Partnership Coordinator

About the role: This is a 12 month role with unaccompanied terms based in Northern Syria with regular travel to Dohuk, Iraq with a salary of Band 4 €44,133 – €49,038 per annum.

Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. Concern has been working in Syria and Iraq since the onset of the emergency and currently is looking for an experienced and qualified Partnerships Coordinator to be based in Northeast Syria.

Your purpose:

The Partnership Coordinator will establish the approach to partnerships for the Country Programme through the development of a strategy, building on organisational experience in-country and globally. The development of the strategy will set the direction for the work Concern undertakes within the response. This will involve a stakeholder mapping of partners within the response, partners’ capacity assessments, and clarification on the decision making process for selecting partners. The position will report to the Programme Director, whilst working closely with all other departments, Programme Coordinators and Managers, Area Coordinators, Logistics Coordinator and Manager, HR Coordinator and Manager, Finance Manager as well as Country Financial Controller, Systems Director and Country Director.

You will be responsible for:

Partnerships Framework:

• Lead on the process of drafting a Concern Iraq and Syria Partnerships Strategy[1]
• Contribute to revisions of Concern Syria and Iraq’s Partnerships Guidelines and other strategies
• Work with Concern’s Global Advisor on approaches to sub-grant relationship in the Syrian and Iraqi contexts
• Represent Concern in meetings relevant to your role including external coordination meetings, such as the local partnership-working group.
• Document learning with the establishment and expansion in the growth of work with local partners.
• Monitor the implementation of the partnership strategy in collaboration with relevant departments including programme, finance and systems as well as report on the progress.

Programme Implementation:

• Support existing and new partner organizations in the preparation of concept notes, project proposals and budgets according to the programme design and donors’ call for proposals
• Lead on the component of organizational development including project cycle management including; updating of work plans, budget monitoring and revision, financial and programme reporting, procurement
• Management of partners, acting as the primary Concern focal point for coordination and communication with partners.
• Ensure the effective delivery of all necessary support and technical advice required from different departments
• Advise partners (in coordination with programmes team) on project start up activities including, but not limited to, staff recruitments, developing detailed implementation plans, financial plans, procurement plans, reporting templates, field data requirements, information management etc.
• Support project team to do regular follow up on project implementation with existing partners.
• From time to time support the Programme Director and Programme Development and Grant Manager in the development of proposals and other fundraising activities.

Identification, Contracting and Compliance

• Lead on the identification of potential partners through the mapping of local partner capacity within Iraq and Syria
• Lead on the Concern Integrated Local Partner Assessment Tool process for all partners; coordinating programmes, finance and systems inputs to the process.
• Identify partner organisations according to programme requirements
• Coordinate negotiations and signing of partnership contracts in consultation with the Programme Director
• Ensure relevant partner staff are aware of Concern and donor guidelines and policies and that these are adhered to at all times, immediately raising any suspected non-compliance to the partner’s management.
• Proactively work on compliance requirements and provide support on corrective measures, including compliance with relevant regulations and reporting
• Identify gaps in policies and procedures, technical capacity gaps and then develop capacity development plans while ensuring timely capacity building support from relevant Concern departments.
• Actively archive all necessary information and update with new information accordingly.
• Apply Concern’s global KPIs to assess the performance of working with partners in the Syria and Iraq context.

People Management

• Recruit, identify and train a local partnerships manager
• Ensure Concern’s Performance Development Review process is completed to structure the priorities of the partnership manager.
• Support and coach the partnership manager providing daily technical support as appropriate, for him/her to take on additional responsibilities in the future
• Carry out training across departments for relevant staff in all locations, particularly those working with existing partners.
• Contribute to a culture of excellence, continuous improvement and performance optimization across all programmes;
• Maintain an effective working relationship with other members of the programme

Accountability

• Promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities
• Ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes’ locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns
• ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritised at all stages.

Other

• To support and promote the standards outlined in Concern’s Code of Conduct and Associated Policies to teams and beneficiaries, and be committed to providing a safe working environment.
• Other tasks as directed by the line manager.

Your skills and experience will include:

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in development studies, sociology or relevant disciplines
• 3 years’ relevant work experience; such as establishing approach to partnerships, working with partners, local and/or international.
• Good English Language skills
• Experience of donors’ compliance requirements (procurement, finance, HR etc.), contract management and project proposals development
• Strong communication and team-work skills
• Excellent report writing skills
• Proven experience in project and resource planning, and budget management

Desirable

• Strong commitment to the Localization agenda
• Good Kurdish or Arabic language skills
• Ability to work independently in a systematic and organized manner
• Ability to work as a team player with a can do attitude.
• Commitment to beneficiary accountability and humanitarian principles
• Ability to give attention to details
• Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
• Adhere to the standards of conduct outlined Concern Code of Conduct and associated policies

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

“HIV testing and travel restrictions based on HIV status apply in Syria/Iraq. This means that in order to obtain a visa or work permit, the government of Syria/Iraq. impose HIV-related travel restrictions usually involve a mandatory declaration of HIV status and/or testing”.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern has an organizational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.

During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year. Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on ensuring that the name of any employee or volunteer (existing or new), does not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List).

Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will only be made following a successful clearance check being conducted on the applicant and such checks may be updated periodically during the course of the period of employment.

By submitting a formal application for paid or voluntary employment to Concern, you agree to Concern carrying out a clearance check as outlined above and that Concern will not proceed to recruit you should your name appear on any of the aforementioned lists

In certain circumstances, donors may request that personal data relating to employees to work on the activities that they fund be provided directly to them – so that they can perform their own counter terrorism checks. This may involve transferring some basic personal data outside the EEA. It will be a condition of your employment contract that Concern be allowed to share this information with institutional donors for these purposes.

For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

You have certain rights under data protection legislation. For more information on how to exercise those rights please visit www.concern.net/about/privacy

Please only apply for this position if you are satisfied with the proposed processing of your personal data as outlined above.

[1] Partnership Strategy will require a Partner Mapping and subsequent Concern Integrated Local Partner Assessment Tools (CILPAT) to identify partners’ strengths, weaknesses, and develop an organizational development plan for each partner. The Partnership Coordinator will lead on these key activities too.