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 85 years, and are now active in more than 80 countries.

Dimensions of the Role

The Project Lead is a national position based in Bomi County to coordinate the EU Civil Society Empowerment for Human Rights and Democracy project in Nimba and Bomi Counties on a full-time basis. The Project Lead will also maintain field supervision of the project operations and overall implementations to ensure that the project aligns with planned activities and expected outcomes. The role will be responsible for the team’s administrative and technical management, including submitting all narrative and financial reports and organizing all centrally led activities including, but not limited to the following:

• Lead the day-to-day administration, management/supervision, and facilitation of project implementation, including the facilitation/conduct of coordination, planning, and review meetings;
• Serve as a liaison between Plan International Liberia’s Programmes, Grants, and Finance teams and National Offices (NO), the Center for Justice and Peace Studies (CJPS), Government line Ministries and Agencies, local authorities, and target groups;
• In collaboration with the Project Officers of Plan International and CJPS, lead and ensure the regular collection, compilation, and submission of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual, final narrative, and financial reports, respectively, to the Programme Quality and Compliance Manager, Grant, and finance teams;
• Prepare ToRs, collect and compile project updates on regular field visits and training reports as required, indicating achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and remedial actions;
• In collaboration with the Programme Officer and CJPS, organize and lead joint and Donor field visits in project communities;
• Ensure all project staff comply and adhere to child protection, risks, safe youth participation, and other policies governing Plan International programme implementation activities.
• Identify and strengthen relationships (Building Better Partnership Guidance) with youth groups to support experience sharing and best practices.
• Work closely with all staff and partners to achieve a cohesive and coordinated approach to youth engagement and overall implementation strategies of the project;
• Prepare and submit monthly and quarterly work plans and progress reports detailing tasks (including monitoring plans) on Plan International and the partners’ youth engagement implementation.
• Carry out (perform) any other duties as your supervisor(s) may reasonably request in relation to this project.

Accountabilities

The Project Lead is trusted to support and supervise the Project Officer to generate and provide regular updates on the project activities. The Project Lead shall exercise maximum trust and honesty in conducting the affairs of the roles and responsibilities assigned to the role bearer and execute these functions by relating to other staff members, including supervisors, senior management, and stakeholders in the team. He/she shall serve as the face or represent Plan International where necessary in relation to this project.

The Project Lead is administratively accountable to the Program Intervention Influencing Area Manager (PIIAM) and with technical accountability to the Programme Quality and Delivery Manager DRM Lead.

General Responsibilities

• Play the overall leadership roles in the project implementation activities at all levels.
• Provide consolidated updates on the progress of the project;
• Ensure timely communication, quality implementation, monitoring, and supervision in coordination with Donors, other stakeholders, and project actors; and
• Play the liaison role between all stakeholders and the project actors at all levels.

Core competencies

• Ability to work independently with little or without support;
• The ability to lead the consolidation and documentation of the fundamental components of a project: scope, schedule, resource requirements, budgets, risks, opportunities, and issues; and quality requirements into a Detailed Implementation Plan;
• The ability to facilitate the securing and provision of resources needed for the project from internal and external suppliers and to agree on contracts for the provision of goods and/or services, to monitor compliance (including Plan, donor, and national), and manage contract amendments if necessary
• The ability to identify and monitor risks, plan and implement responses to those risks, and respond to other issues that affect the projects;
• The ability to prepare and maintain an overall schedule for resource use (other than finance) in the project, which avoids bottlenecks and conflicting demands. Resources are the things required to carry out project tasks, these could be people, equipment, office space, fleet, warehousing etc.;
• The ability to prepare and maintain schedules for activities and events for projects, taking account of critical path dependencies and resource requirements;
• The ability to determine the activities required to achieve project requirements and the best means of satisfying requirements within the context of the project objectives and constraints;
• The ability to establish and manage governance structures that define clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for governance and delivery of projects, and that align with organisational practice; and
• Become the gender inclusion and safeguarding focal point to lead the standards for the project implementation.

Safeguarding

1. 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

Essential

• University degree or its equivalent with practical experience in interdisciplinary areas within human rights, social science, international development, and psychology;
• At least four (4) years of demonstrable experience in leadership and management of development work, preferably in the INGO sector, with evidence of youth works and skills or training;
• At least five (5) years of working experience in a managerial role, preferably in a social development setting and youth organization;
• Strong leadership skills and ability to implement safeguarding to implement safe participation;
• Good communication and facilitation skills;
• Strong understanding of gender equality programming and meaningful child participation;
• Knowledge of development challenges and contexts in Liberia, particularly child rights and youth participation;
• The applicant’s capacity must demonstrate the experience of working collaboratively and supportively without close supervision;
• Proficient in computer skills and use of relevant software and other applications (e.g., Microsoft Word processing, spreadsheet, database, internet, SAP); and
• Experience in project implementation and Community-led approaches is mandatory.

Desirable

• Believe in the potential of all people to succeed if given the proper support and willingness to multi-task.
• Ability to perform under stress, innovate, build relationships, coach and mentor, facilitate change, develop teams, initiate action, plan, and organize.
• Lead through vision, mission, and personal commitment to children’s development and protection.

Please click the link to view and download the full JD

Location: Tubmanburg, Bomi County

Type of Role: Fixed Term

Reports to: Program Intervention Infuencing Area Manager

Grade: 14

Closing Date: 4 March 2024

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.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.