Youth Economic Empowerment Research Manager

Plan International 

 Founded in 1937, Plan International, Inc. (“PII”) is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners in both humanitarian and development settings.  

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian (dual mandate) non-profit organisation that believes in the power and potential of every child, but knows this is often supressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, disasters, and discrimination. 

 Working together with children, girls, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan International strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenge’s girls and vulnerable children face. Plan International has been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years and now active in more than 80 countries, delivering humanitarian assistance and driving changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge. 

Our global strategy “All girls standing strong creating global change” has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalised and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 200 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and in particular the goals on gender equality in both humanitarian and development settings. Our organisation is transforming itself to meet the enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking, and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to reach our target of 200 million girls.  

Plan international in East and Central Europe

Plan International has been responding to the Ukraine Crisis since March 2022, starting in countries hosting Ukrainian survivors of displacement (“SoDs”) (Moldova, Romania, Poland) and thereafter expanding humanitarian operations inside Ukraine since August 2022. Since July-August 2022, Plan International has been duly registered in Poland and Romania as national Foundations and in Moldova as a branch office of Plan International Inc. Since October 2022, Plan International has also been duly registered in Ukraine as a representative office of Plan International Inc. 

 Plan International is profiling itself as one of the ‘go to’ organizations in promoting and protecting the rights of children, girls and young people in conflict and crisis; in particular through adding value in child protection, education, gender and inclusion, social cohesion, GBV, MHPSS and CVA. As the crisis permits, Plan International will expand its humanitarian interventions into longer term development goals driving youth-led action and equality for girls in Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.

 Plan International is committed to meeting safeguarding expectations across all its operations and will expect the Leadership Team to ensure all incidents regarding child abuse and sexual harassment are reported and effectively managed.

Role purpose 

Plan International Ukraine is in the process of identifying its future strategic priorities, including in relation to its current and future youth-led and youth-centred ambition. As part of this strategic planning process, and in a strategic collaboration with Plan International Germany, Plan International Ukraine wants to explore and inquire how Plan International’s Programme Framework “Solutions and Opportunities for Youth Economical Empowerment” could be relevant and contextualised as a strategic priority for future nexus and longer-term development programming in the contact of Ukraine’s recovery. In order to advance this, Plan International Ukraine and Plan International Germany are planning to conduct a joint research project, in collaboration with a national research institution, to provide insights that are valuable for strategic orientation of a future portfolio of projects addressing employment challenges for youth, especially women/girls, PwD and LGBTQIA+. 

Expected Deliverables   

The Research Manager is expected to deliver the following outputs:

• Supervise and coordinate the entire research process from the conceptualization stage to the dissemination and communication of findings
• Promote research partnerships and engage with external and internal stakeholders including potential donors, navigating different stakeholder interests and needs
• Ensure stakeholder feedback is incorporated into the research project at key points of the process
• Manage and track the research budget, resources, and research deliverables
• Conduct effective risk management and contingency planning related to the research project
• Ensure legal, safeguarding and ethical compliance of the research activities at all times of the research process
• Support in the development/completion of an initial desk review outlining existing knowledge and knowledge gaps with regards to economic opportunities for Ukrainian youths displaced within and outside Ukraine
• Co-develop and review the overall research strategy and methodological approach in collaboration with the project’s national research partners and in line with Plan International’s research and ethical standards
• Set up and coordinate a reference group of young women and men (Ukrainian refugees and IDPs) and identify areas of involvement with reference group members 

Co-lead on any data collection, analysis, validation and reporting activities in collaboration with the partner research institution 

• Provide input for the development of other communication formats for the dissemination of research findings
• Design, deliver and facilitate presentations on findings to internal and external stakeholders 

Produce a research report and summary report presenting the research findings prepared for various stakeholder groups including the reference group 

Communications and Working Relationships

 Internal

• This role reports to the Plan International Ukraine Deputy Country Director Programme and collaborates closely with the reference group comprising representatives from Plan International Germany, Plan International Ukraine and key stakeholders (including young people)
• Plan International Ukraine Programme Team, including the DCD-Programme, Programme Quality Manager, MERL Specialist and Partnership Specialist
• Relevant Plan International ECE shared service staff, including Head of Communications, Head of MERL and Head of Policy & Advocacy 
• Plan International Ukraine Programme Team

External

• National academic institutions 
• Relevant National authorities, including Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science
• Young people’s organisations and networks
• Relevant UN agencies, international NGOs, civil society and community-based organizations that focus on youth economic empowerment and employability.

