Role PURPOSE and Background

Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organisation committed to children living a life free of poverty, violence and injustice.

We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives. We support children to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

The position contributes to this goal by supporting the finance and accounts function in the Ukraine Response Emergency area by ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and value for money transactions.

Dimensions of the Role

The Child Protection (CP) and MHPSS Specialist is responsible for leading the overall development and technical quality of Plan International’s Poland child protection response, including Disability Inclusion and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). This includes providing technical leadership on assessment, response analysis, design, coordination, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of Plan’s CP & MHPSS, SGBV, and MHPSS programming.

The CP & MHPSS Specialist will report to the Head of Mission and be expected to work closely with Plan’s partner civil society organizations and other Plan International team members, including technical experts, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) and Information Management, Business Development Manager, and Programme Managers, to ensure a rapid, proportionate, and effective response.

The role will also have a dotted line reporting to the CP & MHPSS Specialist in Plan International’s Ukraine Hub to ensure there is coordination and oversight with Plan’s wider emergency response.

Accountabilities

• Ensure that PLAN’s CP & MHPSS assessment activities are coordinated with other Plan’s programmatic areas, protection actors, stakeholders, and Governmental and non-Governmental agencies.
• Ensure that Plan’ programs are disability inclusive, meet the needs of children with special needs and in line with Plan’ Diversity Inclusion Policy.
• Identify potential partnerships to implement recommendations, assess potential partners where available or make recommendations on how to fill gaps.

• In collaboration with national and international CP & MHPSS actors, map current institutional response capacities and long-term programming.
• Design most appropriate CP & MHPSS interventions based on the outcomes of assessments and the context.
• Development of concept notes and proposals, independently and with local partners.
• Ensure PLAN’s guidelines, strategy and the Inter-agency Minimum Standards are considered, and any deviation documented.

• Work closely with the relevant implementation manager(s) to ensure that the implementation of relevant activities is planned and implemented in a phased and prioritised manner in full consultation and co-ordination with all relevant agencies both governmental and non-governmental.
• Provide technical guidance and direction to PLAN for effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of agreed CP & MHPSS and Disability Inclusion plans, including reviewing of reports for Donors.
• Develop capacity building plans and provide training, support, and mentorship to Plan staff and partners.
• Make frequent field visits to all affected areas to monitor the implementation of activities, identify opportunities and constraints and any adjustments needed including additional staffing or staff training or other.
• Represent PLAN to governmental and non-governmental groups as needed and agreed with the Team Leader.
• Support the implementation of, and represent PLAN in, CP & MHPSS coordination mechanisms including any relevant cluster/sub – cluster.
• Provide brief updates and reports on sectoral activities/strategies to donors and other stakeholders.
• Work closely with the response management in resource mobilization, including development of quality concept notes and proposals and donor engagement

Key relationships

Head of Mission, Program Team, technical Specialists, and support staff (Finance and logistics); Local project partners; Ukraine Hub and Global Hub relevant teams.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential Experience

• University degree in one of the disciplines areas relevant to international development assistance or humanitarian work.
• Experience in child protection and MHPSS. Experience in refugee contexts is a plus.
• Experience successfully developing CP & MHPSS, Disability Inclusion concept notes and reports for donors.
• Knowledge and experience working in Disability-inclusive settings is required.
• Deep understanding of the Polish Context, including Refugees Humanitarian Response.
• Experience of training on child protection interventions, such as alternative care, case management, community-level child protection, psychosocial support, and child survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, with a variety of audiences.
• Experience designing and implementing programs which consider gender and inclusion and utilize cash and voucher assistance.
• Experience of conducting rapid and in-depth child protection needs assessments in emergency contexts using inter-agency tools and guidance.
• Experience in capacity-strengthening of program team and partners.
• Excellent knowledge of the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and inter-agency guidance and tools related to unaccompanied children, alternative care, case management, family strengthening, community-level child protection, MHPSS, and cash and vouchers assistance for child protection. Additional knowledge of Sphere and the Red Cross/ NGO Code of Conduct.

Essential Skills

• Excellent communication skills and ability to develop well-argued plans for response that can be justified and delivered, persuasive of others.
• Excellent ability to build collaborative and respectful relationships with local organizations and government authorities.
• Excellent project design, participatory learning and monitoring and evaluation skills
• Excellent supervision and team leadership skills, including ability to motivate and support staff from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train local and international staff and also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Excellent negotiation, representation, skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.
• Ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and manage significant activities, budgets, and resources to produce and take responsibility for results.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Polish and English.

• Requires general finance, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in information technology/ computer skills.

Behaviours

• Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to Plan’s core values and humanitarian principles
• Aware of own strengths, weaknesses and pro-active in using feedback and self-development
• Aware of impact on others and uses impact to create positive climate at work
• Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
• Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity.
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive under pressure.
• Willingness to learn and be exposed to new learning opportunities

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organisation 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 organisation, 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 programmes 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.

Physical Environment

Typical office environment

Level of contact with children

Medium level: Frequent interaction with children

Location: Warsaw, Poland

Type of Role: Fixed Term contract TBD

Matrix Reporting to: TBD

Closing Date: 30th of June 2024

Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organizational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organization, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates