Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. As a leader in the global movement for girls’ rights, our ambition is to take collective action so that 100 million girls learn, lead, decide and thrive globally. These ambitions require that we work in new ways and unleash our full creative potential. In 2018, Plan International launched a Global Innovation Team (based in the Global Hub in the UK and deployable globally), with the expertise and skills to nurture creativity and help existing teams to develop innovations in the areas of programming, influencing, fundraising and operations.

The Innovation Lead will provide hands-on support from the early stages of identifying a challenge statement through to the realisation of scalable impact for girls in WACA. The Innovation Lead will work closely with the Global Innovation Team to create an enabling environment for innovation to flourish.

Dimensions of the Role and Accountabilities :

The Innovation Lead will be responsible for stimulating and driving innovation in WACA. S/he will:

• Stimulate innovation in the region – this includes supporting Country Offices (COs) to identify problem areas for exploration, through to ideas that are ready to be prototyped or piloted in support of the global strategy
• Facilitate workshops with cross-functional teams and partner organisations throughout the innovation life cycle
• Key point of contact for innovation funding opportunities in WACA – includes keeping an oversight of and seeking new applications to Plan International’s internal Innovation Fund and external grant opportunities
• Understand the innovation ecosystem locally and connect with potential partners to stimulate innovation in support of the global strategy (including start-ups, local design agencies, technology, innovation and entrepreneur networks and hubs)
• Provide coaching and guidance for Project Leads leading new innovation projects in WACA. Potential to lead on priority innovation projects for WACA.
• Support innovation projects with design skills – including conducting design research and the development of rapid prototypes
• With support of the Innovation team, increase engagement in innovation – creating an enabling environment (share human-centred design expertise with COs for capacity building) and create a culture for innovation
• Work collaboratively with the Innovation team to solve problems, come up with ideas and prioritise workload
• Assess innovation maturity in Country Offices and make strategic recommendations
• Provide progress updates internally (including Global Hub Innovation Team & Regional Management Team) and communicating globally (using internal collaboration tool)
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge :

• Fluent in English and French
• IT and digital skills
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Experience working in innovation and human-centred design / design thinking methods
• Understanding of the West and Central Africa innovation landscape
• A strong understanding of digital technologies and their use for social impact
• Strong communication skills to articulate innovation approaches and concepts internally and externally
• Experience building new partnerships and contracting other organisations
• Coaching and mentoring skills
• Willingness and ability to travel in West and Central Africa as required

• Experience of human centred design methods and design thinking to the international development sector
• Participatory methods, particularly involving children
• Experience of being a Product Owner or Product Manager for solutions (tech and non-tech)
• Product design expertise, including the creation of MVPs and rapid prototypes
• Experience of agile project management and lean product development
• Creation of multimedia content (videos, animations etc.)
• Experience responding to grants, writing bids and requests for proposals, and budget management

Physical Environment :

The role will be based in Plan International’s West and Central Africa Hub, with a significant amount of international travel (up to 50%). Field visits will be a mixture of office and field work, in both development and humanitarian settings.

How to apply :

To apply, click on the link and send by 12th August 2019 your application with:

• A comprehensive cover letter
• A comprehensive and clear CV that includes the contact of two of your referees, one of whom should be your current employer.

Females’ candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Plan International WACA is an equal opportunity employer and is engaged in child and youth safeguarding and gender equity.  We practice zero tolerance for fraud, corruption and harassment. Our recruitment process demonstrates those values. Therefore, the successful candidate must abide by the organization child and youth safeguarding policy and code of conduct.