Senior IPA (Commercial Contracts) United Kingdom

The Senior Institutional Partnership Adviser (IPA) is a new role in NRC’s Partnerships and Policy Department (PnP), focusing on commercial contracts. PnP is responsible for NRC’s strategic relations with institutional donors and private foundations and provides support and leadership to the rest of the organisation as the “centre of excellence” on donor/partner relations in NRC.

In line with NRC’s strategy to grow partnerships and diversify resources, our ambition is to grow the income from commercial contracts and to position NRC to be a prime contractor. The Senior IPA role will be central to achieving this. The position will provide help-desk support to NRC country and regional offices involved in tendering processes, and act as the global lead in NRC on commercial contracts.

This is a Grade 10 post, with a UK salary of £64,404 including London Weighting.

The position will be based in London, and you will need to have the right to live and work in the UK.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as Global Lead for commercial contracts, advising Senior Management on deciding principles, setting priorities and clarifying ambition level for engagement in commercial contracts
• Manage the Commercial Contracts Help Desk and provide support to country offices, regional offices and other NRC units involved in tendering processes, including coordination of advice from PnP, Legal and Global Finance to the Deputy Secretary General on decision-making in go/no go processes.
• Lead NRC’s work to form partnerships for tendering processes, and network with INGOs and for-profit entities to establish relationships
• Facilitate and promote best practices and learning across the organisation, including developing tools, systems, training materials, user guides and delivering internal trainings and workshops
• Represent NRC in relevant meetings, forums and networks
• Map NRC’s systems and processes for compatibility with commercial contracts compliance regimes
• Proactively track institutional donor’s tenders and pipelines and provide guidance to country offices, regional offices and other NRC units on pre-positioning
• Establish ways of working with donors, NRC Country Offices and colleagues managing individual donor relationships. Work closely with the UK IPA in particular to operationalise NRC’s efficient and effective participation in consortia under FCDO contract frameworks
• Identify gaps and help NRC transition over time to becoming a competent and accountable prime contractor
• Provide concrete practical solutions to country offices when they face challenges in delivery of contracts
• PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION for a full list of responsibilities, qualifications and competencies: Job Description – Senior IPA Commercial Contracts Specialist – Feb23.docx

QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree or equivalent qualification
• Advance knowledge and expertise of the humanitarian and development aid systems and funding mechanisms
• Minimum 7 years of experience from a humanitarian/development organisation and/or from a donor administration, either at Head Office/capital or field/embassy level
• Professional experience with institutional donors, and documented results in resource mobilisation, including with developing proposals and reports to government donors, UN or similar
• Professional knowledge of and experience with preparing bids, negotiating and managing commercial contracts in the aid sector
• Professional knowledge of and experience with preparing bids to or managing contracts from development banks is a desired skill
• A thorough understanding of Project Cycle Management, especially of the logical framework approach
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including negotiation skills
• Strong analytical skills, and representation skills
• A conscientious and structured person with strong planning and administrative skills, including computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and preferably also Agresso)
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal. Knowledge of other NRC working language would be an asset

ABOUT US

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. We work in crises across more than 31 countries, providing emergencies and long-term assistance to millions of people every year. We stand up for people forced to flee, advocating their rights. NORCAP, our global provider of expertise, helps improve international and local ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises. NRC also runs the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva, a global leader in reporting on and advocating for people displaced within their own country.

Employment with NRC may lead to employment in or deployment to Regions, Countries, Areas or Offices that may be host to considerable health, safety and security risks. NRC takes this very seriously and we have procedures in place to reduce known risks, but will never be able to take away all risks.

NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and physical ability.