Plan International
The Organisation
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. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its 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.
Plan International Malawi commenced its work in 1994 and currently supports programmes in 13/28 districts. Plan International Malawi currently has an approved country strategy (2017-22) Core sectors of programming include Sexual reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), Gender transformation, Resilience, Humanitarian response, Protection from all forms of violence and Inclusive quality education.
Other cross cutting issues such as Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE), Menstrual Hygiene management (MHM), Engagement of young people and groups of young women
Project Summary
In partnership with Jersey Overseas Aid, the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust, Total Land Care and Plan International will take a socio-ecological approach to improve 20,000 people’s livelihoods and the conservation of two vulnerable ecosystems. By working with Earth watch Europe, we will share evidence and learning from the integrated approach to promote community-led forest resource conservation, poverty reduction and climate resilience and connect the initiative with global platforms.
The project has been designed to respond specifically to the needs of the communities living on the boundaries of protected forests in the districts of Mulanje and Mzimba, Malawi.
Major Job Functions:
The Project Coordinator will be responsible for planning, management, coordination, supervision, and monitoring of biodiversity conservation and forest management activities to ensure efficient and timely delivery of project goal, objectives, and targets in coordination with implementing partners i.e. Total Land Care (TLC) and Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT).
Duties and Responsibilities
- Promote and support innovations and adoption of best practices aimed at promoting sustainable and resilient livelihood diversification and enhanced productivity of targeted crops and livestock through climate smart agriculture best practices; improved access to input and output markets; strengthened commercial capacity of farmer organisations; increased ability of local communities to mitigate disaster risk
- Managing project staff and conducting performance appraisal of the same.
- Promote and support development and implementation of Protected Area (PA)
- Provide technical leadership in planning, management, and implementation of biodiversity conservation and management activities under CLIMB Project.
- Undertake routine monitoring and evaluation of ongoing biodiversity conservation and management activities to track progress, document lessons, and assess their impacts on livelihoods of target communities
- Document case studies and share information on biodiversity conservation and management best practices and lessons learned with local partners and the general public.
- Lead the Project team including partners in planning, design, and implementation of targeted Citizen Science monitoring of soil, water and forest cover and carry out research studies in both locations of Mzimba and Mulanje in coordination with Earth watch Europe to generate new information and innovative ideas on sustainable biodiversity conservation and management
- Create strong alliances and networks with civil society, public, and private organizations for sustained dialogue and advocacy for improved biodiversity conservation and management in the targeted districts
- Coordinate planning and implementation of capacity building activities on biodiversity conservation and management issues targeting CLIMB Project staff and partners including government.
- Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual work plans, budgets, and technical reports on biodiversity conservation, forest management and livelihood activities as part of the overall Forest and Biodiversity project planning and reporting cycle.
- Provide technical advice and support to management on strategic biodiversity conservation and management issues.
- Build and maintain a cohesive and motivated biodiversity conservation team through provision of technical backstopping, coaching, mentoring, and giving constructive feedback partners and PIM.
- Provide senior advice and input to the project on Protected Area management, species and habitat conservation, landscape connectivity and restoration, community‐ development work, integrating biodiversity in government processes, and project impact monitoring.
- Represent the Project and PIM, as required, at national and district forums/meetings.
- To monitor and document the project activities using the indicators outlined in the logical frame work
- To participate in the evaluation of the project progress by documenting lessons learnt
- To participate in any external evaluation of the programme
Candidate Profile
(a) Required Qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor of Science in related discipline such as: Natural Resource Management, Environmental Science or Forestry. A Master of Science Degree in similar fields will be an added advantage.
- At least 5 years of professional experience in a technical lead position with planning and management of biodiversity conservation, environmental and/or natural resources management project/programs.
- Experience in working with civil society organizations and the private sector is an added advantage
- Formal training on a rights-based approach
- Experience working with the government
(b) Other Skills and Competences
- Highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative problem-solving ability.
- Fluent written and spoken English
- Strong writing skills
- Competent with computers including word processing
- Strong communication and team work skills essential
- The candidate must be highly motivated; able to work independently and committed to building their professional skills.
Location: Mzuzu
Type of Role: Fixed Term
Reports to: Programme Area Manager
Grade: D1
Closing Date: 21 July 2022
Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
Qualified Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.
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.
Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.