Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.
Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years and are now active in more than 70 countries, driving changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. Plan International is registered in Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Role Purpose
The purpose of this role is to coordinate the EU project activities- Strengthening Civil Society to Enhance Education for All in Northern Nigeria, especially in Sokoto and Adamawa states. The role will ensure proper coordination of all actions that are designed to contribute to achieving the overall objective of this project, which is to strengthen local CSOs as actors of good governance and empower them to contribute to inclusive, participatory and open education policy dialogue in Nigeria.
Dimension Of The Role
Communicates within Plan International Nigeria and with partners and related government institutions. The post holder will coordinate the implementation of the EU project, document lessons learnt, and support assessments and monitoring and evaluation. He/she is responsible for the assessment, response analysis, design, and capacity building of civil society organizations.
Accountabilities
Programme development, Quality Management & Coordination of Influencing Actions
In collaboration with the Country office technical leads, the Project Coordinator will oversee the implementation of the EU project.
The Project Coordinator will support relevant stakeholders in the advocacy for gender-responsive and inclusive education planning in the country, and especially in the project states.
In collaboration with relevant specialists in influencing, communication, education and gender and inclusion, enhance the capacities of partners, organisations of people with disabilities, women, grassroots people and youth groups in policy influencing, advocacy and use of digital platforms in their interventions and programming for sustained change in the education sector.
Coordinate all actions directed at strengthening civil society’s capacity and enhancing strategic engagement on education reforms such as Training of Trainers (ToT) for relevant partners and stakeholders, research, advocacy, policy influencing, community participation, as well as high-level stakeholder engagements.
Identify and work with relevant internal and external stakeholders to monitor transparency, accountability and good governance and address stereotypes affecting access to education by girls, adolescent girls, persons with disabilities and hard-to-reach youth including Almajiri
Manage field teams, coordinate with Key Local Government Authorities, and support from Community Engagement Officer, mobilize and sensitise communities on the project.
Ensure key data from assessments are used as a baseline for program evaluation. Where additional baseline data is required to evaluate children’s learning outcomes, then work with appropriate colleagues to collect this additional information.
Support in designing appropriate education interventions based on the outcomes of assessments and the context.
Support the preparation of reports for domestic and international consumption.
Provide support to Plan International Nigeria’s programme delivery and resource mobilization.
Work with other members of the programme units to ensure effective and efficient programme delivery.
Dealing With Problems
Ability to manage competing priorities and expectations from internal and external stakeholders and remain calm and resilient in the face of pressure.
Manage multiple and work with distant colleagues to form a virtual efficient administration team;
Use Plan procedures to settle conflicts among colleagues;
Resolve problems that are not covered by established processes.
Analyze possible causes of problems and suggest solutions to get them resolved.
Refer, whenever necessary, the case to the Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist for consideration.
Technical Expertise, Skills And Knowledge
Qualifications and Experience
University degree or equivalent in Education, Social Science, Social Work, Psychology, or related fields
Minimum of 3 years relevant working experience in Education in the development sector.
Experience working to build the capacity of civil society organizations
Good knowledge and understanding of DO NO HARM principles and established international child protection standards (especially UNCRC)
Experience with participatory approaches to education, Advocacy, campaign and influencing
Skills & Knowledge
Strong ability to work independently, organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail
Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility
Works well in teams and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure.
