Humanitarian Response Manager

THE ORGANISATION
Founded in 1937, Plan International, Inc. (\"PII\") is a globally recognized non-profit dedicated to advancing children's rights and gender equality in both humanitarian and development contexts. With over 80 years of experience, Plan International addresses the root causes of challenges faced by girls and vulnerable children, working in 70+ countries. The organization collaborates with children, young people, supporters, and partners to create a just world, acknowledging that the potential of every child is often hindered by poverty, violence, exclusion, disasters, and discrimination.

PLAN INTERNATIONAL KENYA
Plan International Kenya (PIK), operational since 1982, focuses on long-term development. Collaborating closely with local communities and governments, PIK implements programs to enhance the well-being of children in areas such as Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Tharaka-Nithi, Siaya, Kwale, Kilifi, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Tana River, Turkana, and Marsabit.

ABOUT THE ROLE
Plan International Kenya is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Humanitarian Response Manager who is also highly motivated and experienced in triple nexus programming to lead and oversee all aspects of humanitarian response and nexus programming within the Kenya Country Program. This position will be based in Kenya and will require extensive travel and fieldwork, particularly in regions affected by humanitarian crises in country.

DIMENSION OF THE ROLE
This is a strategic role to lead, guide and design the holistic approach for Plan International’s humanitarian response in Kenya, aligning the CO program to sound humanitarian standards and with the organization's global humanitarian strategy and the specific needs and context of Kenya. The role supports the CO to fundamentally ensure nexus programming is institutionalised, while being cognisant on the changing context of global humanitarian crises. Among the key dimensions of the role include development of a humanitarian and resilience building strategy, a relevant humanitarian response framework that includes resource mobilization, modelling of humanitarian, development and community cohesion approaches, managing an operational Emergency Preparedness and Response plan, while driving gender transformative Emergency programs design, implementation and reporting in PIK.

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES

1. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP 15%
• Leading the development of Plan Kenya’s Humanitarian and Resilience strategy, overseeing the creation of implementation plans.
• Designing and executing a policy and advocacy strategy to enhance Plan Kenya's influence on emergency issues affecting girls and young women, engaging with government and external stakeholders as necessary.
• Provide strategic direction and leadership for Plan International’s humanitarian response in Kenya, aligning activities with the organization's global humanitarian strategy and the specific needs and context of Kenya.
• Lead the integration of humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding approaches within Plan International’s programs and projects in Kenya, ensuring alignment with the organization's triple nexus strategy and objectives.
• Develop and implement strategic plans for resilience building initiatives, in alignment with Plan Kenya's objectives and priorities.
• Coordinate with internal departments, external partners, and stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach to resilience building.

2. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT 10%
• Lead the design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of humanitarian programs and projects across various sectors including but not limited to shelter, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), sexual reproductive health and rights, education in emergencies, child protection, and livelihoods.
• Collaborate with program teams to design and oversee the implementation of humanitarian and resilience building response programs, ensuring alignment with Plan Global humanitarian policy, country strategy, and national/international emergency standards.
• While working closely with program teams, he or she will lead the designing and development of integrated programs that address the root causes of vulnerability and build resilience among communities affected by humanitarian crises, conflict, and poverty.
• Taking the lead in emergency response and resilience initiatives within the country, documenting and disseminating best practices and lessons learned to improve future interventions.

3. CAPACITY BUILDING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE 10%
• Establish and train an Emergency Response team within the Country Office, ensuring they are prepared to deploy swiftly and effectively during emergencies, both domestically and internationally.
• Identify capacity gaps within the humanitarian team and local partners and develop and implement capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the capacity of staff and partners in humanitarian response.
• Take responsibility for designing and implementing high-quality and effective humanitarian and resilience programs, ensuring integrated response that meet established standards and contribute to the organization's objectives.
• Ensure that all humanitarian activities adhere to international humanitarian standards, best practices, and donor requirements. Conduct regular monitoring and evaluation of programs to ensure quality and accountability.
• Provide technical support and capacity building to Plan International staff, partners, and community members on the triple nexus approach, humanitarian principles, conflict sensitivity, and peacebuilding techniques.
• Facilitate capacity building programs for staff, partners, and community members to enhance resilience to various hazards and shocks.
• Provide technical support and guidance on best practices in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, and response.
• Provide technical support and guidance to the country humanitarian team during emergency assessments, rapid gender analysis, surveys, and studies, ensuring thorough and accurate data collection and analysis and that humanitarian and resilience building program are gender transformative or gender aware.

4. FINANCIAL AND GRANT MANAGEMENT 5%
• Oversee budget planning, financial management, and grant compliance for all humanitarian projects. Work closely with the finance team to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.

5. COMPLIANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF RISKS10%
• Identify and prioritize vulnerable communities and areas at high risk of disasters, incorporating diverse perspectives and local knowledge and prepare plan of action to mitigate the risk
• Prepare, and periodically update, a disaster/hazard monitor for the region; undertake an analysis and recommend use of existing early warning systems for Plan’s programming, building on existing national systems and information to inform preparedness plan
• Conduct thorough risk analysis and context assessments to iidentify potential risks and challenges in the humanitarian operating environment and develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to ensure the safety and security of staff and beneficiaries.
• Policies and procedures: coordinates with relevant heads of department/section so that systems and processes are in place to comply with global policies, standards and procedures and legal requirements, as applicable to his/her function.
• Oversee the complaints and feedback mechanism affecting all humanitarian work\\.

