Regional Strategy, Programmes & Influencing Director

Regional Strategy, Programmes & Influencing Director

Date: 10 Sept 2026

Location: Flexible, Flexible

Company: Plan International

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

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.

Location: The location for this role is flexible and any of the countries that Plan has a presence in West and Central Africa can be considered. This includes Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Frequent travel (up to 60%) will be required. 

Reports to: Regional Director

Contract Type: Two year fixed term contract. This is a global search and a relocation package will be available if needed. 

Closing Date: September 11th 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk. 

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.