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
Plan International South Sudan is seeking a Head of Programmes to provide strategic leadership for the delivery of its new five‑year country strategy. The strategy is focused on a triple‑nexus approach, integrating humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding and long‑term development, with the aim of moving from saving lives to changing lives for children, girls, young people and women.
Plan International South Sudan currently operates across six states, reaching more than 2 million children and young people, with an annual programme turnover of approximately €30 million. The country programme is supported by over 200 staff and more than 500 volunteers, with a structure aligned to the new country strategy.
Reporting to the Country Director and serving as a member of the Country Leadership Team, the Head of Programmes has overall accountability for programme strategy, design, quality implementation and delivery across the country programme.
The role provides leadership across technical programming, partnerships, advocacy and influencing, communications and business development, ensuring that programmes are well designed, adequately funded, compliant and responsive to the South Sudan context.
Key areas of responsibility include:
- Leading the development, implementation, review and refresh of the country strategy and annual plans, in alignment with Plan International’s global and regional frameworks
- Providing strategic and technical leadership across multiple programme areas, including education and early childhood development, child protection, youth leadership and economic empowerment, health, nutrition, WASH, and food security and livelihoods
- Ensuring strong programme quality, with effective monitoring, evaluation and learning systems that inform decision‑making, adaptation and organisational learning
- Leading advocacy and influencing work at national and local levels, ensuring it is evidence‑based and integrated into programme design and delivery
- Supporting resource mobilisation by working closely with business development teams on donor engagement, proposal development and maintaining a healthy grant pipeline
- Building and strengthening strategic partnerships with government, UN agencies, INGOs, national NGOs and other stakeholders
- Working closely with operations teams to ensure effective end‑to‑end project lifecycle management, from design through to close‑out
- Ensuring safeguarding, gender equality and inclusion are embedded across all programmes and ways of working
About you
This role is suited to a senior programme leader with substantial experience managing large, complex and multi‑sector programmes, ideally within fragile or conflict‑affected contexts. You will bring strong strategic leadership, sound judgement, and the ability to lead diverse technical teams while working under pressure in a changing environment.
You will have:
- Extensive experience in programme leadership at country or senior organisational level
- Proven experience in strategic planning, programme quality assurance and grant management
- Strong understanding of integrated development and humanitarian programming
- Demonstrable experience in advocacy, partnership‑building and working with donors
- A solid commitment to child rights, safeguarding, gender equality and inclusion
- Strong analytical, communication and people‑leadership skills
Location: Juba, South Sudan. 30% travel to other areas of Sudan. This is a mandatory unaccompanied assignment.
This is a global recruitment and support with relocation is available if required.
Type of Role: 13 month Fixed term contract
Reports to: Country Director
Closing Date: 11th May 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.
