JOB OPPORTUNITY
Position: Project Coordinator- Improving Reading & Writing Skills of children in Kalikot
Number of Vacancies: 1
Functional Area: Partnership Management and Impact (PMI)
Reports to: Program Specialist – Learn (WRO)
Location: Narharinath Rural Municipality, Kalikot
Travel required: Yes (up to 50%)
Effective Date: As soon as possible
Grade: C2
Type: Fixed Term Employment until 30 June 2023 based in Kalikot (Partner’s Office)
ABOUT PLAN INTERNATIONAL
Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners in over 75 countries. Our programs are underpinned by a core of defined values, including transparency and accountability, team collaboration, inclusion and integration, as well as the overall ambition to empower girls and young women as legacy.
Plan International has been working in Nepal since 1978 and developed a strong reputation as a respected development and humanitarian actor helping marginalised children, their families and communities to access their rights to health, education, economic security and protection. Through the support of local partners, Plan International works in 24 districts in Nepal.
Plan International Nepal has a vision for 2030 as “an inclusive, just and safe society where all girls and young women enjoy their rights and live in freedom”. This is coupled with the ambition of taking action so that 100 million girls learn, lead, decide and thrive as “Girls and young women in all of their diversity reach their full potential as equal and active citizens” by 2023. The country strategy is put into action through the implementation of three interrelated program areas defined as follows:
LEARN: the “Education and Skills and Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (SOYEE)” program aims to assist vulnerable and excluded girls and young women so they are fully prepared for and equipped to adapt and thrive in a changing climate; both in development & humanitarian setting/ context;
LEAD AND DECIDE: the “Youth as Active Drivers of Change and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)” program aims to empower girls and young women in leading change, having control over their bodies and making informed decisions; and
THRIVE: the “Early Childhood Development (ECD), Child Protection and Child Poverty” program enhances vulnerable and excluded children, especially girls, to be valued and cared for without discrimination, fear and any forms of violence.
Plan international Nepal seeks candidates who practice feminist leadership, promote diversity, actively seek innovative solutions for problems, courageously and respectfully share their opinions and ideas, break down barriers and engender cross-department collaboration, practice active listening, maintain confidentiality, build trust and are passionate about children’s rights and equality for girls.
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation working in 51 developing countries that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
Plan International has been working in Nepal since 1978, helping marginalised children, their families and communities to access their rights to health, education, economic security and protection. Through the support of local partners, Plan International works in 42 districts in Nepal. The main program areas in its new Country Strategy are Early Childhood Development, Basic Education, Youth Economic Empowerment, Child Protection and Resilience, including humanitarian assistance as required.
ROLE PURPOSE
[A concise statement, capturing the primary reasons that this role exists and a clear articulation of the context of the role. How will this role contribute to creating lasting change for children?]
With direct supervision of Program Specialist – LEARN, this position is responsible to oversee and ensure a high quality project delivery/ implementation of Improving Reading & Writing Skills of children in Kalikot (IRWSCK) Project and achieve the set targets. Engaging with Business Development (BD) team, s/he will ensure the Plan and/or donor compliance and timely reporting. Furthermore, she/he will be responsible to manage overall performance of partners under Learn programme at district level. The position will represent Plan in various forums in the respective sector/s; including government at municipal and district level, other stakeholders and likeminded organization. The position will also work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Coordinator of Regional Office-West to enhance the capacity and skill of partner NGO on the sector of data management, capture the evidences and reporting.
Description
DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE
[This section provides a summary of the size and authority of the post. It covers the size of the budget held, the numbers of direct reports, other key stakeholders who may depend on it, the type of communication required, the external representation involved and the reach of the role.]
Reports to: Program Specialist – Learn (WRO)
Budget Accountability: Yes (as per Plan Nepal’s LoA)
Number of direct reports: None
External relationships and representation: Frequently represents Plan International Nepal to external stakeholders, both at district and municipality level
ACCOUNTABILITIES
[This section is critical for clarifying expectations of the role, providing the framework for its relationship with colleagues and providing areas of accountability against which performance can be managed.
This should include a series of brief statements that define the end results required. E.g. drive, contribute identify, manage, responsible for, advise/coach, build, develop, provide, conduct, oversee, establish, participate etc.
