Head of Programmes
Local Work Rights Required
This employer does not provide visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the job location.
This opportunity may still be relevant if you already have work authorization, are a permanent resident, citizen, student or dependant with work rights, or are seeking jobs within Africa.
Role Summary
Join Plan International as the Head of Programmes in Egypt, leading impactful initiatives for children's rights and gender equality.
About the Organisation
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation/charity/non-profit 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!
Plan International started working in Egypt in 1981 and has a presence in ten of the 27 governorates in which the country including Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Beheira, Kalyoubia, Damietta, Qena, Assuit and Sohag. Plan international Egypt implements programmes designed to enable communities to improve the lives of the most marginalised children and their families. Plan Egypt’s Country Strategy focuses on five strategic objectives.
Through a five-interconnected, gender transformative and context-fit country objectives, PIE intends along with the various stakeholders at all levels to continue delivering positive and transformative changes so that “Children, especially girls, and young people grow up in an enabling environment, realizing their rights and contributing in both development and humanitarian settings as active agents of change”.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development and implementation of country programme strategies aligned with organizational priorities, donor requirements, and local context. Provide strategic leadership in programme planning, quality assurance, budgeting, gender and inclusion mainstreaming, sponsorship alignment, resource mobilization, and disaster risk management. Ensure effective coordination across departments and stakeholders to deliver high-quality, impactful programmes addressing child rights, gender equality, humanitarian, and development priorities.
- Lead the planning, implementation, monitoring, and quality assurance of PIE programmes in alignment with the Country Strategy, project management standards, and donor requirements. Oversee project and programme teams, strengthen partner capacity, promote programme quality, learning, and safeguarding, foster a values-based and high-performance culture, ensure cross-functional coordination and compliance, support knowledge sharing and sponsorship commitments, and drive the timely delivery of high-quality results and reports.
- Lead the development and implementation of knowledge management, monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems to promote innovation, evidence-based programming, and continuous improvement. Oversee programme quality, data management, performance monitoring, and cross-project coordination to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, value for money, and compliance with organisational standards. Support programme design, assessments, proposal development, strategic partnerships, and organisational learning to achieve sustainable programme outcomes and impact.
- Lead the development and implementation of advocacy and influencing strategies that advance Plan International Egypt’s strategic priorities and promote positive policy, legal, budgetary, and behavioural change. Ensure advocacy efforts are evidence-based and closely linked to programme implementation and MERL, while coordinating stakeholder engagement, partnerships, networks, and national-level representation. Drive impactful advocacy initiatives for girls’ rights and gender equality, monitor and report on influencing outcomes, and strengthen the visibility, credibility, and dissemination of Plan International Egypt’s work among key stakeholders.
- Lead localization and partnership initiatives, build strategic relationships with key stakeholders, and strengthen partner capacity to support effective and sustainable implementation of the country strategy. Build and maintain strategic relationships with government ministries, UN agencies, INGOs, national NGOs, local partners and coordination platforms.
- Ensure adherence to safeguarding, gender equality, anti-fraud, safety, security, and other organizational risk and compliance standards.
- Ensure compliance with Plan International’s Child Protection and Gender Equality policies, including staff awareness and reporting procedures.
- You will be trusted to take on additional assignments within the scope of work as assigned by your supervisor on need basis.
Minimum Requirements
- Someone with Master’s Degree in Social work, International Relations, Development or similar field.
- Should have relevant experience in INGO Sector or demonstrated equivalent combination.
- Someone with at least 10 years of experience (including international) in managing development programmes, preferably with a disaster response component, with large and complex budgets
- Proven experiences and ability to coordinate and collaborate with different civil society and Community based organization.
- Demonstrable working experience in development programme.
- Knowledge of developmental agendas in complex and protracted development and humanitarian landscape.
- Experience in context, funding and market analysis.
- Ability to communicate effectively and authoritatively on area of expertise, and influence others to reach common goals.
- Demonstrated track record of proposal writing and budget management
- Experience in leading team, coaching and mentoring, especially managing a large team.
- Excellent experience in conflict resolution.
- Proven track record in technical quality management.
- Experience across multiple thematic sectors.
- Strategic planning processes.
- Programme design.
- Donor engagement across multiple funding mechanisms.
- Networking with UN, government and donors.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Arabic and English.
Eligibility Criteria
Only candidates with existing legal work authorization in Egypt are eligible to apply.
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