Partnership Coordinator (Head of Unit) - Beirut

Background/IRC Summary:  

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC reaches over a million children annually with education and child protection programs in 25 countries around the world.

In the fall of 2012, the IRC’s Emergency Response Team carried two rapid assessments - one focusing on the risks and violence faced by women and girls among the Syrian refugee population within Lebanon, and an emergency livelihoods assessment.  On the basis of findings from these two assessments, the IRC launched a Women’s Protection and Empowerment program as well as an Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) program. IRC subsequently initiated large-scale Child Protection and Protection Monitoring programs, and a significant Community-Based Education initiative. IRC Lebanon currently delivers a range of integrated Protection, Livelihoods and Education services to Syrian refugees and host communities across Lebanon.

As a part of its Strategic Planning, the IRC Lebanon has recognized that working with Local and International government and civil society partners will continue to grow in its relevance. In 2019 the IRC is collaborating with around 20 partners across Lebanon and this number is expected to grow in the coming years. In response to this demand the Country Program has prioritized the building of a Partnership team that will facilitate the IRC Lebanon’s Partnership work for the coming years.

Job Overview/Summary:

Based in Beirut with occasional travel to the Field Offices in Zahle, Qobayat, Tripoli, and Tyre, the Partnership Coordinator (PC) will support the Lebanon Country Program in its strategic management of its Partnership Unit. The purpose of the Partnership Unit is to oversee the management, coordination and risk management of IRC's Partnership strategy including but not limited to its sub-awards portfolio. This includes facilitating the Lebanon team’s delivery of high quality partnerships that are strategic for IRC, compliant with IRC and donor requirements in order to provide quality services and outcomes for the communities we serve.

The Partnership Unit will oversee all steps in the partnership management lifecycle ensuring that partnerships are considered in the overall project cycle management.

With the support of the senior management team, the PC will also be a leader in building and promoting a culture, attitudes and values conducive to collaborative partnerships among the team, based on a clear and shared understanding of IRC's role and approach, and core partnership principles.

The Partnership Coordinator has four main objectives:

• Implementation of the IRC Partnership Management System, including the facilitation of a coherent, inter-departmental, ‘one IRC’ approach to partnership, with the support of the senior management team.
• Strategic oversight of the IRC Lebanon’s broader partnership strategy.
• Developing strategies and mechanisms for cohesive Capacity Strengthening.
• Promoting a culture of effective and collaborative partnerships for the Country Program.
• Staff Management and Development.

Summary of Responsibilities:

Implementation of the IRC Partnership Management System, including the facilitation of a coherent, inter-departmental, ‘one IRC’ approach to partnership, with the support of the senior management team.

• Chair the Partnership working group to promote a coherent, strategic and coordinated approach to local partnerships in IRC Lebanon.
• Oversee the partnership management operating procedures for IRC Lebanon that set out efficient and responsive processes, delineate clear roles and responsibilities, and articulate IRC Lebanon’s strategic approach to partnerships.
• Oversee, facilitate and coordinate all aspects of sub-award life cycle management, from partner identification, due-diligence, agreement development, start-up, implementation, monitoring through to close-out, coordinating all program, operations and finance components.
• Oversee the pre-award due diligence process with respect to all new sub-awards, including through appropriate vetting, analysis of risks associated with the award, and the identification and implementation of appropriate measures to mitigate those risks, working with other departments as appropriate.
• Oversee the effective startup of sub-awards, including the timely development and delivery of partnership agreements and sub-award opening meetings with partners.
• Oversee the maintenance and coordination of partner program, finance and compliance monitoring schedules and coordinate support for partners to address any concerns or issues that may arise. Ensure response and support plans are implemented.
• Provide and/or facilitate targeted sub-award and partnership management trainings, refresher trainings and ongoing support on partnership management and compliance for key partners and IRC staff
• Facilitate collaborative review and reflection (monitoring) of project with partners, including progress against objectives and donor compliance, and develop monitoring tools as needed, and that key monitoring information and learning are documented.
• Participate in regular partner monitoring visits to ensure that partners operate in compliance with IRC and donor sub-grantee regulations.
• Monitor the timely submission of accurate financial and activity reports from partners.
• Ensure that comprehensive electronic files for partnerships are maintained.
• Oversee and work with other partnership staff to support the drafting and compilation of partner reports into overall donor reports.

