Summary
Date Posted: Friday, July 21 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Role Purpose
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. However, this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination, and it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners in more than 70 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas, Plan International’s purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality of girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. 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.

The Head of Programme Implementation (HoPI) is responsible for ensuring that PIU's programmes and projects are implemented with the highest standards and quality for impact on the lives of children as defined in the Plan International Uganda (PIU) country strategy. The incumbent will be accountable for delivery of our projects on time, scope and budget as per project management standards.

Role Dimensions:
The HoPI is a member of the Country Leadership Team (CLT) and is expected to contribute to the development of Plan International Uganda’s strategic plans – both long and short term. The job holder leads the implementation of the strategy, providing leadership for PIU's entire portfolio of projects nationwide.
The role has significant influence over development of the strategies through which the organisation will achieve its purpose. The HoPI is responsible for coordinating implementation, which requires significant tactical expertise.
The key challenge for this position is around the sheer volume of staff and stakeholders being managed and the number of projects that must be brought to successful completion in parallel. This requires the job holder to:
1. Have an outstanding ability to think strategically and conceptually, managing multiple moving parts simultaneously
2. Keep the team focused on key strategic goals and the specific targets of each project; navigating many obstacles, and problems that cannot be foreseen, to ensure achievement of desired end- results
3. Influence PIU staff, partners, national-level and local-level stakeholders to adopt new ways of thinking and acting

KRA 1: Strategy & Programme Design
· As a member of the Country Leadership Team (CLT), participate in the development and critique of new strategies at both organisation and intervention levels; proactively involve the Programme Implementation team to contribute insights garnered from their specialisms:
· Collaborate with the Head of Programme Development & Quality to develop and implement a programme of research to inform the development of innovative strategies and programmes (e.g. situational analysis, baseline studies etc.)
· Regularly review the results of PIU’s research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities to identify key insights; actively contribute to the development of theories of change and the design of impactful interventions (both projects and influencing / advocacy)
· Work with the Partnership Manager to develop partner selection criteria and procedures; including strategies for attracting and selecting partners with the greatest potential for adding value to Ugandan children and youth (especially girls)
· Lead the programme implementation team to work collaboratively with the MERL team; ensure the development of results measurement frameworks (including annual targets) and systems that will facilitate data collection, evaluation and learning

KRA 2: New Project & Partner Onboarding
· Work together with members of the Programme Development & Quality team to develop a balanced portfolio of projects that will deliver against PIU’s strategy; support the team in submitting proposals that are aligned with the country strategy and meet Plan International standards:
· Play an active role in reviewing and contributing to development project proposals; aiming to optimise the impact that is achieved via the deployment of limited (people & financial) resources
· Once projects are approved, ensure that project initiation processes are started in a timely manner; especially that a capable Project Manager is on-boarded as soon as possible
· Ensure that the systems required to manage the new project are set up; ensure that the Programme
· Implementation team provides all necessary information to colleagues from other departments
· Ensure that the partner on-boarding process is well coordinated and implemented in a timely manner; especially that capacity assessments are conducted with minimal disruption to partner operations

KRA 3: Communicating for Influence
· Actively participate in the development and implementation of an innovative influencing & communication plan for PIU as a whole and for each project; ensure that plans will result in key programme stakeholders being influenced effectively:
· Work with senior colleagues and the Influencing & Communications Manager to implement an influencing & communications Plan that will support the achievement of PIU’s outcome and impact targets and raise PIU’s profile with important stakeholders
· Personally, contribute to the implementation of the Influencing Strategy at both PIU-wide and programme levels: · Support implementation of the Influencing Strategy and annual plans at district level and ensure that influencing strategy and plans are effectively translated to district and project level activities · Build relationships with key actors, and implement influencing interventions that drive change · Ensure that the team delivers any components of the Influencing Strategy and plan that are allocated to them
· Work with implementation teams to ensure internal PIU’s Principles of Communication are embraced.
· Lead the provision of management information and reporting by the Programme Implementation
· Department, ensuring that audience analysis has been conducted to clarify what information is needed by whom and in what format, and that systems are in place to optimise efficiency and timeliness

