Partnership Manager

Job Description

Update

Qualifications

Purpose of the Role

The Partnership Manager (PM) will work in the Grants & Partnerships team feeding into the strategic objective of working with local partners ensuring consistent collaboration with partners and promote and model effective partnerships with local actors. The PM will support IRC Mexico program in overseeing the strategic management and coordination of partners in alignment with the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results system (PEERS).

The Manager will be responsible for ensuring effective partnerships management and due diligence of partners and build strong, sustainable partnerships. S/he will coordinate the daily management of the sub-award lifecycle in accordance with the IRC’s Partnership for Excellence and Equality System (PEERS) and ensure that the IRC’s partners understand donors’ regulations, while also working to ensure that partners’ deliverables are received, reviewed, filed and followed up on in a timely manner.

Key Accountabilities

Strategy and Program Approach

· Co-facilitate and support robust stakeholder analysis processes and informed decisions in each outcome area as to 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 the people we serve.

· 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.

· Proactively engage partners in program development efforts.

Promote Effective Partnerships

• Promote and apply the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results system (PEERS). Contribute to building a strong understanding of PEERS throughout Mexico office, and to ensuring that IRC’s partnership principles, skills and approaches are applied by staff across programs and projects with partners.

• Facilitate systematic partner feedback on IRC’s management of the partnership relationship, including the documentation of, and response to partner feedback.

• Monitor for opportunities to improve IRC’s overall performance as a partner and make periodic recommendations to SMT.

• Provide a quarterly Partnership Management Report to the SMT, incorporating input from technical coordinators and operational leads as appropriate.

Partnership Management

• Lead facilitation and coordination of partnership management processes to ensure well planned, timely, coordinated and coherent partnership management.

• Assist in ensuring that program design (and Go/ No Go submissions) are consistent with the SAP partnership strategy; contribute relevant proposal content, and ensure appropriate budget resourcing for partner projects and support.

• Co-facilitate and guide competitive and non-competitive partner selection processes to identify new partners, as well as new applications from existing partners.

• Manage and facilitate funding opportunities for local and national civil society organizations, making efforts to target women-led and women/girls serving organizations.

• 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 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 reflection (monitoring), and work with the Technical Coordinator to address any project performance issues.

• Coordinate 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.

• Maintain complete and organized partnership files for each partner.

• Co-lead the review of the performance of the partner, of the IRC (including on the basis of partner feedback), and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, fostering ongoing partnerships beyond the sub-award project cycle.

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 departments for the timely, quality implementation of the plan.

• Ensure IRC understands partner capacity strengthening priorities and identifies opportunities and plans for IRC to support partner capacity strengthening efforts.

• Support the resourcing of organizational development support where appropriate for partners; 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.

• Provide training and capacity building to partners and IRC staff on PEERS implementation and donor rules and regulations where relevant.

Partnership Resourcing, Training, and Development

• Work with Grants Coordinator and the senior management team to ensure the partnerships management function is appropriately resourced and structured.

• Lead efforts to build a strong understanding and application of PEERS and partnership principles, skills and approaches among all departments.

Other:

· Ensure that comprehensive electronic and physical files for partnerships are maintained.

· Ensure quality information management related to partners by overseeing the regular maintenance of partner files, reporting calendars, and updating of internal IRC documentation and Grants Unit tools.

Skills****, Knowledge and Qualifications

· Degree, preferably in a subject related to IRC’s work or equivalent experience

· Demostrable experience of working with local partners, experience with women-led organisations a plus

· Demonstrable understanding of project planning and management cycles, and strong program design skills

· Experience in monitoring and evaluation tools, including logframes, monitoring plans and reporting tools

· Ability to evaluate the quality of program outputs and outcomes, and to communicate through report writing.

· Highly organized, close attention to detail, and ability to effectively prioritize tasks in a fluid environment

· Ability to manage and build relationships with external organizations

· Experience in coaching and mentoring with a focus on local partner and external stakeholders management

· Excellent analysis and negotiation skills

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Spanish

· Strong computer skills