Partnerships Advisor at Plan International

FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY 

ROLE PURPOSE

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for better lives for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries. Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and in particular the goals on gender equality. Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to reach our target of 100 million girls.  

With approximately 38 years of experience in implementing its programme, Plan International Kenya (PIK) mainly operates in 10 geographical areas; Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Tharaka-Nithi, Siaya, Kwale, Kilifi, Homa Bay, Kisumu and Tana River.
 
Plan International Kenya Strategy statement

Plan International Kenya’s (PIK) strategic goal in the next five years is to end teenage pregnancies and end all forms of gender-based violence against adolescent girls and young women. We aim to help create an enabling environment where girls and young women are safe, valued, equally cared for and have equal opportunities. PIK will contribute to the global strategy by aiming to reach approximately 3 million girls and young women directly over the period of the strategy 2022-2026 and to reach additional beneficiaries through its interventions. 

The Partnerships Advisor will lead in building better partnerships and partnerships that drive our localisation agenda as a country office, and mainly at national and county levels while aligned to Plan Kenya’s Country Strategy and Plan International’s Global purpose. Plan Kenya’s success lies in the partnerships we build and it is important now, more than ever, to strengthen our partnerships. This is an opportunity to be involved in a challenging, innovative and high profile localisation programme, making a real contribution in helping to shift power by driving concrete actions at the country level and driving new models of partnerships at the country level to solve many complex problems that the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted.  The role will support Plan Kenya’s investment in partnerships to expand influence, access to expertise and to resources and enable Plan Kenya build back better in a sustainable and inclusive manner and converge on common challenges and issues to drive lasting and transformative change for children, especially girls. Guided by these principles the Partnership Advisor will therefore collaborate with the Influencing and Advocacy and other Technical Advisors to strengthen the role of Civil Society in all their initiatives that address children and especially girls’ rights. In collaboration with the grants team, Program and Project Managers s/he will provide technical support and build the capacity of local organizations and implementing partners so that we can jointly deliver transformational and lasting change for children, especially girls. 

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES

• Strategy design and planning – (30%)
  • Model partnerships:  Lead in the integration and effective implementation of the new Plan Policy on Building Better Partnerships (BBP) in alignment with Plan Kenya’s Country Strategy and Plan International’s Global purpose on ensuring the creation of an equal, systematic, positive, and process-driven approach to partner engagement and relationship management;
  • Develop minimum standards, technical frameworks and strategies on Building Better Partnerships strategy, powering the movement and collaboration with partners that are in line with Plan Kenya’s new five year strategic and our Global ambition;
  • Ensure that all PIK staff and implementing partners understand the importance of Building Better Partnerships global policy and how it relates to them in their contexts, and that they are fully involved in its implementation, and contribute to the ongoing research, development and implementation as well as dissemination and sharing of best practices and innovative approaches to maximise performance and sustain achievements in Building Better Partnerships;
  • Coordinate and collaborate with relevant Partnerships’ personnel at regional, national offices and the Global Hub, as well as Project Managers and project personnel at county levels to help them build a network of key partners and stakeholders, keeping abreast of evolving trends (social, economic, and political), including the application of innovation to partnership development as well as ensure coherent interactions with partners; 
  • Support the development and roll-out of new partnership models and methods to effectively formal and informal youth and women led organisations, traditional leaders and faith-based leaders as part of existing or new program initiatives; 
  • Develop and annually update a partners’ database on information relating to Partners’ and, Donors’, individual requirements and goals, and such other key details as are relevant to the development and maintenance of those partnerships;
  • Contribute to drafting of partnership agreements and/or contractual documents such as Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), Non-disclosure Agreements (NDAs) while ensuring the tenets of BBP and localisation are an integral part of Plan Kenya’s partnership agreements;
  • In close collaboration with the Influencing and Advocacy and other Technical Advisors capacity build girl leaders and groups to empower them meaningfully form girl-advocacy partnerships to strengthen Plan’s global girl-led movement building as well as monitor and share developments in the national debates, policy and decision-making with regard to civil society's role and their democratic space / enabling environment, including key developments at the National and County levels;
  • Advice on the partnership networks for overall enhancement of partnerships at the different levels of engagement (County, National and Global);
• Technical Support and Capacity Building for Programme Quality (30%)
  • Oversee the development, and implementation of PIK’s partnership tool kit, as may be required and other relevant frameworks that are aligned to Plan Kenya’s Country Strategy and Plan International’s Global purpose and ensure that these toolkits and frameworks are disseminated to pertinent staff within Plan Kenya;
  • Responsible for conducting partner assessments and working jointly with the 
  • partners and Technical Advisors to develop customized plans, that include a monitoring
  • and evaluation plan for organizational improvement; 
  • Lead in identification of programs and projects needs for technical assistance and plan for tailor made technical support sessions including partners’ capacity to monitor and adapt to the changing operational environment;
  • Help build partnerships capacity and negotiation skills among PU and project managers;
  • Collaborate with the technical team to conduct joint-field visits to link Plan Kenya’s 
  • development initiatives with the wider organisational goals for quality service delivery and
  •  impact;
  • Coordinate organizational development and capacity building activities with other ongoing
  •  program initiatives, to maximize the Return on Investment and minimize overlaps an
  • duplication; 
  • Lead on the provision of proven and appropriate methods of training including and not
  •  limited to mentoring and coaching to improve the technical and management capacity of Plan Kenya’s implementing partners;
  • Assess the capacity of PIK to deliver on Building Better Partnerships and undertake capacity strengthening measures based on these assessments; 
  • Represent Plan Kenya in technical meetings at the national meetings or working groups that are related to partnership building 
  • In liaison with the Technical Advisors, Grants Team and other core staff identify an
  •  optimize opportunities for mutual capacity building/learning amongst different partners;
  • In collaboration with Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning team, monitor and 
  • report on all relevant information regarding the organizational strengthening investments
  •  made by Plan Kenya;
  • In collaboration with Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning team, support in 
  • knowledge management and learning on partnership strengthening as well as ensure joint monitoring initiatives together with our implementing partners;
  • In close collaboration with the Program Implementation and Quality directorate, provide technical support to partners for the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of quality and innovative programming, including grant-financed initiatives. 
• Resource mobilisation and programme development (25%) 
  • Incorporate lessons from Plan Kenya’s technical experiences in building better partnerships into high quality thought leadership pieces and positioning activities for industry engagement and participation in practitioner networks; 
  • Lead and actively participate in resource mobilization efforts to deliver on Building Better Partnerships as appropriate through proposal and concept note writing as well as product development;
  • Develop tactical and strategic relationships with key funding agencies and private sector, implementation and other partners, and Plan International colleagues in National and Regional Offices who work on Partnership building so as to tap and create new funding opportunities; 
  • Provide strategic leadership for the identification, up-scaling and resourcing of effective models and methods for the strengthening partnerships and mutual learning, including CSOs, community-based organisations, children and youth organizations, as well as informal civil society group and networks. 
  • In collaboration with the grants and BD staff provide technical support to partners in 
  • proposal development, reporting and overall donor compliance;
• Risk Management & Financial Responsibility (5%)
  • Monitor programme performance and budget utilization and guide on corrective measures where needed;
  • Coordinate and support programme quality and delivery on Building Better Partnerships initiatives and projects audits and adequate application of management response across all impact areas.
• 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

