Operations Officer - Partnerships

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and in 22 US cities, the IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure.

The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC Yemen Country program has been established in 2012, and currently is implementing integrated Health, Nutrition, Environmental Health (WASH), Economic Recovery and Development, Women Protection and Empowerment and Education programming in eight governorates. The IRC Yemen Country Program operates with its Country Office in Sana’a and its main Field Office in Aden. Other subfield offices include Abyan, Hodeida and Al Dhale, with the Al Dhale office covering Lahaj, and the Abyan office covering activities in Shabwa.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Operations Officer–Partnership is a key position for the Partnerships Department (PD). In line with the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results (PEER) System, which is IRC’s guiding document for working with partners, this position will support the PD and build the operational/support capacity of IRC’s NGO and government partners in areas of Supply Chain (SC) (logistics and procurement), Human Resources (HR) and Organizational Governance (OG). This will include reviewing sub-award proposals, taking part in due diligence processes, identifying any support needs and implementing relevant plans, along with conducting monitoring to ensure partners follow IRC and donors principles and standards.

Major Responsibilities:

Key Working Relationships:

Program Delivery and Partnership Management

· Participate in the selection of partners through stakeholder analysis, preliminary meetings with partners and vetting, as required

· Ensure partner staff stick to internal schedules for delivering their contributions for proposals and donor reports. Ensure inputs are in the required format and to the desired quality.

· Provide partners with standard mentorship based on IRC experience and local partner capacity on issues related to procurement and logistics management, while ensuring to reflect partners' specific needs.

· Use partnership departments toolkits (including excel sheets and other survey tools) to support operational assessment.

· Engage in the Partner’s Project Capacity Review (PPCR) of potential partners focusing on partner logistics, procurement, HR, and organizational governance

· Contribute to efforts to collaboratively analyze and handle material risks identified during the PPCR, including support needs.

· In relation to in-kind contributions to partners, working with technical, supply chain and PD teams to ensure the distribution of these items is timely and ensures the completion of documentation.

· Provide internal surge support to IRC’s procurement and/or other operational departments to facilitate timely program delivery during emergency responses, as the need arises

· Develop and maintain effective and positive working relationships with relevant collaborators, including partner agencies, community leaders and service providers

· Participate in Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings, to ensure all supply chain processes and HR requirements are adhered to.

· Take part in compliance review and reflection (monitoring) sessions, including spot checks; identify appropriate follow-up actions, and provide completed reports to Partnership Lead.

· Support in the close-out of partnerships, as required.

Program Support & Capacity Sharing

· Collaborate with partners to develop and implement comprehensive support plans based on their needs, gaps identified in the PPCR, and monitoring visits.

· With the support of the SCC, support partners set up and adapt standard supply chain structures to the local environment.

· Provide operational mentoring support and training to partners on topics related to logistics, procurement, human resources, risk, compliance and accountability, and OG.

· Guide partners to ensure they have effective procurement processes, including procurement tracker, reporting and asset management

· Regularly supervise the procurement, asset and warehouse management process of partners and produce monthly reports to be shared with the Partnership Coordinator

· Ensure implementation of the capacity building components, hold regular meetings on operational progress and improvements required, and provide solutions to challenges of partners.

· Regularly mentor partner staff to coordinate the implementation and consistent adherence of human resource policies and procedures, ensuring full compliance with all Legal, HR and administrative guidelines

· Closely work with Human Resources and Supply Chain departments to support local partners to put in place systems and to develop new tools, processes and policies that promote and sustain quality and standard methodologies within partner operations and to ensure sub-grant processes make sure to IRC standards and are efficiently implemented

Team Management

• No direct line management responsibilities, however, coaching, training, and mentoring of partner staff are encouraged to strengthen their technical capacity, exchange knowledge, and for professional development.

Other

• Any other duties as assigned by the Partnerships Coordinator

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Administration and/or Management, or relevant field experience.

• At least 3 years of experience working with NGOs and humanitarian settings, within Procurement, HR or Partnerships preferred. INGO preferred but not required.

• Experience of working with and training and mentoring NGO/CBO staff, preferred

• Knowledge of NGO operations departments (Logistics, Procurement and Human Resources), preferred

• Driven, self-directed and the ability to prioritize multiple competing demands and commitments

• Creative and hard-working, with the capability to produce and test new ways of working and solutions to problems

• Able to work in a team and individually.

• Good oral and written communications skills in English and Arabic

• Very good Microsoft Office skills preferred and test new ways of working and solutions to problems

• Able to work in a team and individually; and flexible.

• Strong oral and written communications skills in English and Arabic

• Very good Microsoft Office skills, preferred

Work Environment

Based in Aden, regular travel across Yemen is required to provide on-site support to partners.

Professional Standards

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.