THE OPPORTUNITY

Will provide strategic, technical, and operational leadership for Plan International Kenya’s humanitarian preparedness, emergency response, and resilience programming. You will ensure that PIK is fully equipped to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies while building long-term community resilience and driving climate adaptation and nexus programming across the portfolio.

Further, you will strengthen PIK’s institutional capability to deliver high-quality, gender-transformative interventions in humanitarian settings; champions climate-resilient programming across sectors; lead nexus planning and integration; and ensure that PIK is well positioned within national, regional, and global coordination mechanisms, and will represent PIK in national humanitarian and DRR coordination platforms, lead donor engagement and resource mobilisation for humanitarian and climate-resilience programming, and support CO leadership in aligning country response strategies with Plan International’s Global Humanitarian Strategy, Climate Change Adaptation Framework, and the HDP nexus approach.

Responsibilities or duties

• Lead and integrate Plan Kenya’s humanitarian, resilience, and climate strategies in line with global standards; drive nexus programming, policy advocacy, and protection of girls; coordinate multisectoral stakeholders; maintain a trained emergency response team; and ensure timely analysis, reporting, and accountability.
• Design and oversee humanitarian and resilience programs in crisis-affected areas; ensure interventions are gender-transformative, climate- and conflict-sensitive, and inclusive; lead assessments and response planning; strengthen DRR, early action, and climate-resilient livelihoods; coordinate high-quality multisectoral implementation; and advocate for protection, resilience, climate justice, and gender equality.
• Lead emergency preparedness planning through risk analysis, early warning, contingency plans, and simulations; ensure strong coordination, surge capacity, and procurement readiness; provide technical leadership during crises; and continuously monitor national disaster risk assessments for effective response.
• Ensure programs meet international standards and donor requirements; strengthen accountability through feedback mechanisms; promote real-time learning and documentation of best practices; implement robust monitoring and evaluation with MERL to track impact; and conduct regular reviews to adapt strategies based on gaps, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Support fundraising and donor engagement through strategy, proposals, and partnerships; secure grants, strengthen external relations, and represent PIK in coordination forums to enhance visibility and influence.
• Strengthen partner capacity in emergency response, DRR, climate adaptation, and nexus programming; provide technical mentorship and quality assurance; and champion locally led preparedness and response models.
• Manage and mentor humanitarian and resilience teams with clear expectations; build a culture of gender equality, learning, accountability, and high performance; ensure surge capacity readiness and support staff wellbeing during emergencies.
• Provide oversight of budgets, financial planning, and grant compliance for humanitarian and resilience projects, ensuring accurate and timely expenditure tracking and reporting with Finance.
• Plan International has a robust global policy for Safeguarding and PII policy for Preventing Sexual Harassment Exploitation and Abuse; and Gender Equality and Inclusion principles and Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to your area of responsibility. You will therefore have a responsibility to adhere and enforce adherence of staff and associates within your sphere of responsibility.
• You will be trusted to take on additional assignments within the scope of work as assigned by your supervisor on need basis.

Qualifications or requirements

Someone with Master’s Degree in Humanitarian Studies, Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, International Development, Public Policy, or relevant field or a bachelor’s degree with over 10 years of relevant progressive experience.

Experience needed

8–10 years’ progressive experience in humanitarian response, resilience, DRR, climate programming, or nexus initiatives, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role.

Demonstrate experience in managing emergency responses in complex contexts (drought, conflict, refugee settings, disease outbreaks).

Possess strong technical understanding of:

• Climate adaptation and resilience frameworks
• DRR, early warning/early action systems
• Humanitarian principles, Sphere, CHS
• HDP Nexus and integrated programming

Proven skills in donor engagement and resource mobilisation.

Should have experience representing organisations in coordination structures at national level.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills.

Experienced in managing teams and building partner capacity.

• Lead and integrate Plan Kenya’s humanitarian, resilience, and climate strategies in line with global standards; drive nexus programming, policy advocacy, and protection of girls; coordinate multisectoral stakeholders; maintain a trained emergency response team; and ensure timely analysis, reporting, and accountability.
• Design and oversee humanitarian and resilience programs in crisis-affected areas; ensure interventions are gender-transformative, climate- and conflict-sensitive, and inclusive; lead assessments and response planning; strengthen DRR, early action, and climate-resilient livelihoods; coordinate high-quality multisectoral implementation; and advocate for protection, resilience, climate justice, and gender equality.
• Lead emergency preparedness planning through risk analysis, early warning, contingency plans, and simulations; ensure strong coordination, surge capacity, and procurement readiness; provide technical leadership during crises; and continuously monitor national disaster risk assessments for effective response.
• Ensure programs meet international standards and donor requirements; strengthen accountability through feedback mechanisms; promote real-time learning and documentation of best practices; implement robust monitoring and evaluation with MERL to track impact; and conduct regular reviews to adapt strategies based on gaps, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Support fundraising and donor engagement through strategy, proposals, and partnerships; secure grants, strengthen external relations, and represent PIK in coordination forums to enhance visibility and influence.
• Strengthen partner capacity in emergency response, DRR, climate adaptation, and nexus programming; provide technical mentorship and quality assurance; and champion locally led preparedness and response models.
• Manage and mentor humanitarian and resilience teams with clear expectations; build a culture of gender equality, learning, accountability, and high performance; ensure surge capacity readiness and support staff wellbeing during emergencies.
• Provide oversight of budgets, financial planning, and grant compliance for humanitarian and resilience projects, ensuring accurate and timely expenditure tracking and reporting with Finance.

• Climate adaptation and resilience frameworks
• DRR, early warning/early action systems
• Humanitarian principles, Sphere, CHS
• HDP Nexus and integrated programming
• Donor engagement and resource mobilisation
• Representing organisations in coordination structures at national level
• Analytical, problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills
• Managing teams and building partner capacity

• Master’s Degree in Humanitarian Studies, Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, International Development, Public Policy, or relevant field or a bachelor’s degree with over 10 years of relevant progressive experience.
• 8–10 years’ progressive experience in humanitarian response, resilience, DRR, climate programming, or nexus initiatives, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
• Experience in managing emergency responses in complex contexts (drought, conflict, refugee settings, disease outbreaks).