Regional Strategy, Programmes & Influencing Director at Plan International

The Opportunity

The Strategy, Programmes & Influencing Director provides strategic leadership to Plan International’s strategy, programming and influencing work in the West and Central  Africa (WACA) region in line with our 2022-2027 Global Strategy ‘All Girls Standing Strong, Creating Global Change’ and with a particular focus on ensuring the quality of Plan International’s interventions as part of the WACA Regional Core Management Team and the wider Regional Leadership Team (RLT).

Key accountabilities

• Drive the realisation of the global strategy in the WACA region, working with Country Offices (COs), National Offices (NOs), and Global Hub (GH) through leadership of strategic programming and influencing interventions, and the development and nurturing of strategic partnerships which help further Plan’s goals across the region.
• Ensure all programming and influencing initiatives are focused on increasing impact, strengthening legitimacy and improving sustainability, including delivery of high quality gender transformative programming and influencing interventions with key partners, ensuring close coordination with the humanitarian programme lead.
• Lead the multidisciplinary regional Strategy, Programmes and Influencing department to provide high quality support to COs and to carry out impactful regional initiatives in line with the WACA’s strategic priorities.
• Ensure Plan International’s agenda is represented in relevant spaces across the region and work with Liaison Offices (UN, AU, EU) to help drive the ‘locally led, globally connected’ agenda.
• Ensure that regional and country perspectives are represented and contribute to global initiatives and forums within Plan.
• Support the development and funding of strategically aligned, multi-country projects or programmes.
• Build strategic networks and partnerships and steward working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and allies including donors, government  representatives and other civil society organizations.
• Provide oversight on partnership management and programme quality in the region, ensuring that COs receive the support they need to deliver high-quality gender transformative programming.
• Ensure that Plan International WACA has a strong reputation as a girls’ rights thought leader and is leading change with and through regional multilateral platforms, working groups and alliances.
• Line management: This position directly supervises a team of regional advisors, managers and specialists for Advocacy & Influencing, Communications, Gender Equality & Inclusion (matrix reporting), Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Performance, Planning & Insights, Project & Programme Management and Strategy & Organisational Design.

The Requirements

• You are a senior leader with a proven track record of leading cross-functional, multi-country teams and driving strategy development, programme delivery, and organisational influence within complex, geographically dispersed organisations. You bring substantial experience in building and sustaining effective partnerships across development and humanitarian contexts, alongside strong expertise in programme development, quality, and impact.
• You have demonstrated success in networking, influencing, advocacy, and policy engagement with government stakeholders across West and Central Africa, as well as a strong understanding of rights-based and gender-transformative programming approaches.
• An excellent communicator and relationship builder, you possess strong interpersonal, negotiation, and networking skills, underpinned by a high degree of self-awareness and cultural sensitivity.
• Fluency in both English and French, with excellent written and verbal communication skills in both languages, is essential for this role.