Youth Engagement & Consultation (YEC) Advisor at Plan International

Role Purpose

• Plan International has full-fledged Country programmes in three out of four affected countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Since 2016 Plan International is coordinating and harmonizing its response to the Lake Chad crisis through the Lake Chad Programme, currently coordinated by the Lake Chad Programme Unit.
• The Like Chad Programme is guided by Plan International’s Regional Lake Chad Programme Strategy (2018-2023). While all Strategic Programme Objectives (SPOs) of the Strategy are targeting, among others, youths, the 4th SPO is targeting specifically youth and adolescent girls to “Promote effective participation, empowerment and leadership of adolescent girls and youth in the Lake Chad region”. In order to achieve this SPO, Plan International is currently conducting a study the three Lake Chad Programme countries in order to develop a strategy on how to best and meaningfully engage with youth and their networks/groups.
• Under the general guidance of the Lake Chad Program Manager, the Youth Engagement & Consultation Advisor will ensure that the study findings and strategy on YEC are rolled out in relevant actions within the Lake Chad Programme and that Plan International becomes a leading agency and go-to organisation regarding meaningful collaboration with youth and their networks based on the pilot interventions on this matter in the Lake Chad Programme.

Dimension of Role

• Support the roll-out of the study findings from the YEC consultancy and related strategy document through support to technical project designs and youth engagement & consultation processes across the three Lake Chad Programme countries.
• Ensure that the YEC approach is contributing to the gender-transformative programme approach being used by Plan International’s Lake Chad Programme with a particular focus on the participation and perspectives of female youth and adolescent girls.
• Provide leadership within the Lake Chad Programme on YEC, developing clear and realistic conceptual thinking, guidance, tools and build capacities.
• Support and coordinate the YEC work being done at country level in Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, including the facilitation of exchange and learning across the countries on the YEC approach.

Key Roles/Responsibilities
Roll out of the YEC Strategy:

• Developing an implementation plan of the YEC strategy document across the Lake Chad Programme countries
• Identifying funding opportunities at country levels where the YEC approach could be included
• Conducting internal orientations/training for the YEC team and Plan programme country office staff on the YEC strategy and the roll out phase
• Technical support to intervention designs relevant for YEC

Information and Co-ordination:

• Provide intervention updates and reports on a frequent basis and whenever required and requested to the Lake Chad Programme Manager on the progress of the YEC strategy implementation as well as planned and ongoing YEC actions.
• Organize regular meetings of the YEC team to strengthen YEC strategy roll out at country levels
• Technical coordination of the YEC officers at country level (incl. work planning, technical approaches etc.)
• Exchange regularly with the global Coordinator of Plans Focus Area of “LEAD” as well Global Youth Advocacy and Activism Advisor of Plan International
• Collect, analyse, and share YEC-related data.
• Ensure that lessons learnt on YEC are systematically documented/captured and can be used for further implementation improvement as well as development of new interventions around YEC.

Capacity Building:

• Provide on the job-coaching for the YEC team members on practical application of youth engagement & consultation processes
• Provide orientation/trainings to country office programme staff on meaningful youth engagement, participation and consultation
• Operationalize the YEC strategy for implementation and project design purpose at CO level

Resource Mobilization for follow up and/or extension phase:

• Support CO resource mobilization teams and Plan International NOs on securing funds for continuous YEC programme scale up through providing lessons learnt and project related contextual information as well as technical support for intervention design and youth engagement and consultation processes
• Identifying potential extension/follow up funding resources on youth engagement and participation interventions.

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge

• University degree or appropriate work experience in a field relevant to the position
• Significant experience in planning, design and implementation of integrated humanitarian programmes
• Knowledge of international humanitarian standards and codes of conduct
• Significant experience in youth participation and youth engagement as well as on participative approaches
• Experience on capacity building of staff on youth engagement and youth participation
• Experience in working with children and girls’ rights
• Advocacy, influencing and negotiating skills, experienced in gaining commitment from a wide range of people, bringing about change and providing support from a distance
• People management: Ability to work independently and as a team player. Ability to work with youth in disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Work style: well organized even within a fluid working environment and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem solving skills.
• External representation and communication skills Requires general administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in IT/computer skills (including sound MS excel and word proficiency)
• Fluency in English and French
• Flexibility to travel within the Lake Chad region, within security limitations set by Plan International.