Senior Partnerships Officer

Background/IRC Summary:

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria – more than half of the country's population – are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination. Partnerships with local actors are central to IRC’s Syria response, with a target of 60% of funding allocated through partners and a marked increase in strategic partnerships, in line with partnership principles, as a part of its 2022-2024 Strategy Action Plan (SAP).

Job Overview/Summary:

The IRC Syria Partnerships Department leads the country program’s partnerships ambitions, including ensuring all partnerships are implemented on time, on-track, and on budget. The Whole of Syria (WoS) Senior Partnerships Officer will support the Partnerships function on a wide range of partnership-related work, reporting to the WoS Partnerships Director. In this role, the WoS Partnerships Senior Officer will provide administrative and partnership portfolio support, including coordinating tasks, tracking key information, providing regular updates within the management structure, serving as one the IRC’s subject-matter experts of IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equity and Results System (PEERS – IRC’s partnership management system) and other tasks as requested. The Senior Partnerships Officer will work closely with the Northwest and Northeast Partnerships Coordinators, the WoS Snr. Partnerships Capacity Sharing Manager and the Partnership Working Group, to promote partnership culture and coordination at Amman/Whole of Syria (WoS) level, including working closely with partnership support functions, e.g. Finance, Supply Chain, HR and Security, as well as other IRC departments, e.g. grants and programs, and the IRC partnerships colleagues based across the region.

Responsibilities:

Partner Management Support and Capacity Sharing

• Support the implementation of the Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results (PEERS) system across all areas of partnership management including the pre-award assessment, partner budget review, contracting tool selection, preparation of sub-award reviews through the Opportunity Tracking and Implementation System (OTIS) and other tasks in line with the PEERS process as requested by the Partnerships Director.
• Support the Senior Partnerships Capacity Sharing Manager in follow-up on capacity strengthening/sharing plans, as well as support provision being provided to partners.
• Support Partner Monitoring as per the Partner Capacity Assessment Results to ensure programmatic and compliance monitoring visits take place, in coordination with the Senior Partnerships Capacity Sharing Manager.
• Support the Partnerships Director to manage the Partnership Working Group (PWG) to deliver the functions of the PWG, including referral of issues to the Senior Management Team as appropriate.
• Support in promoting partnership culture across the organization, establishing yourself as a champion of PEERS across the Country Program.

Documentation, Communication and Information Management

• Support the establishment and maintenance of a comprehensive information management and filing system to ensure all partnership agreements, reports, key correspondences, D codes, etc. are appropriately filed in up-to-date and consistent soft (Box) and OTIS files managed by the Partnerships Unit; Conduct quarterly data and information audits to identify gaps and ensure information is appropriately stored.
• Coordinate with the relevant staff to ensure that the Partnerships Tracker is up to date.
• Support the Partnerships Director to collect partner feedback on a periodic basis.
• Support in the development of quarterly partnership updates, highlighting key updates, lessons, and challenges and share within IRC country program for learning and knowledge management purposes.
• Assist in the development of timely and accurate reports and other information for both internal and external audiences, as requested.
• Facilitate communication and coordination between Partnerships and other functions i.e. grants and programs on any partner-related issues as requested.
• Support the Partnerships team in an administrative role, including in drafting correspondences and taking minutes during partnership-led meetings, arranging meetings, and following up action points, as required.
• Any other duties assigned from time to time.

Required Experience/qualification/Skills:

• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience working with sub-grantees and/or local partner organizations and demonstrated ability to form effective and productive relationships with stakeholder counterparts.

• A university degree in international affairs, social studies, business administration, international relations, or other relevant majors.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct.
• Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills including the ability to convey information effectively.
• Excellent word processing and computer skills, particularly MS Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• Ability to coordinate and develop written communications pieces (e.g., donor reports, success stories, case studies).
• Ability to develop relationships across multiple departments and organize and manage complex data and information to improve cooperation and productivity.
• Ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures to meet internal and external deadlines.
• Ability to work and lead tasks independently while being a strong teammate.
• Familiarity with program design, including logical frameworks, budgeting and grants/report writing preferred.
• Ability to work in a dynamic role and be a quick learner.

Language/Travel:

• English is required; Arabic preferred
• Travel: possible, as required by the role.

Deadline to apply is 5 July 2023

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Partnerships Director

Position directly supervises: N/A

Indirect Reporting (If applicable): N/A

Key Internal Contacts: Partnerships Coordinator (NWS and NES), Senior Partnerships Managers/Partnerships Managers, and the IRC Whole of Syria Program, Support, and Operational departments (Finance, Grants, Programs, MEAL, Supply Chain, Humanitarian Access, and Field Coordination). In addition, the Senior Partnerships Officer will be in regular contact with IRC Regional and HQ offices as required.

Key External Contacts: N/A

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.

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