Plan Ethiopia Chief of Party, Girls Education Programme

Working in 50 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas, Plan’s stated Global Strategic Goal (2011-15) is to reach as many children as possible, particularly those who are excluded or marginalised, with high-quality programmes that deliver long-lasting benefits. Plan aims to achieve this goal by working in partnership with others and through high performing teams whose behaviours reflect the corporate values. Plan has a global income of around $800m.

With Plan International serving as lead agency, the Chief of Party (COP) is responsible for overall management of, and technical support to, a project supporting girls education, including managing all activities of sub-recipients, coordinating all programme-focused strategic planning and decision making, and managing key personnel. The COP will serve as key liaison with the donor and all other agency counterparts, implementing partners, and other stakeholders involved with the programme.

Primary responsibilities include providing overall leadership, management, and general technical direction of the programme, assuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and ensuring programme performance against agreed deliverables. Reporting to the Programme Manager in the Country Office, the COP is accountable for ensuring achievement of programme requirements and adherence to donor regulations.

Dimensions of role: •Team management including directly managing Plan employees and matrix management of other key roles •Budget will be approximately £16 million

Main responsibilities; The COP is expected to bring experience in education programming and capacity building of organisations in the local context to: •Provide overall technical and managerial oversight and leadership for the project. •Supervise field operations, administration, logistics, and procurement for all project activities. •Manage project personnel and lead strategic planning processes. •Ensure efficient management of financial resources, including review and approval of programme budgets, monitoring expenditures, and implementing cost control measures. •Oversee management and monitoring of sub-grants, and lead strategic project planning for Plan and all partners. •Supervise programme monitoring, evaluation, and reporting and ensure quality control and timeliness of all deliverables as required by the grant and donors. •Serve as a principal representative to the donor, government entities, project partners and stakeholders, and other institutions and individuals to ensure effective, synergistic programme implementation, to create collaborative partnerships and alliances, and to foster positive, sustainable relationships. •Ensure smooth working relations and collaboration among consortium members/sub recipients •Ensures that the Plan Ethiopia Country Director and the Country Management Team are provided with timely reports and analysis to support effective programme management and the optimal use of resources •Ensure submission of timely and reliable financial information to the wider organisation and to third parties as appropriate

Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours required to Achieve Role’s Objectives: •Minimum Master’s Degree or equivalent in social sciences or related field •Long term senior-level management experience in implementing and managing large, complex child education and system strengthening projects. •Significant experience in managing DFID and/or EC programs preferred •Previous Chief of Party experience is essential •Demonstrated ability to implement projects and accomplish deliverables, in line with defined timelines, and to ensure programme quality through the use of donor approved monitoring and evaluation systems. •Experience working and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, such as local partners, government officials, donor representatives, and international staff. •Proven experience hiring, training, and supervising teams of international and local staff. •Proven leadership, inter-personal and cross-cultural skills, and ability to build and motivate diverse teams. •Previous work experience in Ethiopia preferred •Awareness of child protection issues •Excellent communication, management and leadership skills along with excellent written and oral English •Proven analytical skills to identify priorities and resolve challenges •Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and Outlook. •Demonstrated knowledge of the Ethiopian Education System. •Knowledge of key donor regulations including, but not limited to financial reporting standards related to UK and other European Government contracts •Ability to manage change and respond to situations at short notice •Ability to work under pressure, as part of a team or independently, and meet deadlines consistently. •Demonstrated decision making and risk management capabilities •Ability to integrate teams of professionals around common goals, as well as demonstrated ability working with host-country ministries and donor colleagues.

Location: Chief of Party Ethiopia to be based in Addis Ababa, or other locations subject to agreement

Travel: International and local travel within the region

Type of Role: Three year fixed term contract

Reports to: Programme Manager, Plan Ethiopia

Closing Date: Monday 19th November 2012

This is an accompanied position and a full relocation package will be available

References will be taken and background and anti-terrorism checks will be carried out in conformity with Plans Child Protection Policy. Plan operates an equal opportunities policy and actively encourages diversity, welcoming applications from all areas of the international community.

How to apply: 

To apply for this role please visit our website and submit your application: http://plan-international.org/about-plan/jobs