Strategic oversight of the IRC Lebanon’s broader partnership strategy

• Work with the IRC Lebanon country leadership team to ensure that the Country Strategic Action Plan appropriately leverages the opportunities that collaborative partnerships offer to deliver better outcomes.
• Identify key stakeholders for effective programming through stakeholder analysis and social network analysis
• Promote an effective analysis of local stakeholders and an appropriate identification of IRC’s role.
• Participate in Go/No-Go discussions to promote program approaches and design that are consistent with the SAP.
• Guide and support programs in the development of partnership relationships with governmental agencies and municipalities.
• Ensure close follow up and development of partnerships that do not have a financial component.
• Ensure the Actor Mapping is up-to-date and accessible to all programs.
• Support the incorporation of appropriate partnership related language in all the steps of the IRC project cycle.

Developing strategies and mechanisms for cohesive Capacity Strengthening

• Ensure that all capacity strengthening initiatives are owned by the partner and based on the partnership principles.
• Ensure all issues identified in the assessment phase are addressed through project support plans and that these are implemented in a timely and effective manner.
• Identify and coordinate opportunities to support partners through Organizational Capacity Assessment processes, and the development of capacity strengthening plans based on those processes, liaising with the Governance Technical Unit. Oversee IRC's role in the delivery of support and the monitoring of results.
• Collaborate with technical coordinators to integrate technical capacity strengthening approaches with organizational development support as appropriate.
• Ensure IRC understands the capacity strengthening priorities of its partners and identify opportunities for IRC to support partner capacity strengthening efforts.
• Ensure that the budget for capacity strengthening that is not limited to project support is incorporated in the prime award.
• Support IRC staff working with partners on skills related to capacity strengthening.
• Develop tools that can be used by IRC staff when supporting the partner’s capacity strengthening plans.

Promote a culture of Effective and Respectful Partnerships

• Ensure and champion robust partner relationship management characterized by the core partnership principles.
• Promote meaningful collaboration with partners throughout the project life-cycle, from assessment and issue identification through design, monitoring, adaptation and closure, consistent with the partner responsiveness Good and Great Standards.
• Ensure appropriate proactive and reactive communications and engagement with IRC partners through regularly scheduled partnership management meetings.
• Implement best practices and clear roles and responsibilities for:
  • systematic partner feedback on IRC's management of the partnership relationship, as well as appropriate action in response to the feedback.
  • Partner engagement in program development.
  • Partner identification efforts.

Staff Management and Development

• Coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance.
• Develop and implement staff capacity building plan to ensure quality partnership approaches across all sectors.
• Conduct timely and quality performance evaluations and give regular and constructive feedback to staff through the year to ensure a culture of accountability.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Senior Program Support Coordinator
Position directly supervises:  Partnership Manager, Partnership Finance Mangers, Senior Partnership Officers,

Indirect Reporting: NA
Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: IRC Lebanon Finance Department, IRC Lebanon HR Lead, HQ and Regional grants/compliance teams, Program Coordinators, SRR regional partnership team

External:  In-country donor counterparts, especially among UN agencies

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline, Master’s degree a plus.
• Four to Six years international work experience in relief or development programs.
• Demonstrated successful experience working with partners.
• Understanding of IRC processes and systems.
• Demonstrable understanding of project planning and management cycles, and strong program design skills.
• Highly organized, close attention to detail, and ability to effectively prioritize tasks in a fluid environment.
• Professional fluency in spoken and written English; able to communicate concisely and with impact.
• Very strong English writing and editing skills; strong computer skills.
• Experience in the region preferred.
• Arabic language proficiency is an asset.

Working Environment: 

The working environment is generally favorable. Lighting and temperature are adequate, and there are no hazardous or unpleasant conditions caused by noise, dust, etc. Work is generally performed within an office environment, with standard office equipment available (personal computer, personal desk, printer, etc.).