Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, September 07 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
• 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 Programme Area Sponsorship Community Engagement Officer is the organisation’s front-line community development staff responsible for the effective facilitation of Child-Centred Community Development and building meaningful relationships among the multiple stakeholders in the community development process

Role Dimensions:
• The job holder is expected to provide leadership and direct supervision of community-managed sponsorship operations: contribute to the development of Sponsorship Integrated Plans, aiming to optimise beneficial impact for vulnerable children and youth, especially girls in their target area.
• The job holder plays a critical role in liaising with Community leadership to influence change, inspiring community ownership of PIU Sponsorship program and community members own projects and coordinating Child and family ‘participation and benefit from PIU Projects.
• The role leads the implementation of Child & family participation and protection strategies in a manner that optimises beneficial impact for vulnerable children and youth, especially girls in their target area, s/he oversees the achievement of results and adaptively manages interventions to ensure that PIU's impact targets are achieved in the target area. She/he is in direct charge of the community volunteer associations ensuring effective delivery of sponsorship operations and accountability in the community.
• The position is not responsible for managing a budget however the job holder has influence over how funds are utilised in Community Based Projects, guiding community members to develop project proposals and seeking to optimise the impact achieved as a result of deployment of resources (VfM)
• Level of contact with children
• This position has been classified as “high contact”: Significant interaction with children
 
Key result areas:
KRA 1: Sponsorship Program Management
Provide leadership and direct supervision of community-managed sponsorship operations in the Programme Area
Management of Sponsorship Performance and Quality Assurance in accordance to Plan business rules.
• Ensure all sponsorship key performance indicators (KPIs) are achieved
• Deliver timely and quality child sponsorship communications/products as per monthly and quarterly production schedules.
Participant Allocation Management
• Coordinate caseload management with the community volunteers
• Conduct Phase out processes and communications including Farewell letter, Project closure comment, Community Farewell Video, Community Farewell Photos
• Conduct the enrolment of sponsored children across PAs to achieve annual caseload objectives
Operationalize procedures of data quality assurance during collection and submission of child
sponsorship communications.
Ensure all sponsor visits are well managed; Act as the first point of contact for unannounced visits in the areas of operation
Ensure that Plan International’s Child Protection Policy and principles are adhered to at all times by all Plan International Uganda Staff and associates
Implementation of Field Level Sponsorship initiatives & Innovations

KRA 2: Sponsorship Planning, Initiation, Implementation and Reporting
• Participate in the design, planning and initiation of new projects in the designated community, ensuring that PlU's interventions benefit the Sponsored children in communities, particularly vulnerable children and youth (especially girls):
• Work with Project Officers and project managers to develop integrated Annual Sponsorship Operational Plans and facilitate implementation, monitoring while reporting and integrating 100% SCs participation
• Participate in situational analysis, for instance by conducting social mapping, wealth ranking and gender to identify and include the most marginalised and vulnerable segments of communities. In addition:
• Establish an inventory of civil society/ community groups and organisations in the area
• Carry periodic mapping and profiling of NGOs/CBOs operating in the parish/sub county
• Facilitate Family Support Groups to plan and submit proposals for Community Managed Projects (CMPs); develop and document benchmarks for the CMPs
• Contribute to resilient responsive interventions through needs assessment analysis and stakeholder engagement
• Coordinate children and community members to produce quality and timely Sponsorship/Program Area Reports (SPAR)

KRA 3: Child Monitoring, Protection, Participation & benefit
• Manage and sustain a working meaningful relationship with sponsored children to deliver quality and timely sponsorship program activities accompanied with a demonstrated participation of sponsored children and their families benefitting from the diverse projects supported in the PAs.:
• Facilitate the establishment and functionality of Child Participation centers for SCs within established ECDCs and other institutions
• Support and Facilitate implementation, monitoring and reporting of Child Participation Centre periodical planned activities.
• Monitor and report on SC and family participation & benefit on monthly, quarterly basis
• Identify, mentor and build capacity facilitators on different age appropriate life skills to be able to train children within the centres
• Ensure each sponsored child is monitored (to check on their wellbeing, education and health) and submit reports on as per business rules.
• Manage and follow up case managements and report any incidents in line with child Safeguarding as per policy and guidelines.
• Promote children rights in sponsorship and ensure Plan’s policy on safeguarding the rights of children and young people is adhered to by all associates
• Mobilize communities to participate in planned annual Children Participation events

