Partnership & Education Project Coordinator - PlayMatters Project

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Date: 18 May 2026

Location: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

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 Partnership & Education Project Coordinator is responsible for the overall planning, implementation, coordination, and quality assurance of PlayMatters interventions at the regional level. The role ensures the effective delivery of play-based learning activities and promotes evidence-based programming that aligns with national education priorities and organizational standards. He/she will also support strong collaboration with key stakeholders to maintain high-quality and impactful interventions.

The Coordinator is responsible for overall project management, including financial oversight, as well as monitoring, evaluation, and learning to support accountability, continuous improvement, and informed decision-making.

 

Key Accountabilities Include;

  • Lead planning, coordination, and delivery of project activities aligned with approved plans, budgets, and timelines.
  • Develop implementation plans, manage risks, and address operational challenges using adaptive approaches.
  • Build and maintain strong partnerships with government, education institutions, NGOs, and communities.
  • Provide technical support, coaching, and mentoring to ensure quality delivery of play-based learning approaches.
  • Coordinate stakeholder engagement, joint planning, and collaboration across partners and education systems.
  • Oversee monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEAL), including digital data systems, reporting, and data quality assurance.
  • Promote accountability, community engagement, and use of feedback mechanisms to improve programming.
  • Represent the organization in coordination platforms and advocate for play-based learning approaches.
  • Support policy engagement and integration of learning through play into education systems and teacher development.
  • Document and share best practices, lessons learned, and success stories to support learning and visibility.
  • Monitor partner budgets, review financial reports, and ensure compliance with donor and organizational requirements.

 

The Individual

 

Qualifications/ Experience/Skills Essential:

  • BA degree from an accredited university in education, Social Science , or related field;
  • Minimum five years of years of relevant experience in education related fields 
  • Experience in content development/adaptation, testing and training delivery for teachers
  • Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
  • Demonstrated ability to conduct presentations and facilitate workshops.
  • Ability to work both independently and work under pressure  
  • Proven experience promoting disability inclusion and adapting learning approaches for children with diverse learning needs.
  • Experience working with government education systems, teacher education colleges, and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
  • Excellent facilitation, mentoring, and technical writing skills in English;
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Amharic, an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications.

 

Qualifications/ Experience/Skills Desirable:

  • Budget and financial management including planning and forecasting budgets, allocating resources, monitoring expenditures and burn rates.
  • Having good understanding about Learning through Play (LtP) and Ethiopian education systems.
  • Having good understanding about project monitoring, evaluation and digital data collection including CommCare
  • Proven experiences in experiences in coordination, partnership management and representation.
  • Education project management/coordination experience

 

Safeguarding Children and Program Participants (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

  • Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed per the appropriate procedures.
  • Ensures that all staff in the unit/function/department are properly inducted on and understand their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;
  • Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Program Participants and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work.
  • Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted.

 

Location: Amhara Program Area, Bahir Dar

Type of Role: PlayMatters project for 1 year contract with possibility of extension

Reports to: Partnership & Project Manager 

Closing Date: May 28, 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.