Director Organisational Change and Engagement

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 is at an important moment in its evolution. As we reshape how we work, strengthen our operating model and build the capabilities needed for the future, we are looking for a leader who can help turn organisational ambition into meaningful, lasting change.

The Director of Organisational Change & Engagement will play a central role in shaping how change is led, understood and experienced across Plan International. This is an opportunity to influence major organisation-wide transformation, work closely with senior leaders, and help create the clarity, engagement and confidence needed for change to succeed.

Leading Plan International's enterprise approach to organisational change — using communications and engagement as key levers to drive understanding, adoption and lasting impact — the Director will connect strategy, people, communications and engagement to ensure major initiatives are coherent, people-centred and successfully adopted across our global organisation.

The role will strengthen how we communicate our direction and priorities, deepen employee engagement, create opportunities for meaningful dialogue, and build the capability of leaders and managers to lead through change with confidence.

As a key member of the Operating Model core team and other relevant change governance forums, the Director will ensure that people, culture, engagement and communications are considered from the outset in the design and delivery of major organisational change.

Key Deliverables; 

Enable organisational change

• Shape and enable Plan International's enterprise approach to organisational change — building shared frameworks and local capability— so major transformation initiatives are people-centred, connected and successfully adopted. Partner with senior leaders and transformation teams to shape change strategies, anticipate organisational impacts and risks, and strengthen readiness and adoption.
• Establish the frameworks, governance and approaches that enable effective and coherent change across Plan International.
• Establish and steward a network of change ambassadors across regions, country offices and functions to bridge central initiatives and local implementation, surface feedback and build local ownership of change

Build capability to lead, communicate and sustain change

• Strengthen the capability of leaders, managers and teams across Plan International to lead, communicate and navigate change effectively.
• Build organisational approaches, networks and learning that strengthen local ownership and embed new behaviours and ways of working.
• Use evidence, learning and measures of adoption and engagement to strengthen how Plan International delivers and sustains organisational change.

Enable change through communications and engagement 

• Shape a clear and compelling organisational narrative that connects strategy, transformation, culture, impact and the priorities and messages that need to be consistently reinforced across Plan International and advise senior leaders on how they communicate and engage.
• Strengthen organisational listening and dialogue, using employee insight and feedback to inform decisions, build trust, strengthen engagement and improve how organisational priorities and change are shaped and delivered.
• Ensure internal communications and engagement approaches — delivered through the Communications team — are aligned to and actively drive Plan's change and transformation priorities Internal Communication and Engagement team, supporting colleagues to understand the organisation's direction, priorities and the changes underway
• Ensure knowledge, learning and information generated through change and communications activity is captured, shared and easily accessible across Plan International
• Champion digital and self-service approaches to change and communications — toolkits, collaboration platforms and accessible guidance — that make change easier for managers and teams to navigate without reliance on central delivery

The role will work closely with:

• Leadership Team and Extended Leadership Group
• People & Culture Leadership Team
• Operating Model leadership and project teams
• Chief of Staff and Executive Office
• National Organisations, Regional and County Offices colleagues
• Other functional leaders responsible for major organisational transformation initiatives

We are looking for an experienced change leader who combines strategic thinking with the ability to turn ambition into practical organisational change.

You will bring:

• Significant senior-level experience leading complex organisational transformation and enterprise-wide change in a global or highly matrixed organisation.
• A strong track record of designing and implementing change strategies that achieve sustained adoption and organisational impact.
• Strong experience leading communications and employee engagement in a complex organisation, including shaping organisational narrative and translating leadership priorities into clear, compelling communications for staff.
• Significant experience supporting senior leaders with leadership communications, including experience ensuring senior leaders are well-equipped to communicate through change and engagement with employees.
• Experience advising and influencing executive and senior leadership teams on change, communications and engagement.
• Experience building organisational change capability, including frameworks, tools, governance and leadership capability.
• Strong understanding of organisational culture, behaviour change and employee experience.
• Experience using data, employee insight and feedback to shape communications, engagement, change strategies and organisational decision-making.
• Experience working across different cultures, geographies and organisational contexts.

You are someone who:

• Thinks strategically and sees the connections between people, culture, engagement, communications and organisational performance.
• Can simplify complexity and create clarity in periods of uncertainty and change.
• Builds credibility quickly with senior leaders while remaining connected to the experience of employees across the organisation.
• Influences effectively across organisational and geographical boundaries, including where there is no direct authority.
• Is an exceptional communicator, writer, facilitator and listener.
• Combines ambition and strategic perspective with a pragmatic, hands-on approach to delivery.
• Uses evidence, insight and judgement to inform decisions.
• Builds collaboration, ownership and momentum around change.
• Is curious, adaptable and comfortable working in an evolving environment.
• Demonstrates inclusive leadership and a strong commitment to Plan International’s purpose and values.

Location: The location of this role can be flexible where Plan International has an office that can employ on behalf of the Global Hub and you have the pre-existing right to work and live however working hours that align with the UTC timezone are strongly preferred.   

Type of Role: Permanent or maximum fixed term contract as per employing entities terms and conditions

Reports to: Chief People & Culture Officer 

Closing Date: Wednesday 21st October

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.