This role will provide critical leadership, management, and oversight of the AGIP Secretariat, working across member organisations and with external partners at CEO and senior technical level to implement AGIP’s the final year of AGIP’s strategy ‘Girls on the Agenda and at the Table’. This role will be responsible for leading technical meetings, shaping agendas and coordinating meetings for the AGIP Board, collaboratively leading and developing AGIP project plans and resourcing strategies, and ensuring key project milestones are met.

The post-holder will also be responsible for leading on coalition sustainability, including securing grants to cover core project costs and develop the next project strategy. You will also be responsible for leading on AGIP Project outputs and managing the development and delivery of an annual project plan in collaboration with partners as well as maximising engagement for AGIP at key global and/or regional events.

To succeed, you will enjoy working in a fast-paced team environment, have strong strategic project leadership, research and communication skills and a proven ability to work proactively, autonomously and maintain effective relationships with multiple external stakeholders at the highest level. The postholder will be working across at least 14 organisational structures, working with people, including girls and youth, in different time zones and diverse organizational cultures. They must be able to plan and communicate clearly and efficiently with senior leaders of all partner organisations, ensure that tasks are delivered on time, manage multiple demands, initiate activities, and be personally committed to the goals of AGIP and the principles and approach of the supporting organisations.

The postholder will be an experienced professional able to play a central role in establishing momentum; creating accountability for delivery; identifying opportunities for partnership and innovation; and anticipating and solving problems.

You will work with the Board which comprises of CEO-level representatives of partner organisations to determine allocation of AGIP resources to key activities and monitor and manage budget expenditure against agreed project deliverables and you will be required to work independently in leading and implementing agreed AGIP activities.

You will be responsible for advising chairs, agenda setting, drafting pre-reads, and coordinating logistics for the AGIP Board, and have oversight on engagement with AGIP’s Adolescent Girls Advisory Committee.

You will oversee safe and meaningful girl and youth engagement within AGIP’s internal structures and external events. You will also be responsible for matrix line management of the AGIP MGYE Specialist and Communications & Engagement Officer in collaboration with the host partners. Management of consultants is expected on an ad-hoc basis.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

High Level Relationship Management

· Lead on establishing and maintaining strong working relationships with the CEOs of each of the partner organisations as well as senior technical colleagues and experts

· Network and represent AGIP in external networks and forums, where relevant, including UN and Generation Equality spaces

· Lead on building AGIP’s external profile, recognition, and engagements to advance strategic goals, strengthen collective influencing power, and ensure AGIP is well connected with relevant peers, partners, movements, and girl activists

Lead the delivery of a membership call to diversify the membership in line with proposed governance reform, brokering new strategic relationships for AGIP

· Promote shared and peer to peer learning and capacity sharing within AGIP. This may include but not limited to convening community of practice meetings with key partners, managing virtual networks to collate and synthesize evidence and other capacity sharing strategies

Secretariat Leadership

· Lead the implementation of AGIP’s Project Plan and a project tracker with key milestones, dependencies, and outcomes to support the successful delivery of Phase 2 of the AGIP

· Work independently to oversee and lead on preparations for the Board and AGIP’s Adolescent Girls’ Advisory Committee (AGAC)

· Chair the Research Working Group, and oversee the development, publication, and dissemination of relevant reports for the partnership

· Chair the Advocacy Working Group; manage and oversee the development of advocacy plans and materials, high-level external events and engagements

· Lead the development of a monitoring and evaluation plan for AGIP with a strong accountability with and for AGIP partners, collaborators and donors

· Convene and lead cross-organisational project meetings and workshops to advance AGIP’s strategic objectives

· Maximise partner engagement and strengthen AGIP’s positioning at global events, networks and forums by project managing and owning side events, workshops and meetings

· Lead the identification and scoping of existing adolescent girls’ programmes of relevance implemented by Plan International and other AGIP partners to support the strategic direction for AGIP’s evidence and advocacy priorities

· Author reports, partnership reviews, and briefing materials for the board and senior leadership

· Ensure effective line management of Secretariat staff, setting measurable objectives, reviewing performance and ensuring the team has the necessary skills and understanding to meet the team workplan, fostering a collective leadership approach in line with feminist leadership principles.

· Oversee safe and meaningful girl and youth engagement and safeguarding within AGIP’s internal structures and at external events and engagements

Strategy Development and Resourcing

· Undertake horizon scanning to identify relevant partners, global alliances, coalitions, and multi-sectoral initiatives with whom the AGIP should connect including the Coalition for Adolescent Girls

· Working with AGIP’s Executive leadership, lead the design and development of AGIP’s strategy refresh, ensuring effective stakeholder consultation

· Lead on AGIPs resourcing strategy working with partners to identify and secure longer-term resourcing for AGIPs work – developing funding proposals and concept notes with member organisations

The post holder will regularly engage with technical and management staff across all AGIP member organisations, including colleagues working across advocacy, research, and meaningful youth engagement. The post holder will be expected to build effective relationships with staff within relevant Plan functions, external peers and partners, donors, and AGIP Board members, including the AGIP Co-Chairs, Plan’s Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer and Akili Dada’s Executive Director.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge

· Knowledge of Civil Society & research organisations is an advantage

· Experience of working in multicultural environments, participation in networks and coalitions, and working effectively in non-hierarchical setting

· Knowledge of Research, Advocacy, Policy and/or Fundraising

· Knowledge of current issues and trends in international development and the Girls’ Rights space

Skills

· A high level of written and spoken communication skills – including persuasive writing and editing skills and ability to facilitate appropriate information flow amongst members

· Strong research, organisational abilities, and presentation skills

· Ability to work independently to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines

· Effective relationship management and communications, within a complex international environment

· Extensive project management experience in a complex organizational setting

· Experience of convening networks and/or working groups desirable

· Understanding of multi stakeholder funding processes, and an ability to manage them and transparently report on them (in cooperation with finance experts from member organisations if required)

· Experience in resource mobilisation and fundraising is an advantage

Behaviours

· Excellent collaboration and interpersonal skills

· Capacity to independently manage complexity and demanding workloads, prioritise tasks, work independently and to deadlines

· Ability to build and manage relationships with a wide range of high-level stakeholders

· A team player; open, able and willing to work collaboratively as part of a team deliver on shared objectives

PLAN INTERNATIONAL’S VALUES IN PRACTICE

We are open and accountable.

We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organisation by being open, honest and transparent. We hold ourselves and others to account for the decisions we make and for our impact on others, while doing what we say we will do.

We strive for lasting impact.

We strive to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused and innovative.

We work well together.

We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organisation, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams, across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities, and our partners.

We are inclusive and empowering.

We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge inequality in our programmes and our workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.