Regional Partneship Advisor

BACKGROUND

Working in partnership with local civil society, government and private sector actors is fundamental to the International Rescue Committee’s mission to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. Effective local partnerships are central to the IRC’s strategic ambitions in Strategy100, resulting in more effective, responsive and durable assistance that reaches more people and produces better outcomes for the people we serve. Investing in local civil society organizations (CSOs) and government entities recognizes those organizations not only as allies in achieving outcomes, but also as catalysts and drivers of change.

The Strategy100 partnership ambitions reflect our learning that we can often reach more people with more effective, responsive and timely assistance when we collaborate with local actors. Local partnerships also enable more durable outcomes, by strengthening local capacity and systems for sustained impact – particularly crucial at a time when 168 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the average length of displacement nears 20 years. In addition, as Strategy100 recognizes, ‘meaningful partnerships with leaders and organizations based in the communities we serve’ are central to our mission to address global inequalities. Effective local partnerships also enable the IRC to achieve agreed standards for humanitarian response, such as the Core Humanitarian Standards, and are increasingly prioritized by all of IRC’s public and private donors.

The Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (the ‘PEER System’ or ‘PEERS’) is the IRC’s authoritative source of policy, process, guidance and tools for working in partnership. The primary objective of PEERS is to ensure the IRC defines and pursues its role in each context based on how it can best add value to local capacities and systems, prioritizing principled, collaborative partnerships with local actors government, civil society and private sector actors.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Regional Partnerships Advisor will support MENA country programs to define and deliver on the partnership components of their Strategy Action Plans, consistent with the Strategy100 partnership ambition. The Advisor will support MENA country programs to build the internal capacity to partner effectively, and to use PEERS in promoting principled, collaborative partnerships, including through in-country support. This will include specific support to the Simsim project’s efforts to partner for scale in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. The Regional Partnerships Advisor will also contribute to efforts to drive the institutional change required to deliver on the Strategy100 partnership ambition.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

The specific responsibilities of the Regional Partnerships Advisor will include:

• Support MENA country offices to build meaningful participation of partners in key decision making, including in the context of strategy development and program design and management

• Collaborate with technical advisors and leads to support MENA country offices to analyze the roles of local actors, to define IRC’s approach based on how it can best ‘add value’, prioritizing opportunities to support and reinforce local capacities and systems (asking ‘why not partner’, consistent with PEERS and Strategy100)

• Support MENA country offices to build nascent partnership relationships with civil society organizations, government entities and private sector actors, as well as with networks

• Specific support to business development strategies and approaches, as well as to donor submissions, consistent with the SAP and the ‘why not partner’ approaches

• Collaborate with technical advisors and leads to promote and support approaches that maximize collaboration in the design and management of programs

• Promote and guide principled, collaborative risks analysis and management with partners across all organizational functions, consistent with PEERS

• Regular guidance and advice to country SMTs, partnership focal points and technical leads on the management of principled, collaborative partnerships, including through support and guidance on the use of PEERS

• Foster and promote effective capacity sharing and systems strengthening approaches across MENA country programs, including effective project support across all organizational functions, as well as broader organizational development and systems strengthening approaches, and ensuring that we are understanding and leveraging opportunities to learn from partners

• Guidance, coaching and mentoring of partnership leads in each country office

• Continuing to build the principles, skills and approaches required for effective partnerships in our MENA teams, including through in-person and remote training in PEERS and partnership principles, skills and approaches, and building training capacities in the country offices

• Support MENA country offices to conduct partnership capacity self-assessments, and to address the priority strengthening opportunities identified through those self-assessments, including through in-country support

• Structured interaction with MENA partners to promote accountability and solicit guidance with respect to IRC’s role and partnership practices

• Support with the recruitment of staff with significant partnership responsibilities

• Contribute as appropriate to the successful delivery of the Strategy100 partnership ambition, in collaboration with the Partnerships Director, including through participation in working groups

• Contribute to the continued development and strengthening of PEERS policies, processes and tools

• Contribute to the pro-active building of our reputation with key donors and potential primes as a leading humanitarian partnership agency

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Position Reports to: Deputy Regional Director, MENA and Partnerships Director (Management in Partnership)

Position directly supervises: n/a

• Position liaises closely with: country program partnership, technical and operational focal points, and periodically with country SMTs

Professional Standards

The IRC and IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

1. Minimum of six years of progressive managerial and/or advisory experience, with five years’ experience in partnership, capacity sharing, organizational learning and/or related work, required. Experience in and demonstrated knowledge of the MENA Region essential.
2. Degrees in non-profit management, business management, organizational development, international development or another related field, an asset.
3. Thorough knowledge of best practices in partnership and capacity sharing, with demonstrated experience in integrating this theme into programming.
4. Fluency in Arabic and English essential.
5. Familiarity with key institutions and donor agencies in capacity sharing.
6. Experienced in setting up and using monitoring and evaluation systems for partnerships.
7. Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through participatory adult training, mentoring, distance learning, and other formal and non-formal methods. Strong workshop design and facilitation skills.
8. Collaborative, team management style; ability to work well in diverse, multi-cultural team settings.
9. Exceptional interpersonal and communications skills.
10. Skilled at persuading and leading through influence, negotiation and coaching.
11. Significant capacity for strategic thinking and systems development.
12. Must be willing to travel throughout the region approximately one-third of the time, occasionally at short notice and sometimes under strenuous conditions.

IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. IRC is an equal opportunity employer.