The Organization

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization 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 health and Nutrition in Emergencies Specialist is a senior technical post to ensure high-quality programming, policy engagement, and advocacy outcomes of PIE’s work in the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara Regions Ethiopia. The post holder will provide design and support of technical elements of health and Nutrition projects, with relevant project managers, to ensure the projects contribute to the achievement of the thematic program plan; be responsible for ensuring that key organizational principles and approaches such as child participation and sound M&E systems are well integrated throughout the project cycle; be responsible for ensuring that lessons derived through the implementation of projects are well articulated, documented and disseminated both internally and externally; engage with policymakers and work to achieve advocacy objectives to realize greater change for children.

Accountabilities & Main Work Activities

Accountable for overall quality of program and influence work in Tigray Region in relation to health and Nutrition in emergencies responses.

Planning, strategy, and policy (10%)

• Support the development of health technical strategies and support roll-out of strategy and updates to all relevant Plan International staff.

• Conduct periodic visits to implementation sites to understand the reality, provide on-site advice/support and come up with recommendations for program quality improvement

• Support and guide the health team to capture /document program lessons at different levels

• Provide technical advice /guidance to the health and team while conducting surveys, evaluations, and other assessments, including in the design, conduct, and analysis and write up of the reports; oversee possible consultancy work in the same.

• Support the development of annual operational plans and the regular internal program planning and review meetings in the health section as well as related inputs to quarterly and annual PIE reports

• Identify new potential partners for strategic engagement and negotiate strategic priorities, thru external contact with relevant counterparts across agencies

• In collaboration with the HR department, ensure support to recruitment and selection of staff and for all matters concerning human resources for the health unit.

• Ensure that relevant cross-cutting issues are strategically mainstreamed in new projects; also ensuring relevant staffs understand and are capacitated to take the issues forward.

• Lead and/or contribute to regular health, Nutrition, and sector updates, capacity statements, and sector representative meetings/training.

Programme and project design, implementation and influence (60%) 

• Ensure that project managers are meeting both internal and donor technical standards and requirements. This includes oversight of implementation quality, reviewing, editing and signing-off donor reports to ensure they are of an acceptable technical and presentational quality.

• Participate in field-based project monitoring and review meetings.

• Liaise with Programme Operations staff to identify technical support needs of projects and staff, and jointly agree on specific and time-bound support needs of projects and staff in relevant technical areas.

• Provide technical training to ensure that the project staff has the necessary skills to technically implement the project.

• Assist project staff in the use of health and cross-cutting tools and guidelines to ensure the quality of work. These include, among others, child participation, child rights programming, and mainstreaming of gender, diversity, and HIV/AIDS.

• Prepare annual work plans, in consultation with the line manager.

• Undertake regular field visits to project sites to ensure technical quality and timeliness of ongoing work.

• Support the Hubs to organize, coordinate and implement surveys, reviews, and terminal evaluations of programs/projects; provide technical oversight as necessary.

• Support the Hubs to ensure appropriate and timely staffing of emergency health programs; including developing a mechanism to quickly deploy key staff to enable timely response.

• Develop a mechanism to ensure rapid and appropriate responses to health and Nutrition emergencies are available at the Hubs and sub-office level.

Partnership and resource mobilization (5%)

• Closely monitor events and maintain an overview of health and nutrition-related issues affecting children in humanitarian contexts (a humanitarian situation, politics, security, etc.), in program areas, to identify potential program areas and partners. This includes active participation in discussion and decision-making forums related to proposing emergency health responses.

• Build on technical knowledge, research, and current/previous programming to lead the design of new projects and development of proposals in close coordination with the relevant field, business development, and management staff. This includes all aspects of proposal development, such as concept notes and grant amendments. Ensure that proposals are developed in line with internal and member protocols and technical standards.

• Ensure that each proposal and annual implementation plan aligns with Plan International Ethiopia’s Theory of Change and includes elements of the partnership, innovation, scale, and voice.

• Accompany and facilitate donor visits and provide relevant background materials.

Capability Building and People Management: (25%)

• Develops the technical capability of colleagues, front-line staff and partners, and of other technical professionals in [health in emergencies response].

• Shares lessons and insights from experiences and evaluation of program and project effectiveness, feeding these into local, regional and global networks

• Provide overall vision and direction to the team in coordination, planning, prioritization, coaching, and supervision.

• Support staff to understand and comply with the organizational vision, mission, strategic direction, and other organizational policies.

• Ensure the team are operating as high-performance teams and have clear accountability lines (direct and matrix)

• Socialize and nurture Plan Values and Behaviours.

• Creating an enabling working environment across different departments unites to foster excellent teamwork and high-performing staff.

• Create a safe working place safeguarding.

• Oversee the delivery of effective capacity-building support in key areas of program management, finance management, logistics management, and human resources management

• Establish, communicate and monitor standards of performance and behaviors of the team through the development of Individual Accountability Plans (IAP), and key performance indicators (KPI’s) that are agreed upon annually, and monitored and updated regularly

• Support team members to gain the necessary skills through learning and development

• Lead the team in line with the Country HR Manual and other guidelines.

• Engage in the performance management of functional subordinates by working closely with the functional subordinate’s line manager.

Other Responsibilities

• Within the scope of the role, there will be additional assignments as needed.

• Seek and promote innovative ideas, approach to ensure quality of work

Safeguarding Children and Young People (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

• Ensures that the team members under supervision are properly inducted on and understands their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work.

• Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted. 

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications/ experience essential:

• First Degree in public health, nursing, or related health fields with a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience; MPH holders are preferable

• Strong analysis and writing skills

• Experience in working with government counterparts and other partners at various levels federal to district

Qualifications/ experience Desirable:

• Excellent understanding of the relevant thematic sectors in Ethiopia at both field and policy levels; including the national health programs and how it fits with the HEP. Such as the health sector development program, and other relevant guidelines and strategy documents.

• Proven experience in designing emergency health projects and developing successful proposals.

• Familiarity with health donors, partners, and NGO groups

• Practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities in realizing children’s rights in Ethiopia, in relation to thematic area

• Plan priority sectors in humanitarian settings.

Skills

• Understanding of advocacy and representation skill

• Demonstrable experience in M&E

• Good presentation and facilitation skills

• Proven conceptual skills and an ability to think and plan strategically

• Good communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to train and mentor staff

• Proven ability to manage a complex and demanding workload

• Good computer skills (particularly Excel, Word and databases)

Languages required

• English and other Ethiopian national languages

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organization by being open, honest and transparent. We hold ourselves and others to account for the decisions we make and for our impact on others, while doing what we say we will do.

We strive for lasting impact

We strive to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused and innovative.

We work well together

We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organisation, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams, across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities and our partners.

We are inclusive and empowering

We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge inequality in our programs and our workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.

How to Apply

The closing date for the application is October 10, 2023. Qualified candidates should submit their application with the links provided below. CLIK HERE

This position is only open to Ethiopian Nationals, who must be eligible to live and work in Ethiopia.

Please note that: 

• Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

• We are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated links.

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

• Female candidates are highly encouraged to Apply

More information about Plan International can be found on http:// plan-international.org

References will be taken and background and anti-terrorism checks will be carried out in conformity with Plans Child Protection Policy. Plan operates an equal opportunities policy and actively encourages diversity, welcoming applications from all persons meeting the skills and experience required.

As an international child centered community development organisation, Plan International is fully committed to promoting the realization of children's rights including their right to protection from violence and abuse. That means we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with.

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. We must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.