International Rescue Committee

Program Brief

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure and wishing to advance on a path of development.

The IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since the IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy will primarily target Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC Bangladesh’s strategic vision is to protect, empower and meet the needs of the most vulnerable women, children and youth through technical expertise and partnerships in the areas of integrated protection, health, education and economic wellbeing before, during, and after displacement caused by conflict and climate-induced disaster. IRC will grow over time its geographic coverage within Cox bazar and to other parts of the country, thus expand its’ networks and partnerships around emergency preparedness and response work, reach beyond the Rohingya refugees, also targeting the vulnerable host communities in Cox Bazar and Southern parts of Bangladesh.

Purpose of the Role

IRC Bangladesh seeks an experienced, dynamic individual for the position of Senior Manager - Partnerships. With the overall objective of achieving high quality and compliant programming, The Sr. Manager will manage the partnership portfolio, support the Partnership Working Group (PWG) operations, and manage sub-grants, towards strong, sustainable, and strategic partnerships for IRC Bangladesh. The Sr. Manager will coordinate the daily management of the sub-award lifecycle and the sustainable growth and capacity of the partnership portfolio. The Sr. Manager will report to the Partnerships Coordinator and will be responsible for management and tracking of the sub-granting processes, supporting the identification and development of strategic partnerships, and supporting the operationalization of the partnership principles of responsibility, results-oriented approaches, equality, transparency, complementary, and value addition. The Sr. Manager will contribute to strong, high-quality partnerships that deliver timely and effective assistance, with effective application of the compliance and risk management strategies. The Sr. Manager will also support capacity sharing plans development and implementation for IRC and partners, at both the specific project level and wider organizational level. Operationally, The Sr. Manager will coordinate and link partners staff with IRC Bangladesh Technical Coordinators and Managers, and the Grants, MEAL, Finance, and Supply Chain teams as appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

Promote Effective Partnerships:

• Promote and apply the IRC Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS), ensuring its understanding and the application of IRC partnership principles, skills, and approaches by all staff.
• Facilitate and document systematic partner feedback and response on IRC’s partnership management.
• Contribute to stakeholder analysis and identify local actors providing capacity strengthening services.
• Ensure the prioritization of partner capacity strengthening during proposal development.

Partnership Management:

• Contribute to robust stakeholder analysis for the Strategy Action Plan (SAP) and program designs.
• Consistently promote and effectively use PEERS and ensure that partnership decision-making and action is driven by IRC’s partnership principles.
• Assist in resolving local partner issues at the field level, coordinating the communication between IRC and the partner(s), and addressing partners’ feedback and concerns.
• Engage in program design processes to provide input on partnership opportunities.
• Participate in Project Cycle Management (PCM), to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partners, and capture learning on effective finance practices for future partnerships.
• Support the Partnerships Coordinator, as a co-focal point in partnership relationships management.
• Support the Partnerships Coordinator in the drafting, and implementation of partnership agreements.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Liaise with finance to achieve timely funds transfers and proper financial follow up and support for partners; work with finance to address any challenges in payments.
• Support the IRC and partner teams in local liaison and coordination with relevant external stakeholders.
• Participate in due diligence processes and collaborative partnership risk management as appropriate.
• Support the Partnerships Coordinator and co-lead Partner's Partner Capacity Analysis (PCA) processes, and the collaborative risk analysis and management.
• Support the technical team in organizing Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closing Meetings.
• Liaise with the Partnerships Coordinator in your co-responsibility for delivering the functions of the cross departmental PWG, towards the effective and efficient management of partnerships.
• Guidance and support on business development and new funding opportunities for local organizations, making efforts to target women-led and women/girls serving organizations.
• Work collaboratively with partners and IRC staff to constructively resolve any issues that may arise.
• Facilitate timely IRC and partner action to address partner performance issues that may arise.
• Maintain complete and organized partnership files for each partner.
• Work with the Partnerships Coordinator in the review of partners’ and partner staff performance, capturing successes, challenges and lessons learned, and fostering ongoing partnerships beyond each sub-award project cycle, wherever appropriate and the decision reached by IRC and partner to do so.

Partnership Capacity Sharing

• Facilitate the IRC and Partner collaborative development and implementation of the partner project support plan, ensuring the addressing of issues identified during the partnership due diligence process.
• Design and facilitate learning events, providing mentoring and coaching, facilitating peer learning, developing e-learning modules and videos, and applying other learning methodologies as appropriate.
• Strengthen the capacity of sub-award partners on the overall grant lifecycle, including proposal development, reporting and grant management.
• Identify opportunities for mentoring, coaching, and follow up at organizational and staff levels.
• Lead in capacity sharing monitoring, evaluating, learning, and documentation of successful capacity sharing approaches and initiatives that can be scaled up and integrated in PEERS monitoring process.

Organizational Development

• Support and coordinate the resourcing of partners organizational development where appropriate.
• Facilitate and document the participatory organizational development processes with the organizations’ leadership, including the preliminary discussions, self-assessment, action plan, and implementation.

Learning

• Identify opportunities for IRC to facilitate and promote learning among and between local actors.
• Collaborate with technical coordinators on technical capacity sharing between IRC and local partners.
• Ensure that IRC understands and effectively addresses partners’ capacity strengthening priorities.

Develop IRC Staff Capacity

• Promote a culture of mutual learning and good partnership principles among IRC staff.
• Coach, train, and mentor staff to strengthen their abilities to effectively support partners.
• Adapt and improve the quality of the existing capacity sharing tools, to the context and IRC capacity.