THE OPPORTUNITY
You will spearhead strategic, technical, and operational leadership for Plan International Kenya’s humanitarian preparedness, emergency response, and resilience initiatives. Your responsibilities will include ensuring Plan International Kenya is comprehensively equipped to proactively prevent, prepare for, and effectively respond to emergencies, while simultaneously fostering long-term community resilience. Additionally, you will advance climate adaptation and integrated nexus programming across the organization’s entire portfolio.
You will further enhance PICK’s institutional capacity to implement high-quality, gender-transformative interventions in humanitarian contexts, advocate for climate-resilient programming across diverse sectors, spearhead nexus planning and integration efforts, and strategically position PICK within national, regional, and global coordination frameworks.
As the representative of PICK, you will engage with national humanitarian and disaster risk reduction coordination platforms, spearhead donor outreach and resource mobilization initiatives for humanitarian and climate-resilience programs, and assist the Country Office leadership in harmonizing country response strategies with Plan International’s Global Humanitarian Strategy, Climate Change Adaptation Framework, and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus approach.
Develop and execute comprehensive strategies to enhance organizational performance, ensuring alignment with business objectives and industry best practices. Oversee cross-functional teams to streamline operations, drive efficiency, and maintain high standards of quality. Analyze data to identify trends, assess risks, and recommend data-driven solutions to optimize decision-making processes. Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies. Collaborate with senior leadership to establish long-term goals, allocate resources effectively, and monitor progress toward key performance indicators.
Lead the strategic integration of Plan Kenya’s humanitarian, resilience, and climate initiatives in accordance with international best practices while advancing nexus programming, policy advocacy, and the safeguarding of girls. Foster alignment and collaboration among multisectoral stakeholders to enhance coordinated action, maintain a skilled emergency response team, and uphold rigorous standards in analysis, reporting, and accountability.
Design and manage humanitarian and resilience initiatives in regions affected by crises, guaranteeing that programs are gender-transformative, climate- and conflict-sensitive, and inclusive. You will spearhead evaluations and strategic response plans while enhancing disaster risk reduction (DRR), early action strategies, and livelihoods resilient to climate change. Additionally, you will facilitate seamless, high-caliber multisectoral execution and champion protection measures, resilience-building efforts, climate justice, and gender equality.
Lead emergency preparedness initiatives by conducting comprehensive risk analyses, developing early warning systems, and establishing robust contingency plans and simulation exercises. Ensure seamless coordination among stakeholders, maintain surge capacity to handle crises, and streamline procurement processes for rapid response. Provide expert technical guidance during emergencies and consistently evaluate national disaster risk assessments to enhance overall preparedness and response effectiveness.
Ensure alignment with international standards and donor mandates while enhancing accountability through established feedback mechanisms. Facilitate real-time learning and the systematic documentation of best practices, alongside the implementation of rigorous monitoring and evaluation (MERL) to measure impact. Conduct periodic reviews to refine strategies, addressing identified gaps, challenges, and key learnings to drive continuous improvement.
Support fundraising initiatives and cultivate donor relationships by developing strategic plans, crafting compelling proposals, and fostering key partnerships. Secure grants, enhance external connections, and serve as PICK’s representative in coordination forums to amplify organizational visibility and expand its influence.
Enhance partner capabilities in emergency response, disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and nexus programming while delivering technical guidance and ensuring program quality. Additionally, advocate for and support locally led preparedness and response initiatives.
Lead humanitarian and resilience teams while establishing defined objectives, fostering an environment of gender equality, continuous development, responsibility, and excellence. Oversee surge capacity preparedness and prioritize staff wellbeing during crisis situations.
Oversee budgets, financial planning, and grant compliance for humanitarian and resilience initiatives, guaranteeing precise and prompt expenditure tracking and reporting in collaboration with the Finance team.
Plan International maintains a comprehensive global safeguarding policy, including robust protocols for protecting personally identifiable information (PII), preventing sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse, as well as promoting gender equality and inclusion. These policies and their associated implementation standards and guidelines apply to your specific area of responsibility. Consequently, you will be tasked with ensuring strict adherence to these policies, both for yourself and all staff and associates under your supervision.
You will be assigned additional tasks by your supervisor as required, and it is expected that you will manage these responsibilities with diligence and adaptability.
What we are looking for:
A candidate holding a Master’s Degree in Humanitarian Studies, Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, International Development, Public Policy, or a related field—or alternatively, a Bachelor’s Degree accompanied by over a decade of progressively responsible experience in a relevant discipline—is required.
Seeking a candidate with a minimum of eight to ten years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian response, resilience, disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate programming, or nexus initiatives, of which at least five years must have been served in a senior leadership capacity.
A candidate must possess a proven track record in coordinating and overseeing emergency response efforts within multifaceted environments, such as drought-stricken regions, conflict zones, refugee camps, and during infectious disease outbreaks.
A solid grasp of technical concepts is essential for this role. Proficiency in technical fundamentals is required, along with a deep understanding of key principles. Familiarity with core technical domains is necessary to perform effectively in this position.
Climate adaptation and resilience frameworks
DRR, early warning, and early action systems play a critical role in mitigating risks and enhancing resilience against disasters. These systems encompass the development and implementation of strategies to detect potential hazards, issue timely alerts, and facilitate proactive measures to reduce impacts. Professionals in this field are responsible for designing frameworks that integrate technological advancements, community engagement, and policy frameworks to ensure effective disaster preparedness and response. Strong analytical skills, proficiency in risk assessment methodologies, and the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams are essential for success in this domain.
Humanitarian professionals are expected to uphold core ethical standards, such as those outlined in the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), ensuring that all actions prioritize the dignity and rights of affected populations.
HDP Nexus, along with its integrated programming components, is utilized for sophisticated data processing and advanced analytics. This platform is employed to manage, store, and analyze large-scale datasets efficiently, ensuring seamless data integration and real-time processing capabilities. It supports a wide range of applications, including machine learning, predictive analytics, and business intelligence solutions. Additionally, it facilitates secure data governance and compliance with industry standards, making it a robust choice for enterprise-level operations.
An individual with a demonstrated track record in cultivating donor relationships and securing necessary resources will be essential.
To qualify, candidates must possess a proven track record of engaging with national-level coordination frameworks on behalf of organizations.
Seeking a professional possessing exceptional analytical abilities, adept problem-solving techniques, outstanding communication skills, and refined negotiation expertise.
Someone experienced in managing teams and building partner capacity.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND , MBA/MSc/MA
Experience Required
8 - 10 years