KRA 4: Ensuring Impactful Implementation
· Manage and coordinate the implementation of PIU's entire portfolio of national and area projects, so that results are achieved and quality projects are delivered in line with the Strategic Plan; ensuring that learning from interventions is fully utilised to maximise impact and innovation:
· Facilitate the implementation of gender transformative programmes that address specific girls’ rights issues and focused on Tackling and addressing harmful gender and social norms in Programming.
· Embed the GGE Campaign in PIU’s delivery models and ensure that young people actively consulted and engaged in PIU’s programme delivery initiatives
· Hold the Programme Implementation Team accountable for the achievement of results; ensure that
· Programme Area Managers and Project Managers are effectively coordinating the roll-out of projects and that all projects are implemented on time, scope and budget
· Collaborate closely with the PD&Q and MERL team to ensure collection of data, analysis of results and identification of opportunities for improvement in a blame-free spirit of academic enquiry:
1. If desired results have been achieved, initiate strategies for widespread awareness-raising
2. If desired results have not been achieved, support the implementation team to adapt their approach
3. Periodically review theories of change, revising as appropriate
· Liaise with Technical Advisors and Support Departments to ensure the Programme Implementation team is equipped to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) and effectively utilise tools that are designed to assure successful programme implementation
· Trouble-shoot any issues which are impacting successful delivery of projects on scope time and budget, working closely together with all departments (finance, Ops, HR, and Risk) to develop solutions and roll these out across our Programmes
· Actively participate in the Emergency Response Team in case of a humanitarian emergency; lead the swift and effective deployment of personnel in case an intervention is required
· Work with other CLT colleagues to ensure the Country Office is ready to respond to all forms of active emergencies and protracted emergencies such as refugee response programmes. Further ensure that staff have adequate capacity to provide the required level leadership

KRA 5: Finance Management, Risk & Accountability
· As a member of the CLT, share responsibility for resource mobilisation, and take responsibility for the management of programme finances in line with PIU and Donor policies; ensure that all programme- related risks are managed effectively:
· Along other colleagues from CLT, co-facilitate the development of the annual Plan and annual budget for PIU
· Co-lead the implementation of the management standards alongside other departmental heads
· Drive excellence in the delivery of PIU’s child sponsorship focused on sponsored children and their families through sponsorship innovation
· Support the Business Development Unit’s efforts to grow PIU’s funding base; personally contribute by building relationships with potential and current donors and sharing fundraising opportunities
· Review proposal budgets, collaborating closely with the finance department to ensure that projects/sponsorship cover fair allocation of costs; ensure that plans and resources are matched and value for money is optimised
· Ensure that all project expenditures are as per plan and meet the monthly/quarterly KPIs with timely budget re-adjustments where needed; ensure that grant reporting is of high quality and accurate.
· Ensure that risk management matrices are developed and implemented for every project; ensure that adequate emphasis is placed on risk management during team planning and review activities
· Ensure that responsibility for developing contracts with specific partners is clearly allocated during new- project onboarding; liaise with colleagues to ensure an efficient process
· Work with other CLT members to ensure timely and quality development and submission of the annual
· Plan and budget

KRA 6: Leadership & Staff Management
· Lead the Programme Implementation Team in a manner that empowers them to contribute effectively towards achievement of PIU’s strategy:
· Work collaboratively with the Head of People & Culture to develop robust departmental capacity building plans to ensure staff are adequately support to deliver quality programmes.
· Facilitate performance management of the programme team in tandem with Plan International’s performance management policies and guidelines
· Ensure that the department is resourced with the expertise necessary to deliver on PIU's strategic & project goals through a combination of recruitment and management of staff, mobilization of community volunteers, and procurement of consultants
· Lead and manage the team towards high standards of performance through clear roles & responsibilities and provision of appropriate support; coordinate effectively with others to ensure high performance within PIU’s matrix operating structure
· Develop and encourage talent through on-going staff development, succession planning, career management; proactively address poor performance through timely constructive feedback, coaching and appropriate corrective action
· Foster an inclusive environment by implementation of policies and ways-of-working that provide for diversity and equal opportunities and utilisation of a leadership style that will drive employee engagement
· Ensure that staff are managed in accordance with good HR management practice and provided with a safe and conducive working environment; includes ensuring that all legal and statutory obligations are fulfilled

ROLE REQUIREMENTS:
Qualifications
1. A master’s degree, preferably in development, from a recognized university
2. At least 10 years of experience (including international) in managing development programmes, preferably with a disaster response component, with large and complex budget

Leadership Competencies
Myself as a Leader
1. Uses own behaviour to role model the culture change we need, upholding our values and accelerating progress towards gender equality inside PIU, with our partners and in wider society; effectively manages strategic change initiatives.

Lasting Impact
2. Develops and communicates an ambitious vision for enhancing impact, or contributing towards organisational effectiveness; makes timely decisions, even in uncertainty and when information is imperfect.

Open & Accountable
· Works constructively with the wider Plan International global organisation, our governance structures, partners and stakeholders; optimises the deployment of resources (people, finances, assets) to achieve the best progress and long term impact.

Work Well Together
· Builds strategic relationships with key leaders, experts and stakeholders across Plan International and externally, navigating political and power interests and negotiating positive outcomes.

Inclusive & Empowering
· Celebrates success, calls out the contributions of others, and is generous with praise; motivates others by describing how their work effort can (or does) contribute towards achievement of PIUs purpose and strategy.



Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

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