Project Assistant - Young Health Project

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 this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

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.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years, and are now active in more than 80 countries.

JOB PURPOSE:  

The Young Health Programme (YHP) is a global disease prevention programme with a unique focus on young people aged 10 to 24, living in vulnerable environments and under-resourced settings around the world. The YHP aims to prevent the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, and mental ill health. Since 2010, it has directly reached over six million young people in over 30 countries with information about NCD risk behaviours.

With a commitment to support and defend the health, wellbeing and rights of young people, Plan International is proposing an expansion of the global YHP into the city of Bangkok, Thailand. Here, NCDs pose a significant threat and the Project will aim to prevent or reduce the risk behaviours which can lead to NCDs, as well as supporting the broader health and rights of young people.

The YHP follows the internationally recognized 5x5 model, which draws a link between 5 main NCD risk factors (tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution) and 5 main NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and mental health). In this model, the YHP focuses on the risk factors among young people with the aim to prevent NCDs.

In addressing the health needs of young people, the YHP takes a holistic approach which mainstreams gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights and mental health. Given the significant cross over and influence of these areas on NCD risk behaviours, and since these areas are fundamental barriers to young people leading healthy lives, creating positive changes in the lives and health of young people requires an approach in which these areas are addressed and challenged. The Project will engage strategies including youth empowerment through peer education, community mobilization, health service strengthening and advocacy.

The YHP in Thailand is part of a larger global Programme; Although each country has a context specific programme, all YHPs have the same thematic focus on NCD prevention with a holistic approach to young people’s health and all follow the same Theory of Change. The larger partnership is managed by the Plan office in the UK and the Thailand Project Manager will be part of a global group and exchange ideas and learning with other YHP managers in other countries on a regular basis.

The position is working with the YHP Project Manager, the YHP Project Coordinator, and the YHP Project Officers to implement the Young Health Programme in Bangkok, Thailand.

Core role and responsibilities:

• Closely working with the YHP Project Coordinator and the YHP Project Officers to achieve positive and productive implementation of the YHP programme according to its Key Performance Indicators and to ensure that young people in Bangkok metropolitan and vicinity have increased knowledge about risk behaviours and NCD prevention, which gives them greater capacity to make decisions about their health, in the context of improved health services, an enabling support system and policy environment.
• To support the YHP Project Coordinator and the YHP Project Officers in introducing clear guidance about core approaches of the YHP.
• To coordinate and support the YHP Project Coordinator and the YHP Project Officers during the implementation of the application process of all YHP activities, especially peer education training and sessions, in order to gain correct information on issues of NCDs, as well as integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, SRHR, mental health into peer educator activities.
• Be responsible for assigned tasks during the process of planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation and reporting programme activities at the level of implementation by Plan and/or by stakeholders, such as schools, health facilities.
• Be responsible for assigned monitoring tasks in capturing positive changes of young people practice fewer risk behaviours due to increased knowledge and capacity at the level of implementation by Plan and/or by stakeholders.
• To support the Project Officers to network with schools and other institutions with spaces that can host project stakeholders for the duration of the project
• To support the Project Officer to contact, coordinate, facilitate and organise activities with PEs, advisory teachers, school’s management and other related school’s staffs important to the attainment of the aims of the project
• To support the Project Officers to contact, coordinate, facilitate, mobilise and organise activities with communities (parents, families, community leaders) and other key stakeholders important to the attainment of the aims of the project
• Undertake monitoring of project activities, do follow-up and provide feed-back to the Project Coordinator and Project Officers to enable requisite adjustment in implementation plan and strategy to deliver results.
• To support the YHP Project Officers to maintain effective communication system and ensure information flow between project and relevant stakeholders and parties
• To support the YHP Project Manager, Project Coordinator and Project Officers in advocating with national stakeholders as Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the Ministry of Education etc. for an enabling policy environment which supports NCD prevention and promotes broader adolescent health. To support the YHP Project Coordinator and Project Officers to collect, analyse the information on the programme, identify and participate in evaluation (baseline, midline, endline) of the programme.
• To support the YHP Project Officers and ensure that the workshops, trainings and meetings with partners, stakeholders, and donor have planned, organized, arranged and managed properly
• Any other duties as reasonable requested by supervisor and in line with organizational priorities

ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

       Essential

1. A degree in Development Studies, Public Health, Social Science, or any other relevant qualification;
2. Demonstrated knowledge in community development tools: participatory approaches, effective facilitation, community empowerment, and youth empowerment
3. Ability to function efficiently and effectively with minimum day-to-day supervision
4. Working in a dynamic situation with a lot of pressure, deadlines, schedules, and a substantial amount of documentation to deal with.
5. Willingness to travel to Project implementing area on a frequent basis
6. Demonstrated skills in team working and problem-solving

Desirable

1. Demonstrated experience in working with children and youth
2. Knowledge and skills in on-site project implementation
3. Experience in working with schools, communities, technical partners, government partners, and local NGOs for project implementation, including working with children and youth and gender area
4. Demonstrated knowledge of gender approach, gender-based violence, child rights, and inclusion
5. Experience in working in a multi-cultural organisation
6. Affinity to work with and for young people on improving their health and well-being
7. Good oral and written communication skills in English
8. Possess strong computer literacy including presentation and writing skills

Closing date for applications:   22 March 2023

Reference & background checks will be performed for successful candidates including clearances on child related offences in conformity with Plan’s Child Protection Policy. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Location: Bangkok, Travel required 80% of working time

Type of Role:  1 Year Fixed- Term Contract with possibility of extension

Reports to: Project Coordinator - Young Health Project

Closing Date: 22 March 2023

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.