Partnership Manager

ROLE PURPOSE: The Partnership Manager will be responsible for undertaking activities with regard to professional engagements of Save the Children with other partners and NGOs. The Partnership Manager will coordinate Save the Children partnership approach in Lebanon, and support the development of our partnership approach to improve and adapt tools and practices.  The Partnership Manager will map and identify new partnership opportunities, assess partner organization capacities, facilitate relevant capacity strengthening support, and provide ongoing support to the partner organization throughout the project cycle.  S/he will work with programme teams and the Awards Management Unit to ensure that partner agreements are in place and donor/Save the Children International requirements complied with by the partner organizations. KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Establishing partnerships: Assess the current partnership portfolio identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for current partners Review existing partnering resources and identify additional needs to support assessment, monitoring, compliance/vetting, project cycle management etc., coordinating closely with other locations involved in partnering and in consultation with the Regional Office (RO).  Undertake the initial assessment of partners alongside relevant colleagues from other departments Identify and explore new partnerships, including the updating of the partnership mapping and establishing relationships for collaborating on programming and capacity building Partner program management: Develop, and/or coordinate with other implementing Country Offices and RO, management and monitoring systems in regards to partner programming Work with the grants management and legal teams, to ensure that partnership tools and  financial standards meet donor requirements and lobby for adaptation and flexibility as needed Convene grant opening meetings with partners when new grants are awarded, involving Save the Children International program staff, Area Manager and Field Manager Assist partner to strategize ways to ensure program delivery meets targets and to support their own organizational development towards operating as potential fully fledged NGOs. Facilitate the provision of technical advice by the Save the Children International technical departments or external actors and ensure that the Save the Children International technical staff approves the quality of the work on site Ensure that the sub-grant agreements, Terms of Reference and terms of Partnerships, as well as institutional policies and procedures are complied with by the partner organizations, including policies on child safeguarding and advocate for amendments and flexibility where needed Provide management advice and make relevant contributions to the settlement of partner disputes and the management and close-out of suspected or confirmed mismanagement cases and subsequent partnership termination if/when relevant. Partnerships Strategy Provide support to the development of Save the Children’s Lebanon partnerships strategy in conjunction with Technical Advisors in each of SCI core programme sectors. Provide support to the development of a master budget for costs required to develop and roll out initiatives supporting the identification and development of new partnerships, including necessary training and research activities. Facilitate appropriate technical input to the development of country annual plans, area plans, sector strategies and other planning documents focused on issues related to partnerships. Capacity building: Coordinate with other implementing COs and the RO on appropriate approaches and models for organisational capacity-building for local partners, looking at factors that help build strong and independent organisations and include progress indicators and milestones that are confirmed through M & E Identify priority gaps in partner capacity (sectoral and institutional), taking the lead in the development of capacity building plans for the partners and ensuring that those plans are effectively implemented and resourced (liaising with logistics, HR, finance and the Technical Advisers) Prioritise the mentoring and coaching of members of partner organisations. Develop and maintain capacity development strategy and approach for civil society organizations in close cooperation with programme directors, advisers and managers of Save the Children International. Contribute, with a partnership perspective, to the development and revision of all relevant strategies, project/programme concepts, budgets and plans for Save the Children International. Training and facilitation Design and develop training and technical capacity building materials for staff and partners as needed to improve their technical know-how vis-à-vis of Save the Children International internal partnerships procedures and best practices. Provide training and capacity building on key partnership and organizational development related issues including institutional strengthening, partnership approach and facilitation for staff and partners. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Secure mutual learning with partners in terms of program delivery and partnership building Consolidate needs assessment data collected by partners and other actors on the ground Analyse results of on-going partnerships, remote management and results on the ground to produce lessons learnt and inform strategic decision-making; Networking and monitoring trends Monitor trends in the development community on organization development and partnership practices as well as keeping abreast with developments in and contribute to the Save the Children International working group on partnerships. Liaise and proactively network with governmental and non-governmental partners in collaboration with relevant colleagues Explore and pursue new and innovative partnership opportunities within the framework of the partnership and capacity building strategies. Documentation and learning Ensure documentation and sharing of lessons learnt and best practices in partnership work across Save the Children International as well as partners Other Induct newly appointed staff on partnership approach including strategies and tools as required   QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES Post graduate or Master degree in Development Studies and Social Studies Minimum 5 years’ work experience in the humanitarian sector/with NGOs, with at least 2 years’ experience in partnership based programming or community based programming Good skills and experience in all aspects of programme cycle management - design and development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation Sound understanding of remote management/monitoring practices Experience in organizational capacity development, training, mentoring and coaching Excellent training, facilitation and capacity building skills Proven experience in field level representation with key stakeholders and co-ordination with other NGOs/UN Proven commitment to participatory approaches Strong analytical and conceptual skills and the ability to think and plan strategically An excellent team player with good skills in team work and consultative approach to decision making Demonstrable experience of M&E and beneficiary accountability Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, including a good track record of report writing Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy A high level of written and spoken English The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances. Commitment to the values, mission and principles of Save the Children