Deputy Team Leader – Plan International

Deputy Team Leader – Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And 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.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
The Opportunity:

Plan International is seeking a Deputy Team Leader (DTL) for the anticipated £7million DFID funded `Stopping Abuse and Female Exploitation (SAFE) Project in Zimbabwe.

The project will focus on reducing gender-based violence in Zimbabwe, protecting the safety, rights and choices of women/girls and men/boys. There should be a focus on engaging communities to address harmful gender norms, and on fostering demand creation for GBV survivor services amongst the hardest to reach groups.

The Deputy Team Leader (DTL) will support the Team Leader in the management of the project. The individual will be in charge of providing technical and managerial leadership including technical oversight, financial management and administration and grants management. They will oversee coordination of field operations, provide support in the management of sub-grantees, and ensure that activities meeting DFID and Plan standards. The position is contingent upon award of the project and approval by DFID.

Responsibilities 

• Provides day-to-day leadership and high-quality delivery of the project: field operations, administration, logistics and procurement.
• Manages, in coordination with the TL, relationships and work with implementing partner organizations
• Manages donor relationships and serves, along with the TL, as the primary project representative.
• Oversees the development of project reports, annual work plans, and other documents as required by DFID and the Government of Zimbabwe
• Facilitates knowledge management, communications, and information flow for the project.
• Maintains a working knowledge of project budgets and expenditure, and assists the Finance and Operations Director to set up and implement appropriate systems for project financials.
• Serves as Acting Team Leader when the Team Leader is unavailable.
• Ensures compliance in reporting to DFID, Plan International, Plan UK National Office (UKNO) and Government of Zimbabwe.

The Person 

• Minimum eight (8) years of experience working on large, complex, donor-funded programmes in challenging environments, ideally in Zimbabwe, including experience in fund management and reporting for consortium-led projects
• University degree in public administration, law, international development, international sustainability management or other relevant field, such as Gender Studies, Gender and Development, Development Studies, or Sociology
• Strong technical knowledge in thematic areas of GBV and VAWG in Zimbabwe/ southern Africa region.
• Experience managing a large child focused program for an international NGO.
• Significant experience managing large-scale, multi-year key donor funded programs (USAID, EC, other). With a strong track record of successfully managing DFID-funded programs including previously serving in a Senior Management role in Zimbabwe/ southern Africa.
• Demonstrated knowledge of DFID project management including DFID rules and regulation and reporting requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge about gender and development, and demonstrated experience and proficiency in managing programs that mainstream gender.
• Demonstrated ability to implement projects with rigorous timelines and deliverables and to track program quality through donor approved monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Experience working and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, such as local NGOs, government officials, donor representatives, local and international staff.
• Experience in implementing robust M&E and Learning frameworks in large complex projects
• Experience in implementing behavioral change programming models would be an advantage
• Experience in implementing Adaptive Management programming would be an advantage
• Demonstrable understanding of the concept, and strong track record in delivering VfM
• Ability to respond on short notice and plan and execute several activities at once.
• Ability to work under pressure, as part of a team or independently, and meet deadlines consistently.
• Proven experience hiring, training, and supervising teams of international and local staff.
• Proven leadership, inter-personal and cross-cultural skills, and ability to build and motivate diverse teams.
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills; knowledge of Shona or Ndebele preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and Outlook.

Diploma and language: Advanced degree in a relevant field, such as Gender Studies, or another relevant field
Fluent in English is required
This position is open to Zimbabwean nationals and is contingent upon award.