Climate & Economic Empowerment Lead
Date: 26 Jun 2026
Location: Globally flexible, Flexible
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.
Role Purpose
Help shape a more climate-resilient and equitable future for girls and young people.
Plan International is seeking a strategic and influential leader to drive our global Climate & Economic Empowerment agenda, advancing climate justice while strengthening livelihoods for girls, young people and marginalised communities.
This is a high-impact global leadership role at the intersection of climate change, gender equality, and youth economic empowerment. You will define and lead an ambitious, evidence-based vision that responds to the disproportionate impact of climate change on girls and vulnerable groups.
Working across a complex, global organisation, you will strengthen how we deliver integrated, climate-resilient and inclusive programming—ensuring approaches are gender-transformative, youth-led and grounded in community realities across both development and humanitarian contexts.
What you’ll do
- Set and drive the global vision, ambition, and value proposition for Climate & Economic Empowerment, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and programmatic standards
- Establish and maintain a strong strategic narrative grounded in climate resilience, community-driven livelihoods, youth economic empowerment, and intersectional, gender-transformative approaches (including disability, migration, indigeneity and poverty)
- Shape and strengthen resource mobilisation, including donor positioning, partnerships, and climate finance opportunities
- Provide technical leadership and thought leadership in global climate and livelihoods spaces
- Represent Plan International externally, contributing to sector dialogue, partnerships, and influencing efforts
- Champion integrated programming linking climate resilience with livelihoods, education, protection, and youth opportunity
- Translate evidence, research, and field learning into compelling narratives, advocacy, and programme design
- Strengthen cross-organisational alignment across global, regional, and country teams in a matrixed structure
- Enable knowledge sharing, innovation, and continuous learning, amplifying insights from climate-affected communities
About you
- Strong expertise in climate change, resilience, and economic empowerment
- Experience working in resource-constrained, fragile, or climate-affected contexts
- Strong understanding of gender-transformative and youth-led approaches, particularly in climate settings
- Experience engaging with climate funding mechanisms, partnerships, or global donors
- Proven ability to translate evidence into strategy, advocacy, and funding opportunities
- Strong track record in external representation, influencing, and partnership development
- Skilled at working across complex, global, matrixed organisations and leading through influence
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to bring clarity to complexity
Type of Role: Permanent - Full-time or maximum fixed term contract as per employing office's standard terms and conditions.
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. The preferred location for this role is one of Plan International's offices in the Asia Pacific region**.
Closing Date: 12th July
*Applicable locations include: Australia, **Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, **Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, **China, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, **Hong Kong, **Indonesia, Ireland, **Japan, Jordan, Kenya, **Korea, **Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mozambique, **Myanmar, **Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, **Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, **Thailand, **Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, **Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
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.