Statements should ideally be worded so that they will lead to thoughts of measurement. For example, it is better to state something like “achieve maintenance standards” than “undertake maintenance”. The former leads to a measure against the maintenance standards.]
Project Management
- Lead the project planning processes and ensures partners have annual detailed implementation plan including realistic phased budget outlining major activities and timeline for the funds allocated in required planning templates provided by the Organization/NO/Donor.
- Ensures appropriate fund allocation and expenditure on a monthly basis and take corrective measures by revisiting plans and communicating timely with Supervisor and Partners.
- Reviews the project’s Budget vs Actual (BvA) and transaction reports and report on any glitches identified.
- Support Program Specialist to lead the revision of budgets during budget forecast and on exchange rate fluctuations as per organizational procedures.
- Ensure a detailed implementation plan is in place and implementing partners complete the project/s according to schedule, within budget and following all mandatory compliances
- Lead administrative and supportive activities to ensure the contracted services and expectations are carried out by the project team within Implementation Partner organisation/s in accordance with executed contracts and the donors’ expectations.
- Ensure quality, timely and accurate reporting capturing disaggregated data, outputs, outcomes and impact of the project/program.
- Monitor project implementation to track progress against plan and as per technical benchmarks and recommend corrective measures
- Identify risks and challenges in project implementation and partnership and develop mitigation measures.
- Act as liaison between partner organization and Plan International Nepal to ensure smooth delivery of project/program at District.
Programme Quality
- Support to focal persons at partner in planning, implementation and monitoring of project plan as per the given guidelines.
- Ensures that the programs have project implementation guideline, quality benchmarks in place and is exclusively followed at all levels.
- Coordinate Technical Advisor (TA) – Education to ensure technical quality of projects
- Work closely with TA – Education, Program Specialist – LEARN and partners to achieve quality outcome of program.
- Ensures that all action plans developed after project reviews, evaluations and assessments are followed up and completed by respective partners on time.
- Support to Program Specialist to Identify strength and area of improvement of partners for quality delivery of the projects and comes up with plans to improve such gaps
- Ensures that data is well optimized for the project at all levels by partners, and regular update is done.
- Ensures incorporation of feminism and gender transformative approach in project’s interventions.
Effective Partnership Management
- Manage implementing partners to ensure project deliverables are met as per the project design.
- Adequate training and support to deliver projects, including but not limited to, PMD Pro tools and guidance on Plan’s project cycle procedures.
- Support to Program Specialist Learn to implement and monitor audit actions of the assigned partners and seek necessary support from Partner Support Specialist and TA – Education as required.
- Support program specialist to identify gaps in partner’s governance and staff capacity and develop areas of improvement and its monitoring mechanism
- Ensure mutual oversight and regular two-way feedback with partners.
Influencing, Campaigns and Communications
- Contribute to develop priority district/local level campaigns ensuring harmonisation with global/national priority campaigns in collaboration with Program Specialist – LEARN and Regional Manager.
- Working together with local authorities to identify key area to strengthen stronger inclusive and gender-sensitive programmes at municipal level.
- Ensure operationalization of Global Policy on Safeguarding Children and Young People in the project.
- Support Program Specialist Learn to lead evidence based lobby and advocacy within the project scope in planning and delivering campaigning and advocacy work and ensure that Project plan include influencing objectives.
- Represent Plan in relevant committees, professional networks and mechanism to maintain organization’s professional image.
- Be innovative to conduct campaigns at local and advocacy for disability and social inclusion for positive parenting, ending child, early and forced marriage and other relevant issues affecting children within the project scope
- Be innovative to influence local government to initiate STEAM Approach in education from the initial stage of planning process.
- Contribute to communications and media work as required.
Review, Document and Learn
- Ensure sponsored children/families are reached through project interventions.
- Document field lessons acquired through monitoring visits and interaction with targeted communities, especially girls and young women.
- Support to Program Specialist Learn to disseminate success and failure stories among various departments to inform decision making.
- Identify best practices, problems and issues around project implementation and works toward finding solutions for improvements, documenting, disseminating them.
Mainstreaming Plan’s corporate policies in Implementation
- Ensure risks associated with Safeguarding Children and Young People are identified and mitigation measures placed during implementation of project activities.
- Ensure partner/s and their relevant staff understand and abide by Plan’s mandatory corporate policies during implementation of projects/programmes.
