Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. 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.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

Role Purpose

As a Country Director, you will be Plan International’s lead representative in country.  You will lead Plan Internationals presence in country, including driving Plan International’s programme and influencing work, setting overall direction, leading a high performing team, ensuring accountability for meeting demanding targets and maintaining alignment with the global strategy.

You will be deeply comfortable with leading transformative change, have a demonstrable commitment to gender equality and relish the prospect of representing Plan International to the highest levels of government, civil society, the media and international media.

You will understand and drive efforts to deliver positive change for girls through advocating, campaigning and communicating at a national level. Equally you will ensure the country operating model is fit for purpose, we have the right funding mix to achieve our ambition, key business processes are in place and organisational values are embedded in everything we do.

You will lead by example in ensuring gender equality is evident in everything we do from staffing, to programming and influencing, to ways of working. You will work with your team to bring about the right culture that ensures we are champions for girls and gender equality.

You will lead a motivated team, ensure legal compliance, and be ready and able to respond to emergency and development needs of the most marginalised children, especially girls.

Dimensions of the Role

• Leadership, management and development of the Ghana team in full compliance with local laws and Plan International policies and standards;
• Lead the implementation of the Country Strategy, and the Annual Planning and Budgeting exercise;
• Ensuring high quality programme work is delivered with the maximum involvement of girls, boys, young people and people with disabilities as actors following Plan International’s Program Quality Procedures (PQP);
• Growing and managing a quality grant portfolio to ensure that funds are raised in a timely manner for the implementation of the country strategy while respecting commitments to donors and communities;
• Ensuring readiness to emergencies is built into all programme planning, and lead emergency response interventions if need arises;
• Representation of Plan International, its work and its values to the authorities and key decision-makers in Ghana;
• Maintaining good working relationships with Government authorities ensuring compliance with laws and regulations whilst achieving Plan International´s strategic priority goals;
• Ensuring that key risks are identified and managed pro-actively, including safeguarding of children and youth, safety and security, fraud, legal risks and risks to the reputation of Plan International
• Ensuring the application of our Gender-Transformative and Inclusive approach in the workplace, in projects and programs and in the interactions with partners, associates and the public.
• As a member of the Regional Leadership Team, the Country Director of Ghana is expected to contribute to the overall learning and strategic direction within the region.
• The organisation is committed to meeting safeguarding expectations across all its operations and will expect the Country Director to ensure all incidents regarding child abuse and sexual harassment are reported and effectively managed.

Accountabilities

Plan International’s work in Ghana will be delivered by a motivated and efficient team, skilled in their area of expertise and reflecting the values of the organisation 

• The Country Office meets performance against organisations management standards at all times.

• Creation and management of high performing teams delivering excellent technical work, using child-centred and gender-transformative approaches in line with Global and Country Strategies;

• Manage individuals across the team to ensure full development of potential through induction, mentoring/ coaching, and performance management, ensuring compliance in all core policy and business areas, including Gender and Child protection
• Ensure staff numbers and structures will be designed and kept at a level that is efficient and cost effective, in line with the available country budget

• Manage work environments to reduce risk from health and safety and security hazards
• Generate solutions for identifying and supporting high performing staff to deliver country objectives.

Plan International’s work in Ghana will be guided by accurate and timely work-plans and budgets that can be used to create impact and efficiency

• Deliver accurate and timely Annual Plans and Budgets

• Lead on management standards assessment and continuous improvement of CO collaboration, delivery & impact
• Ensure the development of work-plans from Country Strategy documents and on the basis of ongoing environment analysis
• Create realistic phased budgets for all programme and influence work and projects Ensure efficient and fully compliant financial management in the allocation/budgeting, disbursement and accounting for all resources
• Ensure proper use of systems in country as well as data quality to enable reporting and analysis
• Deliver grant and sponsorship work on time with clear measurable impact on children and in full compliance with donor requirements and Plan International’s policies and procedures ensuring that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to measure outcomes and stimulate learning within and beyond the organization.

Plan International’s work in Ghana will be relevant to the needs of the most vulnerable children and particularly girls and young women

• Develop and implement an ambitious Country Strategy, based on a thorough analysis of gender power relations and child rights issues ensuring programme and influencing work and projects are focused on gender transformation and equality for girls. This should include the participation and consultation of key stakeholders for child rights in the country, including children and young people themselves
• Ensure our programme and influence approach is effectively utilised and that we are achieving impact at scale by linking grassroots action to national level influencing. Ensure effective and swift emergency preparedness analysis, risk reduction and resilience building is part of all our programme and influencing work in country. Work with and lead the country management team to ensure Plan International is ready to respond to emergencies – predictable and sudden onset – in a timely and professional manner and show consideration for gender equality.

• The location of programme work is regularly reviewed to ensure that existing sponsorship communities receive regular benefits as per the Sponsorship Commitments and new communities are reached when appropriate;
• The programme is registered with the relevant authorities and compliant with local laws and MoUs exist with concerned ministries giving due recognition to Plan International and its work in Ghana;
• Country leadership and staff are well aware of the country security situation and protocols and Standard Operating Procedures are developed and implemented giving due consideration to security and safety of staff and visitors;
• The PIQP approach is intrinsic to all programme work;
• The Country Office meets performance against organisation’s management standards at all times including Audits and Risk management.

