Resource Mobilization Partnership Managers

Region: Europe (HQ)

Contract type: Open-ended contract

What We Do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC – www.icrc.org) responds to worldwide humanitarian needs through its global network of delegations. The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.

Today’s conflicts are often protracted and increasingly encroaching urbanized, middle-income countries, generating growing, diversifying and complex humanitarian needs, requiring wider systemic responses leveraging the resources and capacities of the entire aid eco-system. The latter is accordingly undergoing significant change and the humanitarian-development nexus is more relevant than ever, with extreme poverty expected to predominantly aggregate in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent environments (FCV) by 2030. This has led to a rising commitment from national and multilateral development banks and agencies (Development Actors or DAs) to become engaged in FCV.

As it has been doing for the last 160 years, the ICRC is exploring and seeking partnerships to facilitate the delivery of its mission and live up to the spirit of its mandate to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence, and to provide them with assistance. Such partnerships involve amongst others, the combining the resources and capacities of different actors – including DAs – as per comparative advantages, to secure the highest possible bearing.

The Resource Mobilization Division (REM) manages the institutional relationship between ICRC and its various donors and partners.

The ICRC Is Recruiting Three Partnership Managers

• Partnership Manager for Near and Middle East multilateral development banks (MDBs/IFIs)
• Partnership Manager Near and Middle East national development agencies (NDAs)
• Partnership Manager European national development agencies (NDAs)

Purpose

In line with its 2019-2024 Institutional Strategy and 2020-2030 Institutional Resource Mobilization Strategy, the ICRC intends to further engage with DAs to improve and expand the sustainable humanitarian impact (SHI) it aims to have on conflict and violence affected communities. While this path is three pronged, i.e. (i) shaping humanitarian and diplomacy policy and agenda; (ii) leveraging knowledge and expertise exchanges; and, (iii) exploring operational collaboration potential, ICRC’s Resource Mobilization Division’s Development Centre of Expertise (DEV CoE) focuses on the latter. The CoE’s purpose is to contribute meaningfully to the ICRC’s mandate through its specialist knowledge of, as well as active outreach to, DAs.

The DEV CoE leads and orchestrates the institution’s stewardship on the fundraising facet of the engagement with DAs, whether national development agencies (NDAs) multilateral development banks (MDBs/IFIs), or (climate) funds. It develops the Division’s competence and expertise required, as well as shapes wider institutional adaptations needed to effectively connect with DAs. The CoE leads the outreach with other peers to successfully enlist these actors as reliable backers of the ICRC’s mission in a consistent, coherent and concerted fashion.

The Partnership Manager (PM) is the steward of the relationship with selected DAs, aimed at developing and securing their broadened and deepened financial support for the delivery of the ICRC’s mandate.

Accountabilities & Functional Responsibilities

Funding to deliver the mission and Ensuring financial security (70%):

• Crafts and provides stewardship for the fundraising strategy with DAs, including the arbitration process, of which to engage with and development of relevant engagement plans.
• Develops and secures stable support from DAs, ensuring greatest possible ‘value-add’ of the partnerships.
• Prospects jointly with relevant ICRC peers, new potentials and opportunities (including co-created ones) for operational collaboration contracts with selected DAs,.
• Negotiates and upholds a principled and pragmatic approaches to funding efforts.
• Leads and liaises on all tasks related to financing contracts: negotiation, drafting, managing, closing, etc.
• Contributes to the CoE’s analysis and aggregation of theoretical and empirical learning and best practices when it comes to the programmatic, fiduciary, and normative dimensions of organizational interoperability, as well as development of standard processes, fundraising models, performance frameworks, and tools.

An enabling brand (20%):

• Manages relations with selected DAs counterparts, widens relevant networks, whether at the Field, HQ, working or high levels.
• Steers skilfully the networked approach required for engaging with selected DAs, working closely with relevant ICRC colleagues at the global level.
• Monitors and influences evolving interests and trends of selected DAs to inform ICRC’s fundraising strategy and offering.
• Together with peers both at HQ and in the Field, identifies and leverages key events allowing to widen and deepen ICRC’s relationship with DAs.
• Together with peers, selects, arbitrates and crafts the products to initiate discussions on, the topics and issues that could feature in fundraising-oriented communication, how reporting should be framed, etc. for DAs.
• Contributes in building familiarity, trust and distinction for DAs, ensuring the ICRC is seen as a worthy, unique and relevant recipient, reinforcing its existent institutional brand.
• Represents the ICRC at DAs workshops, conferences and other forum, as relevant.

A fundraising organization (10%):

• Contributes through the CoE and exchanges with the Clearing House to inform adaptations required in ICRC’s various ‘ways of doing business’ when it comes to how development actors expect to engage, thereby contributing to improvement organizational readiness for partnerships.
• Co-leads in the networked approach on engaging DAs, ensuring it does not generate intra-ICRC competition, uproot its principled keel, weaken institutional coherence, or divert field resources from engaging with affected populations.
• Provides fundraising ‘services’ to Delegations, Regions, Programs, etc. supporting and leveraging colleagues’ expertise to engage with DAs knowledgeably, sharing the necessary awareness and skills, ensuring streamlined information flow, as well as a consistent and well-integrated approach.

Relationships

• Internally: Interacts with peers from other Units, Divisions, and Departments, as well as Field delegations).
• Externally: Interacts with working-level counterparts of the selected Development Actors.

Skills And Experience Required

• Master’s degree in international relations, development, business administration/ a relevant field, or equivalent experience.
• Excellent command of English required; knowledge of other relevant UN languages an asset.
• Computer proficiency.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering financial income in complex partnerships.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience working in complex, large-scale organizations.
• Experience working with DAs, knowledge of their organizational culture, structure and processes, as well as familiarity with their work.
• Familiarity with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the ICRC, and other international humanitarian and/or development organizations an asset.
• Track record in developing analysis of humanitarian and development-related trends and policies.

Additional Information

• Location : Geneva
• Type of contract: Open-ended contract
• Duration of assignment: Long-Term Assignment / 4 years assignment
• Grade : C1
• Activity rate : 100%
• Estimated start date: 1st of June 2022
• Application Deadline: Wednesday 23rd of March 2022

Please mention, in your CV and cover letter, the development actors you have worked with in your career.

The ICRC values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.