Senior Partnership Manager

Job Description

Program Brief

Founded in 1933, International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure and wishing to advance on a path of development.

IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy will primarily target Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC is growing its programming to cover education and livelihoods/DRR, as well as its geographic footprint in the host community and to other parts of the country.

Purpose of the Role

IRC Bangladesh seeks an experienced, dynamic individual for the position of Sr. Partnerships Manager. The Sr. Partnerships Manager is a key position supporting the Bangladesh Country Program. With the overall objective of achieving high quality and compliant programming, the main goal of this position is to manage a partnership portfolio and support the Partnership Working Group to ensure effective sub-grants management and build strong, sustainable partners. The post holder will coordinate the daily management of the sub-award lifecycle and invest in their sustainable growth and capacity for the Bangladesh portfolio. The Sr. Partnership Manager will report to the Partnerships Coordinator and will be responsible for 1) the management and tracking of IRC Bangladesh sub-granting processes across the portfolio, and 2) supporting the identification and development of strategic partnerships with a focus on local entities and will support program coordinators and country leadership to ensure that IRC Bangladesh lives up to the partnership principles of responsibility, results-oriented approaches, equality, transparency, and complementary. The Sr. Partnership manager will also contribute to the key risk control elements of the IRC’s partnerships toward ensuring high-level risk management and compliance in strong, high-quality partnerships that deliver timely and effective assistance. This position will also support partners and IRC departments to develop strong capacity sharing plans across the partnership portfolio. This includes development of project support plans for specific projects, provide wider organizational development support, and learning from each other.

The post is required to coordinate with the following parties:

Internal: Program staff, Grants, Partnerships and MEAL staff, Finance staff, Supply Chain staff

External: Partner staff

Highlights of Key Responsibilities

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 the Bangladesh Country Program, 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 - Contribute to stakeholder analysis process, including to identify local actors that offer capacity strengthening services. - Ensure a robust understanding of partner capacity strengthening priorities and contribute to proposal development to mobilize resources.

Partnership Management:

- Contribute to robust stakeholder analysis processes stakeholder analysis processes that enable the Strategy Action Plan (SAP) and each program design - Consistently promote and effectively use IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) and ensure that partnership decision-making and action is driven by IRC’s partnership principles. - Assist in resolving any local partner issues at the field level, ensuring that any communication is coordinated and consistent with that of the relevant technical coordinator and Partnership Lead, including to address partner feedback and concerns. - Engage in program design processes including to provide input into partnership opportunities. - Participate in PCM, including to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, and capture effective finance practices for future partnerships. - Serve as secondary focal point for and facilitate relationship management with partners. - Support to develop draft partnership agreements with partners and facilitate internal review and approval - In coordination with other IRC departments and partners, 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. - Where appropriate, facilitate an Organizational Development process with partners through a participatory process and in close collaboration with the organization’s leadership (process includes preliminary discussions, participatory self-assessment, action planning, implementation, tracking and documenting progress). - Collaborate with technical coordinators to integrate technical capacity sharing approaches, including how IRC can learn from local partners. - Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions. - 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 - Contribute to local liaison and coordination with relevant partners, in close coordination with technical and partnership leads. - Participate in due diligence processes and collaborative partnership risk management as appropriate. - Co-lead Partner's Partner Capacity Analysis (PCA) processes, including contributing to and facilitating the collaborative risk analysis and management. - Support and ensure Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closing Meetings, together with the Technical Coordinator. - co-responsible for delivering the functions of the PWG, helping the PWG drives cross departmental collaboration and the effective and efficient management of partnerships - Manage and facilitate funding opportunities for local organizations, making efforts to target women-led and women/girls serving organizations. - 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.

Qualifications

- Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in (I)NGO in humanitarian or development programs - Experience working with USAID, FCDO, ECHO, GAC and other European donors preferred - Demonstrated successful experience in partners and/or grants management - Experience in tracking agreed plans with multiple sectors - Experience using various project management tools - Demonstrable understanding of project planning and project cycle management - Required to be able to function comfortably in a complex work environment, under pressure whilst prioritizing multiple tasks - Ability to conduct analysis and come up with plans of actions and recommendations - Ability to build good working relationships and work effectively with program, field staff and HQ from a distance - Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, producing high-quality outcomes - Self-motivated and able to handle multiple work demands - Diplomatic and tactful, able to work with diverse teams - Strong ability to communicate and maintain positive working relationships with external and internal audiences is highly desirable for this position - Adhere to the partnership principles and promote the principles within all key department from the IRC and partners’ staff - Excellent command over MS Word, MS Excel and PowerPoint - Fluency in English Language is essential

Specific Educational Qualification

- Master’s degree with major in Development Studies/ Economics/ Business Administration or any other relevant field

Professional Degree/ Certification

N/A

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, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous 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. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Are you ready to join the most dynamic team?