Plan International
Founded in 1937, Plan International, Inc. (“PII”) is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners in both humanitarian and development settings.
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian (dual mandate) non-profit organisation that believes in the power and potential of every child, but knows this is often supressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, disasters, and discrimination.
Working together with children, girls, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan International strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenge’s girls and vulnerable children face. Plan International has been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years and now active in more than 80 countries, delivering humanitarian assistance and driving changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.
Our global strategy “All girls standing strong creating global change” has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalised and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 200 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and in particular the goals on gender equality in both humanitarian and development settings. Our organisation is transforming itself to meet the enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking, and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to reach our target of 200 million girls.
Plan international in East and Central Europe
Plan International responded to the Ukraine Crisis since March 2022, starting in countries hosting Ukrainian refugees (Moldova, Romania, Poland) and thereafter expanding humanitarian operations inside Ukraine since August 2022. Since July-August 2022, Plan International has been duly registered in Poland and Romania as national Foundations and in Moldova as a branch office of Plan International Inc. Since October 2022, Plan International has also been duly registered in Ukraine as a representative office of Plan International Inc.
The Ukraine Crisis Response portfolio across the 4 countries has seen a rapid expansion and has the ambition to grow to EUR 100M between 2022 and 2025. Growth is expected to come through acquisition of grants from both bilateral and multilateral donors, EU funding streams (DG ECHO, DG NEAR, DG HOME) as well as through ongoing public appeals, exploring corporate sector funding opportunities and local fundraising.
Plan International is profiling itself as one of the ‘go to’ organizations in promoting and protecting the rights of children, girls and young people in conflict and crisis; in particular through adding value in child protection, education, gender and inclusion, social cohesion, GBV, MHPSS and CVA. As the crisis permits, Plan International will expand its humanitarian interventions into longer term development goals driving youth-led action and equality for girls in Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.
Plan International works exclusively through strategic local civil society partners to support vulnerable children, young people, and their families to cope with the impact of the current humanitarian crisis and to increase their resilience.
Plan International currently employs approximately 70 staff across the response. It is expected that the ratio of international to national staff will rapidly decrease. A Ukraine Crisis Response Leadership Team comprising of the Response Director, three Heads of Mission, the Head of Programme Operations, the Head of P&C, the Head of Finance and Operations, the Head of Policy and Advocacy and the Head of Communications, is driving our strategic ambition and promotes inclusive decision making and mutual accountability. The response is supported by the Ukraine Crisis Response strategic and operational shared service hub which strongly connects Plan International’s response and presence in Moldova, Romania, Poland and Ukraine: a multi-country Ukraine Crisis Response Strategy (January 2023-June 2025) guides the strategic ambition of Plan International throughout the multi-country response.
Plan International is committed to meeting safeguarding expectations across all its operations and will expect the Leadership Team to ensure all incidents regarding child abuse and sexual harassment are reported and effectively managed.
Role purpose
The Head of Policy and Advocacy leads Plan International ECE’s evidence-based policy, advocacy and influencing efforts in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland and Romania, as well as across relevant international, regional and national humanitarian and development processes.
As a member of the East and Central Europe Ukraine Crisis Response Leadership Team, the role has shared accountability to contribute to the overall learning and strategic direction of Plan International in the East and Central Europe region with a total budget to grow to approximately €100 million and a staff complement of about 100 people. This includes helping shape the overall narrative and rationale of grant proposals to ensure programs development aligns with policy asks.
Dimensions of the role
The Head of Policy & Advocacy ensures direct linkages between Plan International ECE programs to key policy spaces, as well as leads on the development of intersectional age and gender responsive policies to position Plan International ECE as a leading organisation promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in the region. This role drives Plan International ECE’s youth engagement and support for youth-led activism by identifying opportunities for youth participatory knowledge generation and influencing. The Head of Policy and Advocacy works alongside our partners in the four countries to amplify their own advocacy recommendations and priorities, as it relates to the ongoing humanitarian response and Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery, as well as in relation to their own influencing efforts on the promotion of gender equality and inclusion. The role works closely with the Head of Communications to help disseminate Plan International ECE’s messages and policy recommendations. It represents Plan International ECE on the Ukraine NGO Platform’s Advocacy Working Group and inputs into the Poland NGO Platform’s Advocacy Working Group as well. It also works closely with advocacy colleagues across Plan International’s Global Hub, National Offices and Liaison Offices in Geneva, New York and Brussels.
You will be a values-based and feminist leader, deeply comfortable with purpose driven advocacy, and with a demonstrable commitment to gender equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion. You will understand and drive efforts to deliver positive change for diverse girls and young people in crisis through advocating, campaigning, and communicating at a national and international level. You will lead by example in ensuring gender equality is evident in everything we do throughout all aspects of our advocacy efforts
Key Accountabilities and main Responsibilities
Plan International’s Eastern and Central Europe Policy and Advocacy efforts, in line with Plan International’s Global Advocacy Strategy, commits to an advocacy approach based on human rights; a global girls’ agenda; gender transformative change with an intersectional and inclusion lens; and driven by evidence and powered by girls’ and young women’s leadership.
Key accountabilities and responsibilities include:

• Positioning Plan International ECE as leading child-rights, girl focused and youth led humanitarian and development actor among national and international decision makers and key donors
• Expanding on the existing advocacy strategy for Plan International East and Central Europe and further developing the youth engagement and advocacy strategy
• Providing advocacy and influencing advice to the Heads of Mission, Programs Teams and Communication staff across the four countries and developing country specific influencing opportunities especially for Ukaine and Poland
• Working with the Programs teams to help shape policy asks based on our programs and also ensuring proposals and program conceptualisation align with our policy asks
• Proactively developing country-specific and ECE-wide policies and advocacy recommendations which reflect the priorities and analysis undertaken by Plan International and its partners
• Representing Plan International ECE at external events and meetings and identifying appropriate and relevant policy spaces where Plan International ECE can input its age and gender analysis, messages and advocacy recommendations
• Developing and maintaining good relationships with key advocacy, humanitarian, development and research colleagues across the Plan International global federation, as well as building networks with advocacy and communication colleagues from partner organisations and from other national and international NGOs.
• Establishing working relationships with decision-makers across UN entities, as well as national and local government officials especially in Poland and supporting the establishment of such relationships in Ukraine
• Providing technical support and guidance to the Advocacy Specialist in Ukraine and Programs teams across the four countries
• Working closely with colleagues at the EU Liaison Office to identity further funding and influencing opportunities based on Plan International ECE’s programmes and gender and age responsive policy asks.
• As a member of the Pan International ECE Leadership Team, providing strategic support and advice on political issues which may impact on Plan International’s programming across ECE.

Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded:

• 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 (Co C), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships

• This role reports to the Director of Plan International Eastern and Central Europe and collaborates closely with the other members of the Leadership Team, especially the Heads of Mission and the Head of Communications
• Works regularly with country specific colleagues across the four countries including the advocacy specialist in Ukraine (when recruited), the communications staff, technical specialists, and the two business development managers
• Liaises with advocacy, policy and influencing colleagues across the Plan International Federation to help them tailor policy asks and recommendations to their own political contexts.

Communications and Working Relationships
Internal

• Director of Ukraine Crisis Response – Line manager
• Ukraine Crisis Response Leadership Team
• Ukraine Crisis Response Hub (Strategic & Operational Shared Service centre)
• PII Leadership Team, Global Hub’s Departments and Global Policies / Process Owners
• National Organisations (NO)

External:

• Members of the Ukraine NGO Platform Advocacy Working Group and the Poland NGO Forum Advocacy Working Group
• Civil society actors and platforms
• National and local authorities
• Institutional and private sector donors (directly and through National Organisations) and National Institutions
• UN and donor representatives and partners including humanitarian country teams, clusters, national and international NGOs, civil society and community-based organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies
Essential:

• Degree Level or equivalent substantial experience working in policy and advocacy at an international level.
• Strong and effective communicator.
• Excellent verbal and writing skills in English and Polish with ability to quickly turn around complex information into succinct policies and advocacy recommendations
• Track record of influencing local, national and international decision makers, as well as working alongside local partners and in advocacy working groups
• Strong understanding of international humanitarian and development issues and rights-based work.
• Demonstrated experience in policy and advocacy, including carrying out policy research
• Proven leadership in developing advocacy strategies and approaches
• Previous experience working in area/country affected by active conflicts
• Previous experience in the humanitarian system, including inter-agency working groups
• Competency to provide strategic direction and clear recommendations to deliver on advocacy aims
• Track record of handling complex, sensitive and fast-moving situations and work in high pressure environments with tight deadlines.
• Uses strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, to build relationships, negotiate and persuade a wide range of audiences.
• Keeps up to date with key humanitarian and international development issues and trends, and to be able to spot new opportunities as they arise.
• Strong organisational skills to deal with a complex work environment.
• Work enthusiastically as part of a team and form effective and constructive working relationships across the whole organisation and wider network within sector.
• Participate in training and other activities as requested by the organization.
• Good understanding of humanitarian values, principles, the Humanitarian Charter and Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief.
• Languages: English and Polish

Desirable

• Experience with children’s rights, gender-focused and youth led advocacy in humanitarian and development settings
• Understanding of the geo-political context in Eastern and Central Europe, relating to the war in Ukraine; national political landscapes in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland and Romania; and broader EU
• Experience of working with people at all levels in a multi- cultural / global environment.

Terms and conditions
The salary is commensurate with the seniority of the appointment. Plan International will be happy to disclose the salary range and applicable benefits to applicants as part of this process.
Plan International’s Values in Practice
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. Only by defining a common set of values that are important to us – and that we also want to see in our partners – can we deliver on our shared aspirations. If we are to work towards fulfilling our new purpose, it is critical that we understand the behaviours we have to demonstrate to get us there.
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 are open and accountable
We create an environment 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 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 workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and realise their potential.
Plan International’s feminist principles
Plan International strongly encourage female candidates and people with disabilities to apply. We strive to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment where all employees feel respected and supported in fulfilling their potential.