- Ensure Anti-fraud, Anti-bribery and Corruption policy is clearly articulated to partners and necessary checkpoints are in place to prevent breach.
- Ensure value-based leadership is practiced by partner/s’ staff.
Monitoring and supervision
- Work closely with MER Team and Program Specialist-Learn to carry out various surveys of the project.
- Ensure effective project monitoring by taking necessary corrective actions that are being followed up and reviewed periodically
- Undertake frequent field monitoring visits and report performance against established schedules and targets with regular update in SAP as per the milestones set in Project Outline (PO)
- Work closely with Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Coordinator at Regional Office and also with Program Specialist Learn to ensure that implementation of activities is done in line with M&E requirements. This include ensuring that links exist with reporting requirements, data management, documentation of best practices, case studies and learning
- Provide technical support to Partner NGOs to make best use of data in their project planning process through input, analysis and utilization of data.
Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People (SCYP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) 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.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
[This section details the skills, knowledge and expertise the post holder will be required to demonstrate in doing the job well.
This should include clear levels of technical expertise and skills that support our work at national, international, and global level.]
Essential
- Bachelor degree in Education with at least 4-5 years of experience in a Coordinator role including grants management.
- Master degree in Education with at least 2-3 years of experience in related sector
- Demonstrated experience in designing/managing Education portfolios.
- Advanced knowledge and experience of International and National Education program, projects and policies
- In depth knowledge and experience on policy provisions in education at federal, provincial and local levels, understanding of gaps and scope of influencing
- Experience in project implementation, partnership management, government engagement, designing / managing of integrated Projects.
- Proven experience of managing team, budgets and other management domains
- Work experience on local level partnership/coordination
- Experience of development and humanitarian issues affecting children, women and families
- Up to date on various project design and evaluation models and government program and policies.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, a variety of team members and external contacts through good written and spoken communication skills.
- Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation of integrated Project.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in successfully using key influencing strategies such as advocacy, lobbying, movement building, or policy development
- Strong knowledge of child and women’s rights and gender justice
- Good understanding of the development and NGO sector.
Desirable
- Understanding of the structures, processes and trends in the Nepal political system and their impact in education sector.
- Good understanding of the processes by which you achieve policy change and of how to conduct power and political analysis.
- Ability to plan work and meet deadlines when working under pressure on a number of projects.
- Commitment to Plan’s values including the rights and needs of children.
- Experience of working for an international organisation.
Skills
- Analytical, strategic thinking and negotiating skills.
- Ability to build effective relations for influencing and team work.
- Excellent organisation and prioritizing skills o Ability to write clearly and concisely in English and Nepali
- Innovative and creative thinking with problem solving
- Managing work relationships (internal/external), coordination and networking.
- Proven IT skills: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.
- Report writing and documentation.
- Ability to prioritise and multitask work when dealing with competing deadlines, sometimes with limited resources.
Attitude and Behaviours
- Respect and promote marginalized people; men/women, boy /girls, youth and young women and recognize their capabilities and ideas.
- Takes responsibility for social change, gender sensitive and transparent. o Taking initiative to be innovative and creative to achieve results.
- Strives for quality in all they do, respecting deadlines, working continuously to improve performance.
- Takes responsibility for their actions, and learn from behaviour, successes and failures.
- Supports gender equality, diversity and multi-sociocultural and challenges forms of inequality or harassment.
- Encourages children young people, partners and colleagues to be meaningfully involved in decisions that affect them.
- Listens to and understand views of colleagues and partners. Draws on their experience and learning to ensure high quality and result oriented work.
- Ability to build, nurture and manage team.
- Ability to work comfortably and sensitively across cultures.
- Uses evidence-based results to make choices and drive change.
PLAN INTERNATIONAL’S VALUES IN PRACTICE
We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people
We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
We are inclusive and empowering
- We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
- We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
- We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
- The position is based in Narharinath Rural Municipality of Kalikot, Karnali Province with frequent travel to project areas including provincial capital, Birendrangar Surkhet as required.
LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH CHILDREN
High level: Frequent interaction with children
Say Yes ! To Keeping Children and Young people safe and Protected.
Note: Plan International Nepal invites the applications from female candidates only with priority to candidates from minority and youth groups for the this position.
Source: Kantipur Dainik, 19 July, 2021
