Partnership Coordinator

Job Description

The IRC has been active in The Central African Republic (CAR) since 2006 and has been implementing emergency response programs since early 2013. The IRC has four sub-offices in the north - Bocaranga, Kaga Bandoro, and Zemio and Ndele - in addition to a central office in Bangui. Since 2007, it has built close relationships with local communities, community leaders, local authorities, and other local and international actors. Today, the IRC is one of the leading humanitarian actors working in the prefectures Ouham Pende, Nana Gribizi, and Zemio, implementing programs in health, Women Protection and Empowerment, Child protection and Protection rule of law and Early Recovery and Development. The IRC has demonstrated its ability to successfully implement health and protection programming, improving beneficiaries' access to healthcare and providing survivors of violence with safe, confidential services to help them recover and reintegrate into their communities. The gained technical expertise, logistical abilities, and local knowledge and understanding has laid the foundation to expand and deepen these services to reach more people and respond to the emergency need at a greater scale as additional funding is secured.

Scope of work

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Programs, the purpose of this role is to increase IRC’s capacity to engage with strategic partners, promoting and modeling effective partnership approaches especially with local actors. Acting as a focal point to ensure consistent collaboration with strategic partners, the Partnerships Coordinator will represent the IRC with strategic partners and lead the implementation and mainstreaming of the Strategy 100 partnership principles and ambitions. This includes adapting strategic program approaches such as the mapping of NGOs and partners, promoting collaborative partnership management, as well as capacity sharing, training and support of partner organizations in project implementation.

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.

his position is based in Bangui, with travel to the field sites.

Main responsibilities

Strategy and Program Approach

• In collaboration with the Senior Management Team, co-facilitate and support the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP IP) partnership priority actions including robust stakeholder analysis processes and informed decisions to assess whether working in partnership with local civil society, government and private sector actors, or implementing services directly (or both) will produce the best outcomes for our clients.

• 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.

• Promote and disseminate the IRC vision, values, procedures and code of conduct to partners

• 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 DDP 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 RPST to share key updates on partnerships.

Key working relationships

• Position reports to: Deputy Director, Programs

• Direct reports: Senior Partnerships Officer, Grants and Communications Officer, Grants and Partnership Officer

• Other internal contacts: County Director, Finance Controller, HR Coordinator, MEAL Coordinator, Program Coordinators, Supply Chain Coordinator, Security, Safety and Access Coordinator, Great Lakes Regional Program Support Team,

Job requirements

• 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 French and 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.

Working Environment:

The Partnership Coordinator will be based in Bangui, in CAR, and will travel throughout the country. The security situation in CAR is still unstable, although the signing of the Khartoum peace and reconciliation agreement in February 2019 is still seen as a source of hope for the country to return to peace. The candidate must be prepared to work in insecure environments. This is an unaccompanied position. The Partnership Coordinator will live in shared accommodation.

Standard of Professional Conduct: IRC and IRC employees are required to abide by the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way Code of Conduct which are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and implements policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality: IRC acknowledges and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. IRC is also 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.

Returning National Candidates: IRC strives to attract and retain qualified national staff in our programs. 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 IRC 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.

CVs to be submitted in English or French

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Qualifications