Head of Strategy & Social Finance at Plan International

The Opportunity

The Strategy Director is responsible for the leadership and oversight of Plan International’s global strategy development and alignment across the organization.

Key accountabilities include;

• Leading on the development of Plan International’s organisational long-term vision of what the iNGO of the future should look like – a vision for the role, shape and size of the organisation that enhances the organisation’s legitimacy and relevance as a global player in advancing Girls’ Rights in the future.
• Leading a cross-functional team to develop the organisational implications, the roadmap, and business case to implement it.
• Undertaking ongoing horizon scanning to ensure that globally, regionally, and at the country-office level Plan International is actively preparing for and adjusting to opportunities and threats on the horizon.
• Engaging with strategy networks within and outside the sector to improve strategy practice and to contribute to the sector’s progress.
• Overseeing a mid-point review of the Global Strategy including an assessment of the changing context, the performance and progress against the strategy, and any recommendations for if and how Plan needs to correct its course.
• Developing a detailed roadmap for the current 5-year strategy period and an implementation plan that sets out how and where initiatives are being realised.
• Defining and leading on a governance structure including reporting mechanisms that enable regular and coherent tracking of progress on the strategy and reporting of performance against it including financial viability.
• Partnering with teams around the annual planning and budgeting process. Ensure alignment to the Global Strategy.
• Overseeing the analysis and recommendations on Plan’s global presence (across 70+ countries). This includes the maintenance and development of a global dataset to enable effective decision-making regarding country presence as well as the development of evidence-based recommendations about how the country portfolio could change.
• Supporting discussions to ensure effective leadership and Board decision-making about the country portfolio.
• Overseeing collaboration with Finance, Membership Services and other functions, benchmark country office performance internally and identify opportunities to adjust country operating models through effectiveness and efficiency improvements.
• Leading on or contributing to discrete strategic projects that contribute to realising the Global Strategy and future proof the organisation e.g. strategy support for regional strategies.

The Requirements

Knowledge

• Good knowledge of and previous experience of developing global strategies and strategic decision making
• Experience earning the trust of and negotiating with senior colleagues
• Significant experience in the strategy consultancy or strategy function of a leading management consultancy organisation
• Good understanding of analytics approaches, capabilities and models
• Good understanding of working in an NGO (desirable)
• Good understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges that working in a global federated/membership organisation can bring (desirable)

Skills

• Outstanding strategic and financial analysis and evaluation
• Business design/ operating model design experience
• Portfolio management (e.g. managing programmes, projects or ventures)
• High degree of problem solving and identifying creative solutions
• Facilitating, influencing and negotiating with senior executives
• Understanding, building relationships and engaging tactfully across cultures
• Business improvement or process improvement
• Executive-level written and verbal presentation skills
• Project planning and management

Behaviours

• Ambitious and driven, tempered with effective risk management
• Takes initiative and navigates through ambiguity
• Logical and structured in approach
• Holds a high quality standard and helps others meet standard
• Comfortable working with and challenging senior managers within a complex governance and management structure
• Solution oriented and willing to adapt to changes in demands
• Builds trust and understanding amongst stakeholders

Closing Date: 9th April 2023