The Senior Partnerships Officer is responsible for helping to identify and assess new partners, facilitating and tracking sub-projects and agreements, and highly involved on sub-grant monitoring and evaluation. A large portion of IRC Ethiopia’s partnerships/sub-grants portfolio falls within the emergency response program, but includes other sectors and projects as well. The position is based in Addis Ababa but will require travel to the field in Ethiopia and occasional travel overseas for conferences and trainings. The position will report to the Partnerships Coordinator. The Partnerships Team sits in the Grants and Partnerships Unit of IRC Ethiopia.

Essential functions

Partnerships/Sub-Grant Processes:

·         In collaboration with the Partnerships Coordinator, institutes the global Sub-Award Partnership Management System (SPMS) policy. Includes supporting efficient and responsive processes, sound recordkeeping systems and sub-award management.

·         Participates in and supports in all Partnerships meetings, including weekly Monday Morning Meetings (MMMs) and monthly Finance & Partnership Coordination Meetings.

·         Supports the Partnerships Coordinator to maintain an up-to date Partnerships tracker

• Supports in the mapping of potential partners for emergency response, with a particular emphasis on local organizations.
• Supports in the update of IRC’s database that catalogues all past and potential future partners on a continual basis.
• Support the Partnerships Coordinator and operational and technical staff as needed in the organization and facilitation of capacity and risk assessments for potential partners.
• Supports in the internal sub-award proposal review and approval process as needed.
• Assures high-quality implementation by supporting sub-grant opening, review, and closing meetings.
• Support the development of partnership templates and contracts/agreements in conjunction with the Partnerships Coordinator.
• Work in collaboration with Partnerships Coordinator, IRC finance, and other program staff to manage sub-grants effectively and in compliance with donor rules and regulations.
• Lead and facilitate capacity building of partner NGOs and local community organizations. Contribute to development of training materials.

Partner Monitoring:

• Support emergency response and other relevant technical teams in monitoring sub-grantees/partners for donor compliance and progress against objectives, contributing to the development of monitoring tools as needed.
• Support the Partnerships Coordinator in liaising with sub-grantees for timely submission of accurate financial and activity reports.
• Support the Partnerships Coordinator in liaising with relevant departments to ensure that all reporting templates are updated, and share with sub-grantees on a timely basis.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Maintain comprehensive electronic files for the emergency response program, as well as general partner files, ensuring they are streamlined and well organized.
• Work with the relevant technical teams, review monthly internal reports, compile and submit partner reports into overall donor report, and support government reports/agreements as needed/requested.
• Support data analysis of existing sub-grant portfolio and potential future partner commitments.

Representation and Special Tasks:

• Support the Partnerships Coordinator as needed to ensure all deadlines are met on time and that all products are of high quality.
• At the request of the Partnerships Coordinator, take responsibility for miscellaneous projects not falling under responsibilities underlined in this job description.

·         When needed, supports the Partnerships Coordinator in communication with relevant HQ departments including finance, compliance and regional programs units.

Ethiopian Nationals with Experience Abroad are strongly encouraged to apply.

Qualified Female Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. A writing and Excel test will be administered for selected candidates only.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Excellent Amharic and English writing & speaking skills are mandatory, and are the most important requirement for this position.
• Proven experience in coordination of multiple stakeholders (internal and external).
• Bachelor degree in social study or relevant field from a recognized university with 4 years of relevant experience; or master degree with 2 years of relevant experience. Strong preference will be given to candidates with previous experience in partnership management, consortium/network management or sub-grant/partner identification and management.
• Minimum one year in supervisory role
• Experience facilitating sub-grants, including proposal review, agreement development, and monitoring strongly desired.
• Familiarity with USG (e.g. USAID/OFDA, PRM) and ECHO rules and regulations.
• Program development experience, including development of key project documents such as logical frameworks, monitoring tools, etc.
• Experience designing and implementing capacity building programs is a plus.
• Computer literate (MS Word, Excel, PPT). Budgeting experience required.
• NGO experience in similar position is preferred.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.

Personal specifications:

• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload.
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.