Qualifications/ experience essential: 

• Minimum Bachelors and preferably a Masters in social sciences or related courses.
• A minimum experience of 7 years’ in implementing program management or community development work that mainly included partnerships’, coalition or movement building and management especially while working with girls and youth.
•  Knowledge and professional experience in the area of civil society strengthening, child rights and child / youth governance and participation. 
• Demonstrated technical advisory expertise in the design, implementation and evaluation of programming for civil society strengthening for children’s rights.
• Relevant work experience from working for civil society organisations, particularly youth and/or members-based organisations, including with organisational development at a strategic and operational level.
• Relevant work experience of advocacy and influence at a strategic level.
• Experience (at least three years) in results-based project management or logical framework, and rights-based monitoring and evaluation. 
• Knowledge of child and/or human rights-based approach, children and youth rights issues.
• Knowledge on gender mainstreaming approaches, such as gender transformative approach.
• Demonstrated facilitation and training experience
• A clear understanding of the strategies for engaging with youth, especially young women in programme activities and advocacy;
• Good understanding of safeguarding standards and protocols; 
• Result oriented, good interpersonal and communication skills including influencing and negotiation;
• Commitment to Plan values and willingness to abide by Child and Young people Safeguarding Policy and hold others accountable;
• Excellent presentation and communication skills; 
• Excellent planning, coordination, and reporting skills;
• Proven experience in providing technical assistance to complex protection programs;
• Commitment to Plan Kenya’s position on promoting girls’ rights and gender equality and integrating all these aspects in their day to day work.

Languages required

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Behaviors:

• Engages sensitively with community members on issues of gender equality and inclusion, demonstrating an understanding of the local culture and context;
• Able to view even distressing situations objectively by leaving personal attitudes and judgmental responses to one side;
• Promotes equality, including gender equality, inclusion and empowerment of young women in Plan’s work and in its work with partners;
• Apply participatory influencing methodologies both internally and externally 
• The ability to build collaborative working relationships; 
• Uses creativity to challenge the norm and promote innovation and thinks and acts for the wider organization – linking partnership opportunities with the context of the wider organizational strategy;
• Communicates effectively at a high level and with a range of appropriate styles for different audiences;
• Builds capability through knowledge sharing, networking, mentoring, coaching and advocates the importance of knowledge management.
• Promotes and facilitates teamwork, provides vision and strategic leadership in an inclusive manner
• Flexible, adaptive while maintaining the big picture
• Assumes responsibility for actions and the results of these
• Innovative, entrepreneurial and pro-actively takes the initiative to identify new opportunities
• Able to put visionary ideas into practice and concrete measures. 
• Always ensures child and youth safe-guarding while in and out of work

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 organization, 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.