Program Coordinator

Plan International

Accra, Ghana

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.

Role Purpose

The Programmes Coordinator role will coordinate, integrate and support the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Country Strategy, programmes/Advocacy/influencing, projects (including sponsorship) at PIIA level. The role will engage multiple actors at various levels including programme design, planning, implementation and MELS at community, district, regional and programme Influence and Impact area.  

Dimensions of the Role

  • Area of Responsibility – Regions/District(s) / Municipalities / communities within a designated Programme Impact and Influencing Area (PIIA).

Programs and Projects:

  • Develops and maintains good professional relations with key actors including governmental and other partners at the community, district and regional levels, organizations/institutions intervening in the development process to ensure effective stakeholder involvement and PIIA;
  • Facilitates building of partnership, networks, coalitions and alliances with other stakeholders at all levels to increase program effectiveness and maintaining a well-coordinated, strong partnerships/team for successful project/programme implementation
  • Facilitate the gathering of relevant information, data and development of project strategies for the development of PIG’s relevant SPAD/FAD for implementation and be responsible for the creation of project/programme outlines in the relevant systems
  • Facilitate the planning, design, implementation and Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Sharing (MELS) of projects/programmes with stakeholders and using the appropriate corporate systems (PMERL) to capture such projects/programmes
  • Ensuring that that there are adequate resources/tools/logistics and materials to execute projects and programmes funded by PIG
  • Ensure the effective mobilization, consultation and involvement of stakeholders, beneficiaries, communities  for the effective delivery of project activities
  • Ensuring up-to-date comprehensive documentation of project/programmes and presenting comprehensive reports for management/donor among others and ensuring that all documentations and reports are appropriately captures in Plan International’s inc corporate systems
  • Maintaining and monitoring project/programme plans, schedules, budgets and expenditures and using the appropriate corporate systems to track and report on all these indicators.
  • Facilitate annual review meetings and other relevant project/programme meetings with all relevant stakeholders
  • Ensure that PIG becomes the most recognized voice for all child rights related issues (especially girls) and mainstreamed all Plan International Inc values in all engagements and work.
  • Represent the Program Impact and Influencing Area (PIIA) on relevant regional/municipal/District/community level committees, in meetings, and through other relevant platforms in the region/Districts and act as the link between Plan International PIIA and relevant units at all levels.

Grants/Resource mobilization:

  • Where required and necessary works with the Business Development Unit in sourcing adequate funding from internal and external sources for the design and implementation of development activities within the PIIA as outlined in the Country Strategy and country programmes
  • Provides support in monitoring Grants Projects to ensure quality implementation, reporting and accountability.

Programme-Sponsorship Integration:

  • With the support and approval of the PIIAM, fashion out and implement workable mechanisms to align/integrate programmes and sponsorship in the PIIA for better development outcomes for SCs in their communities.
  • Closely liaise with and support the Sponsorship Communication Co-ordinator at PIIA to undertake community entry, sensitization for child sponsorship activities with the aim of ensuring stronger programme-Sponsorship integration.
  • Collaborate with key development actors of the PIIA to identify and implement at least one project per year in a sponsorship community with sponsorship and other funding,
  • Put in place effective and efficient strategies and mechanisms to achieve the area performance in terms of production, retention of sponsors and the area caseload (training of community volunteers and actors with monitoring tools; holding monthly and quarterly meetings with actors as well as the annual review)

Others:

  • Fulfil Plan’s Child /Youth Safeguarding Policy at all times to protect children especially girls from all forms of child abuse
  • Ensure Gender is mainstreamed in all programs and projects undertaken in the PIIA and with key stakeholders;
  • Provide training, coaching and counselling to any direct reports as and when required.
  • Performs any other duties to be assigned to support the achievement of organizational goals.

Complexity of problems handled & the degree of investigation, analysis, & creative thinking required to solve them.

  • Able to understand, designs, implement, monitor and evaluate gender transformative programmes and projects targeting children and girls in particular;
  • Able to forge effective partnerships for effective development at the PIIA;
  • Sound judgment and decision-making capacity
  • Able to work with r minimum supervision
  • Able to ensure the principles and guidelines on the new Global Policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse is fully embedded and in our area work.
  • Create and strengthening the capacity of all staff, Associates and visitors to prevent and respond in a timely, effective, safe, comprehensive and confidential manner to all complaints, allegations and incidents on Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse.
  • 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.

Key relationships

  • There is a medium contact with community members, children and other stakeholders Maintains high contact with field staff and partners

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Qualification and Experience

  • At least, First Degree in Social Sciences, Social Work, Development Studies or its equivalent.
  • At least 3 to 5 years experience in frontline role in development work. 
  • Experience in the NGO sector preferably with child-related development issues, would be an advantage.

Skills

  • •    Solid facilitation, presentation, negotiation and influencing skills
  • •    Ability to deliver to tight deadlines
  • •    Analytical skills and decision-making skills.
  • •    Communication skills, appropriate to the audience.
  • •    Strong team-building and motivational skills.
  • •    Good working knowledge in Microsoft office applications and use of relevant software and other applications, e.g. word processing, spreadsheet, database, email, internet.
  • •    Good supervisory, people management and coordination skills
  • •    Good knowledge of project management, supervision, monitoring and evaluation tools
  • •    Good knowledge of gender, child/youth safeguarding, rights-based approaches & community development.

Behaviors

  • Communicates clearly and effectively
  • Ability to facilitate participative processes for all stakeholders for implementing development activities 
  • Planning and organizing with all stakeholders to ensure all-inclusiveness in community and partner activities
  • Excellent report writing skills
  • Good fundraising skills
  • Knowledgeable in Participatory Learning and Action (PLA)/Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques for community development
  • Develops, motivates, coaches and promotes high performance of direct reports, partners’ staff and collaborators.
  •  Teamwork.
  • Works in a participative community approach.
  • Strong knowledge of the Rights of Child.
  • Ability to understand different cultural contexts
  • Works with minimum supervision.

Source: https://jobs.plan-international.org/job/Ho-Program-Coordinator-SPIIA/893341201/