Plan International’s work in Ghana will be well funded and the portfolio continue growing

• Develop and implement an effective Resource Mobilisation strategy that enables Plan International to maximise its value in country, meet its strategic ambition and has the greatest impact for children.
• Represent Plan International to donor agencies locally and track potential funding sources to ensure timely knowledge of funding opportunities in a coordinated manner

• Explore local funding opportunities and support proposal development in partnership with Plan International’s National Organisations and in line with the agreed strategy
• Delivery of grant and sponsorship work on time with clear measurable impact on children and in full compliance with donor requirements and Plan International´s priorities and methodologies.
• Ensure sound proposal development and budgeting, maximising opportunities to cost recover

Plan International’s work in Ghana will be recognised locally and internationally as effective and relevant to the needs of highly vulnerable children especially girls

• Lead representation of Plan International’s work to all key stakeholders (local leaders, donor representatives in the country, INGOs locally and internationally) to regularly promote the issues being addressed and the work addressing them;
• Initiate and engage in extensive collaboration and consultation with local and central authorities, INGOs, national NGOs and local communities;
• Ensure timely and engaging external communications that keeps Plan International at the forefront of the issues affecting children in Ghana;
• Sharing Plan International Ghana’s experience and collaborating with other parts of the organisation in a shared service approach regarding the technical and operational aspects of our programs and interventions

Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships

Internal:

• Country Leadership Team
• Staff within the country office and all Programme Units
• Director of the Sub Region – line manager
• Regional Office Management Team members
• Other Country Directors, especially those in the region.
• Plan International National Organisations
• Functional departments in the Global Headquarters.

External:

• National and local authorities (national government, municipalities, etc.)
• Community leaders in the areas of Plan International’s operations
• Partners, civil society members and alliances
• Media at local and national level
• Grants donors, National Organisations, Corporates, and National Institutions
• Other INGO leaders and networks.
• Relevant UN cluster group, including UN and donor representatives
• Relevant university, research and influencing partners in country

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

• Relevant University degree in development, social science, business administration or related field or equivalent experience

• Cultural understanding and proven significant experience of exercising leadership functions with increasing responsibility in an international environment related to development or with diverse populations, cultures, and social or economic contexts. Understanding of Ghanaian historical and socio-political context will be key. Minimum of 5 years at a relevant leadership position.
• Proven experience of exercising leadership functions with increasing responsibility in an international environment related to development and humanitarian action.
• Proven understanding of “child rights” and “gender in development and humanitarian contexts” concepts and the promotion of girls’ rights in the context of relevant International Conventions (Convention of the Rights of the Child, Convention for the Eradication of Discrimination against Women) and the Global Goals (SDGs).
• Knowledge of the geopolitical factors affecting child-poverty in the country and the political, social and environmental opportunities for change is an advantage
• Experience and understanding of the concepts of sustainable community development and participatory approaches and practice in development interventions.
• Knowledge of humanitarian response and in particular responding to large refugee populations in a protracted crisis environment to bring about durable solutions.
• Knowledge of the requirements of donor compliance and financial management
• Knowledge of programming in challenging environments with good understanding and appreciation of the historical, security context, political environment, economic, social/religious and humanitarian context in Rwanda or a comparable environment.
• Proven skills in the development and management of effective and motivated teams, including distance management.
• Excellent English written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven networking and negotiation skills with governmental and non-governmental actors
• Strong diplomatic and communication skills, including through mass-media in order to influence decision-makers and key stakeholders.

Strategic Leadership Competencies

• Drive progress in the area of responsibility by setting and communicating an ambitious but realistic strategy, aligned with Plan International’s short and longer-term priorities and appropriately resourced.
• Use own behaviour to role model the culture change we need, upholding our values and accelerating progress towards gender equality inside Plan International, with our partners and in wider society.
• Ensure effective delivery by leading through others, working closely with our support functions, keeping abreast of what is going on in the own business unit or function and responding quickly if problems arise.
• Make timely decisions, even in uncertainty and when information is imperfect. Manage opportunities and risks and adjust actions as situations unfold and we learn more.
• Grow the professional and leadership capabilities we will need in future by developing the skills and potential of our workforce and coach teams to act in turn as developers of other people.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively with large and diverse groups of people, giving them the understanding and motivation to succeed and involving all staff in reflection, innovation and improvement.
• Build strategic relationships with key leaders, experts and stakeholders across the Plan
• International federation and externally, navigating political and power interests and negotiating positive outcomes.

Business and management competencies

• Organisational understanding – Purpose, priorities, values and approaches
• Business processes, policies, practices and standards
• Managing resources and finance
• Formal people management
• Managing risk
• Managing technology and digital working
• Project management

Dealing with Problems

• Quick ability to understand the complexity of Plan’s business model, organisational structures and decision-making processes.
• Dealing with security/emergency conditions – the Country Director has to be actively involved in having security information and providing clear guidance for the safety and security of staff, assets and programmes.
• Flexibility to support other Country Offices across the Region.
• Ability to establish and sustain partnerships with local NGOs, community-based organisations, government partners and national and international institutions and NGOs.
• Ability to manage complex funding models to support priority interventions, whilst ensuring adherence to donors and Plan’s requirements.