Partnership Cooprdinator

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC has been present in Liberia since 1996 serving as a lead partner in the health sector. The country program supports the Ministry of Health (MOH) in strengthening the health care systems and service delivery at all levels in accordance with the MOH national standards.

In recent years, IRC Liberia has deepened its commitment to supporting both local civil society organizations and community groups in their recovery efforts - first from the devastating civil war and now from the Ebola crisis. The Scaling Up Health Services Activity presents an opportunity to bring these two critical elements together by strengthening civil society engagement in the delivery of health services and the rebuilding of health systems in Liberia.

Scope of Work

Reporting to the Deputy Project Director, the purpose of this role is to increase IRC’s capacity to engage with partners, promoting and modeling effective partnership approaches especially with local actors.

Working towards a “one IRC” approach, this role will work collaboratively with the Senior Management Team, Grants Coordinator, technical coordinators, measurement team, finance, supply chain, and operations teams, and the IRC regional grants and program development teams to align strategic approaches and make key decisions together.

This position is responsible for the providing day to day support to the IRC Liberia partners by a) providing technical assistance, 2) strengthen organizational capacities and expertise, 4) managing sub grants and ensuring compliance.

This position supervises the Capacity Building Manager and is based in Monrovia, Liberia with trips to field sites (Bong, Lofa, River Gee and Grand Kru counties).

Main Responsibilities

Strategy and Program Approach

- Collaborate with technical coordinators to proactively identify potential partnerships with local and national organizations, including those that are led by women and serve women and girls. - Co-facilitate and guide partner mapping and selection processes to identify new partners, including to identify women-led and women/girls serving organizations.

Promote Effective Partnerships

- Manage the country-level Partnership Working Group, including referral of issues to Senior Management Team as appropriate. - Promote and apply the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results system (PEERS). - Lead efforts to build a strong understanding and application of PEERS and partnership principles, skills and approaches among all departments. - Train key country office and partner staff on partnership processes. Facilitate systematic partner feedback on IRC’s management of the partnership relationship, including the documentation of, and response to partner feedback. - Consistently monitor and analyze IRC's performance as a partner, making recommendations to SMT and adjustments as needed. - Communicate feedback and suggestions on processes related to partners to the Regional Program Support Team.

Partnership Management

- Lead facilitation and coordination of partnership management processes to ensure well planned, timely, coordinated and coherent partnership management. - Work with technical coordinators and SMT to ensure that program design and Go/ No Go decisions are consistent with the partnership strategy. This includes contributing relevant proposal content, and ensuring appropriate budget resourcing for partner projects and support. - Co-facilitate and guide competitive and non-competitive partner selection processes in collaboration with program development teams to identify new partners and evaluate new applications from existing partners. - Proactively engage partners in program development efforts, including supporting partner communications during proposal development processes and ensuring that the IRC’s partnership processes for proposal development are adhered to. - Coordinate and co-lead Partner Identity and Background Review (Vetting) processes, including completion of the report for approval. - Coordinate and co-lead Partner's Project Capacity Review (PPCR) processes, including contributing to and facilitating the collaborative risk analysis and management. - Determine appropriate partnership agreement type and draft agreement, taking into account the due diligence outcomes and specific project and donor requirements, liaising with HQ for review and approval (and obtaining donor and internal approvals as necessary). - Co-lead Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closing Meetings, together with the Technical Coordinator. - Coordinate and participate in timely and effective partner program, finance, and compliance review and reflections (monitoring), and work with Technical Coordinator and operations teams including supply chain, HR, finance etc. to address any project performance issues. - Coordinate partner narrative and finance reporting processes, including review and feedback. - Liaise with finance to achieve timely funds transfers and proper financial follow up and support for partners; work with finance to address any challenges in payments and raise proposed disallowed costs to SMT. - Work collaboratively with partners and IRC staff to constructively resolve any issues that may arise. Where partner performance issues are identified, facilitate timely action by the IRC to address any areas of non-performance as they arise. - Co-lead the review of the performance of the partner, of the IRC (including based on partner feedback), and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, fostering ongoing partnerships beyond the sub-award project cycle. - Collaborate with the measurement team on the measurement of partner projects.

Partner Support and Capacity Sharing

- Facilitate the collaborative development and delivery of the partner project support plan, ensuring that it appropriately addresses issues identified in the due diligence process, and coordinate with relevant program and support departments for the timely, quality implementation of the plan. - Understand partner capacity strengthening priorities ensuring IRC identifies opportunities and plans for support. Coordinate organizational development support to partners. - Collaborate with technical coordinators to integrate technical capacity sharing approaches, including how IRC can learn from local partners. - Promote and identify ways for continual learning between IRC staff and partners.

Information Management & Communication

- Ensure all IRC partner files are maintained and filed on IRC Box system and in line with the set archiving system. - Ensure all sub-awards are updated and maintained on IRC’s Opportunity Tracking and Implementation System (OTIS). - Contribute to collating lessons learned in relation to partnership and disseminate these within the IRC to support the organisation’s partnership processes, ways of working, strategy, and direction. - Participate in Monthly Grants Calls with the Grants Team and RPAS to share key updates on partnerships.

Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in International Development, Social Science, Project Management, Organisational Development or related field. - Minimum 5 years of relevant programme and/or grant management experience. - Demonstrable experience working with national and international partners, including but not limited to non-governmental organisations, government actors, and private sector entities. Experience working in consortia is desirable. - Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and ability to adapt language and tone to different audiences and needs. - Demonstrated interpersonal skills, sound judgment, planning, managing relationships, organizational and facilitation skills. - Experience in financial management and working with budgets. - Prior knowledge of donor and sound understanding of implementation and management of different donor compliance requirements in the context of partnership. - Ability to juggle competing priorities, meet demanding deadlines, and work under pressure. - Keen learner, proactive, and solution-oriented. - Sound understanding and use of Microsoft Office Suite. - Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements. - IRC experience is an asset.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. 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.