Job Vacancies at International Rescue Committee (IRC) – Partnerships Coordinator

Job Description

BACKGROUND 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 worked in Sierra Leone since 1999. The IRC currently programs across three core sectors:

•  Health
•  Women and Girls' Protection and Empowerment (WGPE), and
•  Education. The IRC is committed to supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in the strengthening of the country. We seek to build upon our programming experience and introduce new programs that are adaptive, collaborative and evidence-driven, leading to a more educated, safe, healthy and empowered Sierra Leone.

SCOPE OF WORK The Partnerships Coordinator will assist the international Senior Grants Coordinator in managing the IRC Sierra Leone partner portfolio across all stages of the grant cycle. This is a national position is based in Freetown with trips to field sites. The Partnerships Coordinator will act as the focal point for IRC Sierra Leone partners and will lead the implementation and mainstreaming of the organization's partnership principles and Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS). This role will work closely with the Grants Coordinator, Senior Administration Officer for Grants, and Grants Fellow to ensure the effective management of IRC's grants, focusing specifically on those implemented in consortia, and will also work collaboratively with the IRC Sierra Leone's Senior Management Team, technical coordinators, measurement team, finance, supply chain, and operations teams, and the IRC regional grants and programme development teams.

Main Responsibilities: Partnership and Sub-Award Management Prepare sub-award agreements and amendments as needed, and coordinate the IRC internal review process of all sub-award documentation at country and head office levels. Coordinate with partners the development and revision of partners' budgets, as required by the donor and/or the IRC. Facilitate grant management meetings with partners, namely start-up, implementation and close-out meetings, where the IRC is the lead organisation. Represent the IRC at grant management meetings facilitated by partner organisations for grants in which the IRC is the sub-awardee. Be responsible for ensuring partner monitoring visits are conducted by the IRC technical and finance teams, in line with partner contracts, special conditions, and due diligence commitments and processes. Where required, participate in partnership monitoring visits, including to field offices, to assess partners' performance and compliance against their partnership agreement conditions, donor regulations, overall programme plans, and the IRC's PEERS. This includes leading on tools development, preparing schedules with relevant staff and partners, coordinating inputs ahead of review meetings, ensuring that the IRC commitments to the donor are met, and working closely with programme and finance staff to ensure that partnerships' monitoring schedules are rigorously followed and supporting documentation is prepared for review. Communicate effectively with partners regarding donor and IRC requests and requirements. Coordinate internally to respond to partner requests and requirements. Promote an atmosphere of mutual respect and development among partners, including facilitating information sharing between partners and establishing relationships based on the IRC partnership principles. In the event of partner issues, work closely with the Senior Grants Coordinator to agree the appropriate progressive corrective action, assisting in alerting partners' Senior Management Teams/Boards and the IRC Ethics and Compliance Unit, as required. This includes promptly reporting any suspicion or ascertained case of violation of Do Not Harm and Child Safeguarding requirements that may arise from partnerships/sub-awards reviews meeting and/or monitoring visits. Ensure that all internal partner processes as outlined by PEERS and OTIS are followed. Be the primary point person for all partnership issues, recipient of partner reporting which includes facilitating internal reviews (for narrative and financial reports). Primary point person for partnership in IRC Sierra Leone and the voice of the partners in the office. Support the Senior Grants Coordinator with any other tasks and responsibilities when and where required in relation to partnership management. Backstop relevant Grants staff where required and take on additional responsibilities as requested by the Senior Grants Coordinator. Business Development and Strategy Under the supervision and support of the Senior Grants Coordinator, support the implementation of IRC's partnership strategy, as part of the organisation's Strategy100 (new strategic plan). Support business development processes, in particular through partner identification and mapping. Develop and process Pre-Teaming and Teaming Agreements with partners. Support partner communications during proposal development processes and ensure that the IRC's partnership processes for proposal development are adhered to, including compliance requirements and ensuring supporting documentation is filed and submitted to head office. Develop processes and tools to monitor partner performance against set indicators in line with IRC's principles and way of working. Lead the IRC Sierra Leone's Partnership Working Group. Partner Capacity Building Lead the assessment process of new IRC Sierra Leone partners and re-assessments of existing partners as per PEERS policies. Develop and/or review the capacity building and development plans of partners, based on the pre-award assessment result, and ensure that capacity building and development plans are tailored, targeted, and responsive to partners' organizational needs and priorities and donor priorities and funding availability. Design tools and create systems to effectively monitor progress made against partner capacity building plans and to support partners in their organizational development. Review partner capacity building plans and support their execution in a timely manner. 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. Collaborate with the measurement team on data inputs by partners.

Minimum Qualifications

Job Requirements: Bachelor's degree in International Development, Social Science, Project Management, Organisational Development or related field. 3-5 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 and ability to adapt language and tone to different audiences and needs. Demonstrated interpersonal skills, sound judgment, planning, team working, and facilitation skills. Experience in financial management and working with budgets. Prior knowledge of donor regulations (UNICEF, USAID, EU, FCDO, Irish Aid) and sound understanding of implementation and management of different donor compliance requirements in the context of partnership. Strong organisational and time management skills. 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 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 equal opportunity employer, considered all the candidates on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran or disability.

QUALIFIED FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

How to Apply

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