Technical expertise, skills, and knowledge

Essential Knowledge 

• Master's degree or PhD in Social Sciences, Economics, Gender Studies, International Development, or another related field 
• At least 5-7 years of experience in conducting and managing similar research initiatives 
• Experience in designing, carrying out and managing multi-stakeholder and participatory research with youth
• Experience in the design of online data collection tools
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and research ethics
• Knowledge of the rights-based approach, gender equality and child rights
• In-depth knowledge of the area of research, including current developments
• Excellent writing, facilitation and speaking skills in English
• An understanding of the legal research framework in Ukraine is an advantage

 Essential Skills

• Participatory research and project management skills, including planning and scheduling, process design, implementation, closing and dissemination
• Ability to motivate, influence and negotiate with and foster ownership among different stakeholder groups for the research project.
• Strong ability to synthesise, simplify and effectively communicate complex topics and information for various stakeholder groups
• Ability to plan and prioritize tasks, and develop solutions to identified challenges
• Ability to manage risks and plan for contingencies
• Ability to network and engage with diverse stakeholders in an effective and engaging manner
• Ability to work calmly in high-pressure, volatile & insecure environments and at unpredictable (long) hours during emergency responses
• Ability to receive feedback and deal with conflicts effectively
• Ability to deliver research outputs on time and budget

 Essential Behaviours 

• Committed to Plan International’s strategy, values and feminist principles
• Works well in collaboration with Senior Management
• Works well in and promotes teamwork 
• Is comfortable working in a multi-cultural work environment
• Behaves in a respectful and collaborative manner with all stakeholders involved, 
• Demonstrates honesty and transparency in holding self and others accountable to deliver on agreed goals and Plan’s standards and values

 Terms and conditions 

Plan International will be happy to disclose the salary range and applicable benefits to applicants as part of this process. 

 Physical Environment and Demands

Based in the response office located in Kyiv, Ukraine with some local and possibly some international travel. Willingness and ability to travel to insecure conflict affected response areas in case required.

 Plan International’s Values in Practice

Our values are at the heart of everything we do. Only by defining a common set of values that are important to us – and that we also want to see in our partners – can we deliver on our shared aspirations. If we are to work towards fulfilling our new purpose, it is critical that we understand the behaviours we have to demonstrate to get us there.  

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 are open and accountable
 We create an environment 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 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 workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and realise their potential. 

 Plan International’s feminist principles 

1. Self-awareness and courage: Making conscious effort to recognise our vulnerabilities and value our strengths while challenging ourselves and others to improve through self-reflection and empathetic mutual feedback.
2. Self and collective-care: Taking care of our individual health and work/life balance, and encouraging team members and cooperating partners to prioritise caring for self and each other. This extends also to institutional care i.e. managers balancing the workload of their staff, empowering staff to prioritise self -care and promoting infrastructural improvements to create a harmonious working environment. 
3. Collective accountability: Promote collaborative goal setting and create institutional spaces for team members and young people to participate and lead in decision-making processes on equal terms, both inside and outside the organisation.
4. Diversity: Recognise, celebrate ,and promote diversity across the organisation by expanding our worldview beyond binaries and nurturing leadership of younger people, particularly from the global south. 
5. Zero tolerance to discrimination and sexual harassment: Calling out all forms of discrimination, abuse of power and sexual harassment and implementing appropriate disciplinary measures.
6. Tackling bias:  Recognising conscious and unconscious bias and checking our own individual and institutional privilege based on gender, class, race, ability and other factors.
7. Share power: Using power responsibly to transform systems and provide equal opportunities. Leveraging individual and collective power to create space for young people. Crediting the work of others and engaging in ethical, non-extractive ways with team members and communities. 
8. Purpose-driven: Advancing gender justice and transforming harmful gender-norms. Reflecting this purpose in both our personal and professional lives. Bringing passion and energy to our work.
9. Joyful in co-creating: Make things fun, the workplace should be a space of collaboration and mutual respect something you enjoy. People want to work for us.
10. Honouring the movement: recognising, honouring and standing in solidarity with feminist organisations as strong allies who partner in actions crucial to creating lasting, impactful change towards gender justice.