Plan International Recruits Global Education in Emergencies Specialists for Crisis Response

Plan International is building out its emergency response workforce. The organization, which has spent more than eight decades working to advance children's rights in over 80 countries, has opened a global recruitment drive for Education in Emergencies Specialists—technical experts who can be deployed rapidly to crisis zones around the world to keep children learning when everything else falls apart.

The roster positions themselves are unpaid, but selected specialists receive competitive salaries along with per diem allowances, accommodation, international travel coverage, and access to professional development resources between assignments. Deployments typically last up to three months, though the work can stretch across natural disasters, armed conflicts, displacement crises, and other emergencies where education systems have fractured. The organization is particularly focused on bringing Spanish-speaking professionals into the fold, anticipating significant deployment needs in Venezuela's humanitarian response. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis through August 8, 2026, meaning qualified candidates can be considered before the final deadline rather than waiting for the clock to run out.

The work itself is substantial and multifaceted. Selected specialists will lead rapid education needs assessments in crisis zones, support broader multi-sector needs evaluations, and design emergency education programmes from the ground up. They'll coordinate implementation with local partners, monitor programme quality, and build capacity among frontline staff working in impossible conditions. The role also requires integrating education with other critical humanitarian services—child protection, nutrition, food security, and cash assistance programmes—ensuring that children's learning doesn't happen in isolation from their other urgent needs. Specialists will represent Plan International within Education Cluster coordination mechanisms and contribute to humanitarian advocacy and policy work.

Plan International expects these specialists to center girls' rights, inclusion, and child protection in everything they do. Emergency education interventions must be safe, gender-responsive, and designed to reach vulnerable children who might otherwise be left behind. The organization is explicit about this: wellbeing matters as much as test scores in a crisis context. All work must align with internationally recognized standards—the INEE Minimum Standards, the Core Humanitarian Standard, and Child Protection in Humanitarian Action frameworks—while also respecting national education policies and Education Cluster response plans.

The ideal candidate brings substantial experience across multiple humanitarian contexts. Plan International is looking for professionals who have led emergency education interventions from assessment through implementation, with demonstrated expertise in humanitarian coordination, emergency response management, capacity strengthening, and partnership development. Experience managing donor-funded programmes, developing proposals, and conducting monitoring and evaluation is expected. Candidates with cross-sector experience—those who have worked simultaneously in education, child protection, food security, and nutrition—are particularly encouraged to apply. Strong networking skills, experience working with Education Clusters, and the ability to coordinate with governments and humanitarian partners are essential. Applicants must also demonstrate strong safeguarding knowledge and commitment to preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. Within the past three years, candidates should have completed Hostile Environment Awareness Training or an equivalent security course.

Language capability matters. English proficiency is baseline, but bilingual candidates—particularly those fluent in English and Spanish, or English and French—will receive priority consideration. Additional languages are viewed as an advantage. The emphasis on Spanish speakers reflects Plan International's strategic positioning for the Venezuela crisis, where education access has become increasingly precarious and the need for rapid, skilled intervention is acute.

This recruitment drive sits within Plan International's broader strategic shift. The organization has renewed its global approach to place increased emphasis on scaling humanitarian action, strengthening emergency preparedness, and ensuring it can deploy technical experts quickly when crises emerge. The message is clear: education during emergencies is not a secondary concern. It is central to protecting children's rights and their futures, and Plan International is investing in the people who can make that happen on the ground.