6. ADVOCACY AND REPRESENTATION 10%
• Represent Plan International in humanitarian coordination forums, clusters, and working groups at the national and regional levels. Advocate for the rights and needs of children and vulnerable populations affected by humanitarian crises.
• Advocate for policies and practices that promote the triple nexus approach and address the root causes of humanitarian crises, conflict, and poverty in Kenya. Engage with government authorities and other stakeholders to influence policies and strategies that support sustainable development and peacebuilding efforts.
• Represent Plan International Kenya in relevant national humanitarian technical working groups and thematic clusters, advocating for children's and girls' needs.
• Engaging with high-level technical experts, government officials, parliamentarians, and civil society organizations to advocate for policy change and negotiate on behalf of Plan Kenya.
• Conducting policy analysis to inform advocacy efforts and maintaining dialogue with key decision-makers within the government.

7. REPORTING, MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING 10%
• Establish a robust reporting process as well as oversee timely preparation, review, and submission of internal and external reports, for transparency and accountability and profiling our work
• Continuously analyse and compile reports from various agencies and government institutions involved in early warning monitoring, emergency response and reporting and provide comprehensive reports and insights to CMT for decision-making.
• Liaise closely with Program Unit managers and or Project manager to deliver timely reports on Plan Kenya's humanitarian and resilience response, including situation reports, challenges and successes encountered during implementation.
• Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to share updates, successes, and challenges.
• Prepare and submit timely reports on the progress and impact of humanitarian and resilience programs.
• Develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation systems to track the progress and impact of integrated programs. Ensure that lessons learned are documented and shared internally and externally to inform programmatic decision-making and improve practice.
• Conduct regular assessments and reviews to identify gaps, challenges, and lessons learned, adapting strategies as needed.
• Foster a culture of learning and knowledge sharing within Plan Kenya and with external stakeholders, documenting successful practices and innovative approaches.

8. PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 5%
• Foster strong partnerships and collaboration with government agencies, UN agencies, international NGOs, local NGOs, community-based organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a coordinated and coherent response to humanitarian and development challenges in Kenya.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key partners, including government agencies, NGOs, and community-based organizations.
• Collaborate with partners to leverage resources and expertise for effective humanitarian and resilience programming.
• Ensure effective on-boarding of Partners

9. RESOURCE MOBILIZATION 10%
• Support fundraising efforts by providing technical input and guidance on the development of funding proposals and donor engagement strategies for integrated programs.
• In collaboration with the Business Development Team at the Country Office, identify funding opportunities with National Offices and lead/support strategy and concept development with the Technical Specialists
• Ensure the Country Director and the Regional Disaster Risk Management are kept informed about assessment progress, emergency response implementation and strategies, project plans, progress reports, and other significant developments.
• Pro-actively networks and build external relations and support or lead fund raising efforts and build up a portfolio of grants to finance to meet the funding target of the response plan in close coordination with the Business Development Unit.
• Support the development and design of all external proposals, budgets and reports. Ensure they are completed to the highest possible standard

10. TEAM DEVELOPMENT AND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT 5%
• Provide leadership and guidance to the Emergency Response Team (ERT), humanitarian team, including recruitment, performance management, and professional development of staff.
• Ensures that all humanitarian response teams are operating as high-performance teams and have clear accountability lines.
• All programme staff understand, adopt and live the Values Based Leadership and Behaviours Framework in their daily work and life.
• Team building and maintenance: establish, agree, communicate and monitor standard of performance and behaviours of the team through IAPs, and key performance indicators (KPI’s) that are agreed annually, and monitored and updated quarterly.
• Ensures that the humanitarian response team has necessary skills, training and development to be able to effectively deliver on their roles, as well as provide the needed coaching and mentoring for career advancement.

11. SAFEGUARDING OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AND PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS 5%
• Ensure adherence to safeguarding policies and standards.
• Maintain and implement a safeguarding and PSHEA framework.
• Ensure regular training on safeguarding policies provided to staff.
• Establish reporting mechanisms and respond promptly to concerns.
• Monitor and analyse the operating environment for potential risks, taking-action as needed.

12. ANY OTHER DUTY 5 %
• Any other assignment within the scope of work

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications/ experience essential:
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in international development, humanitarian studies, peacebuilding, international development, social sciences, or related field.
• At least 10 years of experience in program management, with a focus on humanitarian response, development, and peacebuilding initiatives, including experience in leading humanitarian programs in complex emergencies.
• Strong understanding of humanitarian principles, standards, and frameworks, including Sphere standards, Core Humanitarian Standard, and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines.
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus and demonstrated experience in integrating these approaches into program design and implementation.
• At least 5 years proven leadership and coordination skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, donors, NGOs, and community-based organizations.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and advocacy skills, with the ability to influence policies and practices at local, national, and international levels.
• Experience working in Kenya or similar contexts affected by humanitarian crises, conflict, and poverty.
• Commitment to Plan International’s values and principles, including gender equality, inclusion, and child rights.
• Proven experience in program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation in multiple humanitarian sectors.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building, staff management, and partnership development.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think strategically and make sound decisions in high-pressure situations.

Click on the following link to access the full Job Description:

JD Humanitarian Response Manager -- Final.pdf

Location: Nairobi
Reports to: Country Director, Kenya
Closing Date: 13th September 2024

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 organisational 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 organisation, 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.

Disclaimer: Plan International is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate applicants on any basis. We also do not charge Job seekers any fees at any point of the recruitment process.