Ireland: Desk Officer - Development Programmes

Plan International Ireland currently implements development grants in two regions, West Africa and Asia, comprising eight priority countries. We are committed to ensuring the delivery of high-quality programmes that are accountable to all stakeholders, and deliver sustainable change.

The Desk Officer will be part of our Development Programmes Team which is responsible for managing and maintaining our grant portfolio. S/He will be the primary focal point between Plan International Ireland and Plan Country Offices where our grants are being delivered. S/He will be expected to cover a Country Portfolio of four West Africa countries, depending on the size and scope of our grants. Key Functions in managing the Country Portfolio:

 Management of development programme grants within the designated countries;

 Strong co-ordination and liaison with both Country Offices and National Offices, in order to support the delivery of high-quality programmes;

 Maintenance of robust donor engagement and identification of new funding opportunities, ensuring a robust grants pipeline to our priority Country Offices;

 Sharing of learning and knowledge management for development programmes, both internally and across Country Offices to strengthen delivery of programmes;

 Acting as focal point and providing technical capacity on a relevant thematic, and/or donor and/or project management area;

 Maintenance of a strong context analysis on priority countries and on the donor landscape;

 Contributing to opportunities to profile our work, within the Plan Federation and within Ireland. Key internal links:

The Desk Officer will link closely with Plan Ireland’s technical experts to strengthen the design and management of development programme grants, supporting a robust pipeline of grants. S/He will liaise with the fundraising and communications department to profile Plan’s work in the designated country offices, and within Ireland.

 Support Country Offices in the development, implementation, monitoring and review of Country Strategic Plans (CSPs);

 Liaise with other National Offices (Germany, UK, Canada, Belgium etc) working in designated countries to maximise co-ordination, learning, and grant opportunities;

 Ensure Country Offices are fully aware of Plan International Ireland thematic priorities, and share current thinking and best practices as appropriate;

 Contribute towards staff training and organisational learning in designated countries where appropriate;

 Assist designated countries in lobbying and influencing all relevant stakeholders (including donors) toward children’s rights.

 Provide continuous mentoring and backstopping support to a designated number of Country Offices to ensure quality delivery (eg start up workshop), timely reporting (internally and to donors), and M&E processes of grants secured by Plan International Ireland;

 Conduct regular monitoring missions (at least four a year), to supported countries to review activity plans, achievement of outputs and outcomes and adherence to Plan International and donors’ policy and compliance rules;

 Support Country Offices to implement good practices in all aspects of programme/project cycle and budget management liaising with Plan International Ireland finance team;

 Work with Country Office teams to maintain appropriate flows of communication with partners including contracting procedures, dissemination of templates, funding schedules, report deadlines and to build their capacities;

 Manage grant budgets to ensure timely and accurate expenditure and reporting;

 Assist the Country Office teams in identifying innovative and successful approaches and scalable solutions in-country;

 Represent Plan International Ireland to donors as required and to deal with their related inquiries;

Maintain programme records and associated files (including project contracts and internal compliance documents) for designated countries to facilitate reporting.

 Contribute to the development and implementation of funding strategies for designated Country Offices;

 Support the Development Programmes Team in the development high quality proposals related to designated Country Offices.

 Manage programme review and evaluation, and share learning, research and best practices, in close co-ordination with Plan International Ireland’s technical advisors;

 Assist Country Offices to develop stories of change, case studies and briefing papers that can also be shared with the communications, fundraising, programme funding and technical teams as appropriate;

 Maintain watching brief on country context, programmes/projects, and evaluation and/or advocacy initiatives of designated countries, and share with internal teams where appropriate;

 Seek opportunities to develop advocacy, communications and development education material on designated countries, where appropriate.

 Contribute actively to Plan International Ireland’s Development Programmes Unit, sharing ideas and experience to ensure the implementation of our programme strategy and to build programme quality.

1. Minimum 4 years relevant experience in an international development project or programme management role (including at least 3 years in overseas development programmes).

2. Educated to masters level, in an international development related field.

3. Knowledge and experience of programme cycle management, RBM and CRBA.

4. Experience in donor compliance.

5. Strong analytical skills and financial understanding.

6. Experience in using participatory approaches in project design and implementation.

7. Experience in working with a portfolio of donors and donor compliance.

8. Ability and willingness to travel to country offices and other locations as required.

9. Fluency in English and working knowledge of French.

10. Experience of working in West Africa.

11. Knowledge of Portuguese.

Plan.ie Desk Officer - Development Programmes May 2017 4

1. Strong communications and networking skills: the role requires co-ordination with a diverse number of stakeholders, both internal and external. S/He will need to have strong written and verbal communication skills, and be able to adapt messages to meet diverse audiences.

2. Excellent time management and organisational skills: the role requires an ability to plan well and deliver on objectives in a timely way, particularly in relation to meeting grant management deadlines.

3. Proven learning, creativity and innovation ability: the role requires someone who is willing to seek out, develop and successfully implement new ideas, or adopt proven approaches that support the delivery of quality programmes.

4. Ability to influence, advocate and profile our work: S/He must be willing to engage with others inside and outside the organisation to promote our child rights agenda, and profile the work of Plan International Ireland.

5. A team player who is willing to adapt to change: S/He will be willing to respond positively and constructively to change, and play an active role in Plan International Ireland’s Development Programmes Unit.

Please submit a CV and letter of motivation by 02 June 2017 to hr@plan.ie. For more information on Plan International Ireland, see www.plan.ie.

Please indicate your:

 Current Salary

 Salary expectations

Applicants must have a valid work permit at the time of applying to enable them to work in Ireland. Garda/police checks and clearance are essential prior to job offer as part of Plan Ireland’s child protection controls.

Plan regrets that only short-listed candidates will be contacted in response to applications.