Regional Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist, Region of Eastern & Southern Africa

Job Description

THE ORGANISATION
Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organisation committed to children living a life free of poverty, violence and injustice.
We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives. We support children to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on children, especially girls and women, who are most often left behind.

MIDDLE EAST, EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION (MEESA)
Middle East, East and Southern Africa region is prone to cyclical food insecurity, malnutrition and livelihood shocks driven by climate change, conflict and security threats. According to the Food security and nutrition working group and IPC reports, over 50m million people in MEESA are facing unprecedented levels of food insecurity including famine mainly in South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique. The situation is particularly acute in conflict-affected countries like Sudan, where a total of 25.6 million people are facing acute hunger, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Plan International is responding to the hunger crisis by providing food and nutrition assistance for crisis affected children and their families through cash/in-kind, economic recovery, supporting livelihoods protection and promotion and building resilience for the most vulnerable. external engagement, and resource mobilization for the sector while monitoring and supporting anticipatory actions in less affected countries.

ROLE PURPOSE
The regional Child Protection in Emergencies (CPIE) specialist will provide leadership to strengthen overall CPiE programme development and to ensure quality of CPiE programmes in the RESA region. The specialist will provide strategic support on CPiE matters to countries in the region, including its Centre of Excellence for Refugees, and will lead CPiE programme design, portfolio planning and acquisition. The specialist will also be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with relevant regional government departments, key institutional donors, UN agencies and NGOs and actively contribute to CPiE regional coordination mechanisms.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Leadership and Influencing (30%)
• Represent Plan International and the Child Protection in Emergencies Programme at relevant clusters, working groups, and other fora, especially at regional and global levels.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant government departments, donors, UN agencies and NGOs.
• Identify opportunities and establish dialogue towards partnerships with other agencies, especially at regional level to support consortia building, joint advocacy activities, etc
• Support the development of Plan International’s profile in gender equality programming in emergencies, particularly in regards to girls
• Actively contribute to regional CPiE Coordination Mechanisms in-country. Where required, take a co-leadership role in the Child Protection Working Group.
• Contribute to relevant global DRM advocacy and policy objectives with documented program evidence.

Impact, Accountability and Learning (20%)
• Ensure that quality data collection and information management systems are in place at country and regional level for appropriate CPiE analysis, planning, evaluation and advocacy.
• Ensure that CPiE monitoring and evaluation systems are developed and implemented in all country programs to gather evidence and inform ongoing programme design.
• Strengthen learning across countries through CPiE learning communities, exchange visits, dedicated CPiE exchange platforms.
• Promote organizational learning on CPiE programming through collecting and publishing case studies and reports on good practices.
• Provide technical support to researches that contribute to CPiE evidence-based programming.

Strategy and Programme Design (30%)
• In close collaboration with the regional programme director, Head DRM and country offices, support the development of Plan International’s child protection strategies at regional level, including key programming, research and advocacy priorities in line with regional strategies.
• Support child protection needs assessments in new target areas, determine priorities, activities and required human and financial resources.
• Provide technical assistance to country offices in the formulation of CPiE program strategies and plans.
• Support Country Offices and respective National Offices on securing funds for continuous CPiE programme scale up in the region by providing specific project design support, lessons learnt, and contextual analysis on CPiE issues in the region.
• Support country office teams in the development of their child protection in emergencies portfolio, including leading proposal development for regional and sub-regional CPiE projects, and building a diversified base of institutional donors. .
• Identify the staffing needs for CPiE responses at country level and support the recruitment process for these positions.

Technical Support to country CPiE program (20%)
• Provide technical guidance and direction including ongoing training, coaching and mentoring to to country CP program staff to ensure quality programming in line with existing global standards for CPiE.
• Provide technical support to country offices to develop technical expertise on CPiE Priority Areas, namely GBV, Adolescents Programming, Child Labour, Children on the Move, Community Based Child Protection and Integrated Programming.
• Contribute to the development of staffing plans to implement CPiE program activities and work with the HR team to recruit in line with approved grants.
• Ensure country-based CPiE Specialists have access to existing resources, guidance, tools and evidence.
• Expand professional growth opportunities for talented CPiE national staff
• Support contextualization of global CPiE guidance and tools.
• Ensure that CPiE interventions are linked in to longer term programming.

Requirements:
• Minimum 6 years of progressively professional experience in CPiE work
• Master’s Degree in social work, social sciences or another related field;
• Strong experience in leading CPiE responses;
• Experience in programming related to adolescents and gender-based violence is an asset;
• Experience of capacity building on CPiE technical areas with a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to network and liaise with UN, coordination mechanisms and donors;
• Flexible work attitude and ability to work independently within a small team;
• Ability to effectively communicate with a diverse and cross-cultural audience;
• Excellent knowledge of English mandatory.

Click on the following link to access the full Job Description:

Job Description - Regional CPIE Specialist.pdf

Reports to: Region of Eastern & Southern Africa Head of Disaster Risk Management, with technical guidance by the Global CPIE Lead, Plan International Global Hub

Closing Date: 31st December 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.