Plan International Regional Partnership Advisor Programme 2023

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Work closely with the Plan Kenya BD unit, Director of Programme Strategy to coordinate efforts in partners’ mapping and formulating a partnership strategy aligned with Country strategy and Resource Mobilization Strategy.
• Global Partnership Team to share learning and support global initiatives
• Projects and Funds Team (GH) to share learning and get support on working with partners in the project cycle.
• Regional and Country Offices to support working in partnership
• 25% – Support other COs in the MEESA region to create a consistent approach to how we work with partners but also working on strategy level and reporting on the goals set out in the new global strategy that refer to partnership engagement.
• Other organisations and forums externally, for representation, coordination, collaboration, learning and advocacy

LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH CHILDREN

• Medium contact: Medium level

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• It is an Office-based environment, the office is located at Plan Kenya (Nairobi). The Post holder will be expected to travel in the region as required

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Technical support to ensure strong partnership management practices are integrated across all stages of the project cycle in programming and influencing work – 30%

• Support Kenya Office (programmes/ projects) to develop partnership strategies aligned with Plan’s global ambitions, and support the other offices within the region to replicate the same strategies each localised according to their country strategies and other core organisational guidance, for example Plan International’s ‘ready to respond in emergencies’ guide and conduct partnership mapping aligned with respective partnership strategies.
• Develop, apply and advise on the adaptation of contextually relevant guidance and tools to strengthen equitable partnership approaches and improve the quality of Plan’s programming and influencing work when working with partners and partnering relationships, including mutual partnership appraisals, partnership monitoring tools and partnership evaluation/ impact tools
• Advise on strategies to mitigate risk in specific partnerships where partnership risk assessment processes have raised issues with potential to impede the effectiveness of the collaboration, such as power dynamics in partnership relationship management, conflict sensitivity and shrinking civic space.
• Provide advice and support to Kenya office prioritised recommendations from partnership review processes, including annual partnership reviews, the annual partnership survey and programme, audit findings and project and programme evaluations where there are implications for principled, equitable partnering.
• On request, provide in-depth analytical support for partnership portfolio reviews/ deep dives in relation to working with diverse actors, application of partnership principles and equitable partnership management approaches, and provide technical advice and coaching on process improvement.
• Technical advice to on the application of partnership models in proposal/ project development

 Upskilling and capacity development support- 30%

• Work closely with business development team and Project teams on the alignment of proposal and project development with Plan International’s priorities on equitable partnering and the integration of civil society strengthening approaches
• Develop and provide training to key staff on advancing equitable partnership approaches and quality partnership management with diverse actors
• Support in developing appropriate training materials/ resources to use with partners to strengthen partner capacities for partnering
• Advise other functional areas on the development of partner friendly training materials/ resources to strengthen partner capacities
• Develop a regional bank of capacity strengthening resources on partnering approaches and practices, and civil society strengthening and share appropriate resources with COs for use in capacity strengthening work

 Direct support for regional partnerships/ regional programmes-20%

• Support MEESA regional hub to adapt business development, partnership management and oversight systems for monitoring country office partnership management, including the management of multi-country projects involving partners.
• Support regional hub to develop and strengthen partnership management processes for regional partnerships – including due diligence, risk identification, partnership agreements, resourcing requirements and capacity strengthening plans.

Monitoring, evaluation, accountability, research and learning-10%

• Active participation in regional spaces to advance learning on partnership approaches for programming and influencing in line with Plan International’s strategic ambitions and supporting the development of appropriate regional management action plans
• On request, support and advise country offices in their response to external audit findings and approach to actioning recommendations on partnership management findings.
• Lead and co-ordinate regional engagement around research and knowledge products connected to partnering practices and civil society strengthening, as appropriate, and socialisation of outputs and learnings
• Lead and co-ordinate a regional community of practice on partnerships and civil society strengthening, and actively participate and contribute to global community of practices on partnerships and civil society strengthening, civic space, working with young people and others (as relevant)
• Facilitate the documentation and sharing of partnership experiences and learnings on civil society strengthening, including good practices, lessons learnt and innovation among Plan COs and CSO partners.
• Monitor the environment for civil society across the region and ensure analysis is shared with relevant programs, initiatives and networks.

Safeguarding Children and Young People (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) 5%

• 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.
• Leads the orientation of programme staff to ensure that they 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 project design, during implementation and as principles applied in day-to-day work of Programme team;
• Ensures that Plan Kenya contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted.

Other duties (5%)

• Any other assignment within the scope of work.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge

• Master’s degree in Development Studies, social sciences or another related field;
•  At least 10 years of progressively responsible of supporting country programmes and partnerships in different operating contexts within the humanitarian sector in Kenya and MEESA region.
• 5 Years in a leadership/managerial role
• Fluency and excellent command of English language with a high level of English writing skills
• In depth knowledge on the concept of and trends in civil society strengthening and effective partnership building in development and humanitarian context
• Understanding the nature and approaches of key movements, actors and institutions relevant to Plan’s ambitions and activities
• Understanding and deploying participatory approaches which strengthen civil society, including with children and young people
• Experience of developing partnership strategies (including approaches to localisation), and designing partnership systems and tool
• Experience of networking with humanitarian and development actors and robust knowledge of humanitarian architecture, coordination mechanisms and sector trends
• Demonstrated success in building consensus among diverse stakeholders and working with virtual teams.
• Ability to critically analyse data and evidence to innovate, deliver, learn and share what works and what doesn’t work for children and youth, partnerships and civil society strengthening
• Training, facilitation and capacity building experience for staff capacity strengthening and partner organisational development
• A sound understanding of power and privilege, gender equality and inclusion, and working with a rights-based perspective

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills: ability to develop and maintain successful professional relationships at all levels
• Ability to motivate teams and encourage learning and development opportunities.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering bespoke training packages for diverse stakeholders
• Ability to and experience of coaching and mentoring colleagues and partners in their daily work by explaining key concepts; familiarising them with standards and resources; and working alongside them on the application of technical knowhow
• Strong communication and information presentation skills.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills; proactive problem solver and self-motivated.
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet challenging deadlines.
• Ability to analyse complex organisational challenges and present innovative solutions.

Behaviours

• Demonstrable commitment to safeguarding and creates an environment where children, young people, partners and colleagues are supported and safe
• Upholds and demonstrates Plan International’s values and behaviours
• Has the courage to challenge the status quo, to question the way we work, especially when work or behaviour is not of the quality required
• Strives for high quality in all they do, respecting deadlines, working continuously to improve performance
• Pro-actively working to support mutuality and equal working in all relationships, and taking action to address power imbalances
• Helps the team to achieve their goals and creates an environment where colleagues, teams and partners feel comfortable to ask for help and have space to grow
• Listens to and understands views of colleagues and partners. Draws on their experience to ensure high quality work
• Adjusts approaches, communication style and behaviour to work effectively across cultures and with diverse stakeholders and communities
• Actively promoting diversity, gender equality and inclusion internally and externally.
• Actively contributing to both internal and external information-sharing network