge and background in community mobilization and engagement
• Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate
• Experience drafting project reporting and monitoring project progress
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills
• Experience of managing people and ability to build, develop and motivate a high performing team, prioritizing effective cross organizational working as a key element of high performance.
• Experience of managing budgets and planning and reporting protocols.
• Knowledge of Hausa language preferred but not required.

Behaviours:

• Uses evidence based results to make choices and drive change.
• Taking initiative to be innovative and creative to achieve results.
• Strives for quality in all they do, respecting deadlines, working continuously to improve performance.
• Takes responsibility for their actions, and learn from behaviour, success and failures.
• Uses resources as intended, and can account for how has used resources.
• Supports gender equality and diversity, and challenges forms of inequality or harassment.
• Encourages children young people, partners and colleagues to be meaningfully involved in decisions that affect them.
• Listens to and understand views of colleagues and partners. Draws on their experience to ensure high quality work.
• Upholds and demonstrates Plan’s values and behaviors.
• Team-orientated, versatile, personable and flexible.
• Calm under pressure.
• Ability to work comfortably and sensitively across cultures.
• Provides good and adequate administrative support to enable the project meet its agreed program outcomes.
• Actively seeks for support in addressing difficulties in execution of duties.

Skills & Knowledge:

• Analytical, strategic thinking and negotiating skill,
• Ability to build effective relations for influencing.
• Basic financial and administrative skills
• Communicates clearly and effectively appropriate to the audience
• Possession of good report writing skills
• Passion for leaning and development
• Good computer literacy skills.
• Ability to prioritize and multitask work when dealing with competing deadline, sometime with limited resources
• Team player.

Physical Environment and Demands:

• Travel to Program activities to provide support where necessary.

Child Protection and Gender Inclusion:

• Ensures that the Child Protection Policy (CPP) is fully embedded in accordance with the CPP Implementation standards 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 the CPP and Code of Conduct (CoC), its relevance to their area of work and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
• Ensure that global policies for Child Protection and Gender Equality & Inclusion are fully embedded.

Level of Contact with Children:

• Low contact - the job responsibilities of this position require the post holder to have very infrequent contact with children. Despite this, it is expected that children shall be protected at all times.

Application Closing Date
8th March, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's and a comprehensive cover letter setting out your reasons for applying for the post and outlining the qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills that you feel you can bring to the role, to: [email protected] Indicate the job title and location as subject if the mail, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Note

• Plan International Nigeria is an equal opportunity employer ad does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or disabilities.
• Plan International Nigeria is fully committed to child protection to prevent children from all forms of abuse.
• Women are encouraged to apply.