KRA 4: Ensuring Impactful Implementation & Accountability
• Contribute to regular reflection, learning and action to ensure continuous improvement in Plan International Uganda’s operations and document and share lessons learned on Programmes and Projects in liaison with the M&E coordinator
• Facilitate consultation, participation and feedback to sponsored families in relation to Plan programs and policies.
• Build and strengthen working relations with local structures and ensure their participation and support to sponsorship and other program activities.
• Lead Sponsored Children committees in the respective Child Participation Centres in periodic reviews and reflections on sponsorship program.
• Lead community members in periodic reviews and reflections, seeking to optimise the beneficial impact of PIU's activities on the most marginalised in communities; escalate suggestions for action to the PAC
• Facilitate access to relevant and accurate information on the projects to sponsored families, government officers and other community stakeholders
Prepare all required reports and accountabilities on time and to standard:
• Prepare monthly progress reports and share with PAC & Sponsorship Manager
• Support the collection, documentation & Reporting of Sponsored Child (SC) impact and success stories.
Facilitate a highly participatory process in the production of Area Updates and Area Overviews

KRA 5: Empowerment & Sustainability through Community Structures
• Manage and ensure capacity building of community structures; aiming to ensure that the benefits of PIU's intervention will continue after the project is over:
• Take lead in formation and performance of community structures (Community Volunteer Associations and Family Support Groups)
• Provide leadership and direct supervision of Community Volunteer structures (formation, coordination, capacity building, facilitation, mentorship ensuring community volunteer quality delivery of communications)
• Build capacities of the Community Volunteers, adult SCs to manage Sponsorship operations and Media.
• Build the capacity of Community Volunteer structures to manage their own inclusive planning process and have a Community Development Plan (CDP) as well as community ownership of PIU programmes and projects
• Strengthen the capacity of family Support Groups, to manage their own development process and projects.
• Monitor and evaluate performance of community volunteer associations as per signed agreements.
• Facilitate Community structures to identify and prepare for engaging in advocacy and lobbying wit the state on issues they have prioritized
• Support Community Volunteers to mobilize, empower and monitor SC families to participate and benefit from the PIU programs

KRA 6: Safeguarding, Gender Equality & Inclusion
• Ensure that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion 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.

Role Requirements:
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, Development Studies or any other related technical field
• Two (2) years’ experience in facilitating the implementation and monitoring of community managed projects and familiarity with children’s issues in particular
• Knowledge of development work and ability to integrate it with sponsorship
• Knowledge of Child Participation and Protection is added advantage

Leadership Competencies
Myself as a Leader
• Courageous in taking a lead, challenging self and others on their attitudes, assumptions, unconscious bias and behaviour; speaks positively about change and supports others in adjusting to it.
• Lasting Impact
• Sets and communicates ambitious but realistic work goals and priorities, explaining how these contribute to Plan International's purpose.
• Open & Accountable
• Understands and adheres to the policies, processes, practices and standards relevant to own work; honest and efficient in use of resources, including own time.

Work Well Together
• Creates a positive team spirit, helping people work well together as a team; proactively resolves situations of conflict by generating solutions that will work for all involved; deliberately adjusts own behaviour to influence or persuade others.
• Inclusive & Empowering
• Appreciates the expertise and creativity of others; actively seeks out others' views and incorporates their insights or perspectives into decision-making and action-planning.

Skills & Knowledge
• Motivates and develops others by taking an interest, giving constructive feedback and praise, ensuring they are properly trained and helping them develop their potential; acts as a role model of continuous professional development and willingness to learn from mistakes.
• Critical Business Management Competencies
• Good understanding of the political, social, financial and cultural context within which PIU operates; with practical experience of implementing projects that effectively reduce inequality and change how power is used.
• Experience of using project management principles and practices to lead significant projects; ensuring the achievement of results on time and to standard
• Good analytical skills as required to obtain and process information and numerical data from a range of sources and use the insights gained to inform decisions or communications.
• Good understanding of key risk-related policies, procedures and standards, (for instance, good practice in Child and Youth Safeguarding and Protection; Gender, equality and inclusion; Counter fraud; Safety and Security); solid track record of compliance
• Strong written and spoken communication skills, including in English language and relevant local language(s), with an ability to effectively adjust content and presentation to suit varied audiences internally and externally, to get key messages across.
• Track record of leading a team to work effectively together, using negotiation and mediation techniques to manage conflict, and ensuring that diverse perspectives and viewpoints are welcomed.

Critical Technical Competencies
• Experience in use of participatory approaches to programming; well conversant with PRA (appraisal tool) skills and application
• Knowledge and application of rights-based approach to programming; experience in child centred community development
• Knowledge of basic laws and policies related to children – UNCRC, Children’s Act, Local Government decentralization policy
• Experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring of community development projects
• Experienced in networking with NGOs, local government partners, and local community-based organizations

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 24

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
• Interested and qualified? Click here to apply

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