Project Manager

The Organization

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organisation working for better lives for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Our global strategy focuses on girls, as they are often the most marginalised and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over five (5) years to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to achieving the sustainable development goals and, in particular, the goals of gender equality. Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work.

In Mozambique, we are working to eradicate early marriage and early pregnancy through projects that focus on adolescent girls in Inhambane, Zambezia, Nampula and Cabo Delgado. These projects are programmed along four strategic pillars: Girl Education, SRHR, YEE and Protection. Our work is gender transformative and includes influencing work at national and sub-regional level.

About the Project

Sou Jovem – Youth leading the Change is a youth engagement and empowerment project that will be implemented during 2023 – 2025. The project will target youth and youth-led organisations at the national level, ensuring that gender equality, inclusion, and representation of the geographical, cultural, and socio-economic variables of the Country are meaningfully taken into account in the selection of the target group. The action aims that young people and young people’s organizations in Mozambique to adopt attitudes and practices in line with human rights, gender equality, and inclusion perspectives and increase their skills, competencies, and opportunities foe meaningful participation to become drivers of change through collective action.

The purpose of the role is to lead the effective implementation of the Sou Jovem – Youth leading the Change project. The Project Manager will be play the leading role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing the project. She/He will provide as well the coordination and communication of the project – internally and externally, strategic guidance and budgetary and programmatic oversight, including partnership management. She/He will also lead the coordination with the donor, partner, youth associations, government and civil society stakeholders, particularly at national level.

The post holder reports to the Director of Programmes, Strategy and Implementation.

Management scope, reporting lines, key relationships

Direct Reports

•  Youth engagement & communications officer.
•  Project Accountant.

Key Relationships

Internal

• Director of Programmes, Strategy, and Implementation.
• Gender & Influencing Specialist.
• Communication & Advocacy Specialist.
• MERL Specialist.
• Senior Grants Accountant.
• Program Area Managers.
• Plan International Finland – Programme Manager.

External

• Partner organization.
• EU Delegation.
• EU Member States.
• SEJE and other governmental stakeholders.
• Youth Sounding Board.
• Youth associations.
• Other NGOs and INGOs.
• Media.
• Youth.

Level of contact with children

• Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children.

Physical Environment

• Typical Office environment with 20% travel in Country.

Programme Management

• Oversee implementation of Sou Jovem project activities and ensure that are delivered on time, on budget, and in compliance with donor regulation.
• Ensure that the Sou Jovem project partner management and project staff understand the technical requirements for implementation.
• Ensure that the project is implemented in ways responsive to youth, communities, partners and stakeholders in line with Plan International principles, and values and compliant with Plan International’s procedures.
• Develop detailed implementation annual plans including procurement and distribution schedules of project inputs in line with Plan International’s logistics/supply chain capacity and compliant with donor requirements
• Work with Sou Jovem project partner team staff to develop work plans and follow up with team members regularly to ensure that activities are on track.
• Monitor project progress against both programmatic and budgetary targets, adjusting project design as necessary.
• Prepare timely and high-quality project and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal Plan International requirements and any relevant donor requirements.
• Reviewing partner narrative and financial reporting as well as M&E data.
• Take part in ongoing capacity assessments of Sou Jovem project partner.

Partnership

• Provide sufficient support to the partner organization, youth associations, and Youth Sounding Board members in respective actions plans and implementation
• Support partner organization, youth associations, and Youth Sounding Board in developing coherent action plans and have meaningful participation in Project planning and review meetings, Project Steering Committee meetings, engagement with stakeholders and in particular with EUD, Member states, and other key stakeholders.
• Conduct a period review of annual plans to identify bottlenecks and the ways those bottlenecks could be addressed
• Adopt a customer service approach towards partner capacity strengthening

Capacity Building

• Support the development of capacity-building plans for Sou Jovem project partners and youth associations.
• Provide regular coaching and technical and programme management skills to project partner, Youth Sounding Board’ members, and youth associations.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability and Quality

• Actively monitor the Sou Jovem project activities ensuring quality implementation.
• Input on the development of M&E framework and indicator tracking plans for the project and the development of additional M&E tools as necessary to monitor project progress with the support of MERL specialist.
• Ensure appropriate, timely, and accurate data collection against agreed indicators to enable both internal and external reporting.
• Work with MERL specialist to identify and incorporate project-suitable accountability mechanisms.
• Work with the Communications and Advocacy Specialist and Youth engagement & Communications Officer to adequately document the success stories of the project and facilitate sharing of learnings and experiences internally and externally.

Networking and Coordination

• Lead the coordination with various stakeholders, including youth beneficiaries, youth associations, Youth Sounding Board; members, partner organization, EUD & EU Member States and other donors, governmental and civil society stakeholders and media.
• Work with Gender and Influencing Specialist, Communications & Advocacy Specialist and Youth engagement and Communications Officer to support youth led advocacy campaigns.

Human Resource Management and Development

• Provide leadership and technical guidance to direct reports.
• Manage the performance of direct reports.
• Create an enabling working environment to foster excellent teamwork and high-performing staff.
• Establish, communicate and monitor standards of performance and behaviours of the staff through the development of Individual Accountability Plans (IAP), and key performance indicators (KPIs) that are agreed upon annually, and monitored and updated regularly.

Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in project design, during implementation and as principles applied in day-to-day work of Project team.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) 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.

Leadership Competencies

• Courageous in taking a lead, focused on Plan International’s purpose, and making the most effective contribution within my own work context.
• Behaves in line with our values and safeguarding practices, inside and outside work.
• Challenges own attitudes, unconscious bias and behaviour and speaks up when they see wrongdoing, especially by those who use their power over others to create fear or abuse.
• Understand and adhere to the policies, processes, practices, and standards relevant to their own work and keeps their knowledge and skills up to date.
• Honest and efficient in the use of resources, including own time.
• Takes responsibility for own performance and development: reflecting; seeking and listening to feedback; learning from mistakes; finding people or resources to help them learn.
• Constructive and optimistic in facing setbacks, challenges and change, using own initiative to analyze issues and improve things.
• Good team player, communicating effectively and being open and supportive towards those around them.

Business Management Competencies

• Knowledge of programmes according to Plan International’s Programme Quality and Influencing Policy procedures.
• Seeks opportunities to reflect on and learn from all work, programme, and project activities.
• Understands digital enablers to improve team performance and working practices.
• Encourages digital behaviours through role modelling, the personal development processes.
• Critically appraises and interrogates data to identify anomalies and patterns. Analyses and interprets a range of evidence to inform decision-making and implement actions Translate the interpretation and implications of data into language that is accessible and relevant for staff.
• Know-how of financial activities that comply with donor and organisational requirements, considering: waivers, permissions, document management and auditing.
• Keeps abreast of internal and external changes or developments and supports their team to adapt accordingly.
• Understand relevant sectoral context including how the sector operates in terms of funding and governance and awareness of Plan’s purpose, values, and global strategy.
• Technical expertise, skills, and knowledge.

Qualifications

• A minimum University Degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Development Studies, or other related disciplines.
• At least 6 years of relevant experience in programme management in the Mozambican context.
• At least 2 years experience with youth and youth-centered programming.
• Familiar with managing EU-funded projects and understanding donor compliance.
• Experience in capacity development of project and partner’s staff and strong facilitation and training skills.
• Ability to analyze information, evaluate options and think and plan strategically.
• Demonstrated experience in managing relationships with stakeholders, including civil society and government.
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessments and project reports.
• A team player who is able to work collaboratively and with people of diverse backgrounds.
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy.
• Fluency in written and spoken Portuguese and English.