Partnership Coordinator

Job Summary

The Partnerships Coordinator (PC) will be responsible for managing IRC’s relationships with partners. He/she will focus on the implementation and revision of the IRC Pakistan Partnership Strategy. Partnerships Coordinator will assess potential partner organizations, lead the selection process, and support coordinators’ oversight of partners’ project implementation. This includes assessing partner capacity and capacity building needs, and working with partners to establish and implement capacity building plans. The Partnership Coordinator will build IRC relationships with civil society organizations, INGOs, government departments, and the corporate sector based on transparency, mutual respect, inclusion, accountability, effective communication, and quality service delivery.

Strategic:

• Keep abreast of the new approaches and trends in civil society strengthening at national and international levels to optimize IRC Partnership programming;
• In keeping with the Partnership Strategy, publish calls for Expressions of Interest from civil society organizations and expand the IRC Pakistan database of potential partners
• Provide leadership and work with sector coordinators and relevant Technical Advisors to strengthen IRC Pakistan partnerships and partnership programming
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with key, relevant government departments, corporate sector entities and international organizations to facilitate and prepare for partnership programming opportunities
• Identify funding opportunities for IRC to be implemented through CSOs.
• Support IRC in the integration of partners and partnership in the design of future programming and develop the partnership components of new IRC projects and proposals
• Collaborate with the IRC sector coordinators to identify training, capacity development, research and learning related needs of the partners.
• Review the relevance of the Pakistan Partnership Strategy to the identification of partners in FATA and recommend possible adaptations to facilitate the identification of FATA partners

• Overall management of Partnership program of IRC
• Provide support to sector coordinators as needed to ensure the appropriate implementation and monitoring of projects by partners; and monitoring of partners by IRC Ensure a solid understanding of partnership principles and practice within the IRC Pakistan team
• Manage the process of approving partner proposals, including the facilitation of project identification, conceptualization, design, development and approval of partner project documents/submissions
• Work closely with partners to ensure that questions are answered promptly, that any issues are resolved quickly and that all parties have a clear understanding of expectations
• Facilitate communications and reporting by and between partners and IRC operations and program sectors
• Facilitate conflict resolution between partners and the IRC

Operations:

• Act as focal point between partners and the IRC, coordinating with relevant IRC departments to answer questions and facilitate project implementation as well as capacity-building activities.
• Identify partner needs and organize capacity building sessions to be conducted by relevant IRC departments
• Assist the Finance Controller in overseeing the financial management of the projects implemented through partners in accordance with the IRC procedures.
• Support the Finance Controller, in overseeing administration, management and reporting of all IRC partner funds transferred from IRC to CSO partners in accordance with the stipulated budget, the sub grant agreement, and IRC financial reporting systems.
• Preparation and presentation of IRC-Partnership related program and activities at appropriate forums.
• Manage the IRC-partners work planning process, in collaboration with relevant sectors; including overseeing updating of the program level and sub-project log frame; preparation of the project work plan and budgets;
• Provide support to facilitate partners’ project implementation and monitoring as requested by sector coordinators/mangers and where need is identified by the Partnership Coordinator
• In collaboration with the M&E Coordinator, co-ordinate the planning and implementation of the internal and external evaluations for projects implemented by IRC CSO partners;

Learning

• Mobilize, train and provide on-going technical support to technical coordinators and program teams on working with national NGO partners;
• Examine program implementation and assess possible improvements based on lessons learned, best practices,
• On an ongoing basis, work with the Monitoring and Evaluation and Program teams to document ‘best practices’ and ‘lessons learned’ on partnership in IRC programs and disseminate these among staff.

Others:

• Assist in the recruitment of IRC partnerships staff as and when needed
• Any other tasks as assigned by supervisor