Based in Beirut with occasional travel to Field Offices, the Senior Partnerships Officer (SPO) will work within the partnership team as part of the project management team implementing a World Bank project, which aligns with the Lebanon Country Program's strategic objective of working with partners. The SPO will oversee the management, coordination, and key risk control elements of IRC's sub-awards portfolio, ensuring high standards of risk management and compliance within strong, high-quality partnerships that deliver timely and effective assistance. The Partnership team will manage all steps in the sub-award management lifecycle and plays a key role in overall project cycle management.
The SPO will also play a critical role in supporting partners as they develop their projects and in ensuring clear and efficient communication among the various stakeholders involved in the partnership.
Summary of Responsibilities:
Partnership Agreement and Lifecycle Management:
Contribute to the development of the Request for Applications (RFA) with the Project Lead and Partnership Manager, in drafting the proposal, eligibility criteria, and requirements along with the scoring criteria. Coordinate the dissemination of the RFA and maintain proper follow-up on received applications. As needed, organize information sessions with the technical lead. Review applicants’ submitted proposals and budgets and coordinate the selection committee meeting, with the Partnership Manager and relevant technical leads. Facilitate and coordinate all aspects of the sub-award lifecycle, from partner identification and vetting to project and agreement development, amendments, monitoring, and close-out, in collaboration with relevant IRC departments. Lead the pre-award due diligence process for all new sub-awards, including thorough vetting, Partnership Capacity Analysis (PCA), and collaborative risk analysis. Identify and implement appropriate risk management measures in coordination with technical and operational focal points to manage those risks. Incorporate inputs after internal review of the partner’s proposal and agreement to ensure compliance under the guidance of the Partnership Manager. Draft Partnership Agreements, amendments, and all relevant annexes in line with IRC’s systems and donor compliance. Coordinate with all relevant internal units and the compliance unit at HQ to finalize and follow up on partner agreements, including completing the OTIS flow. Facilitate and lead the partnership process in alignment with IRC's project cycle management. This includes scheduling and conducting opening meetings, implementation meetings, monitoring and reflection sessions, and closure meetings, as well as ensuring timely follow-up on partner reporting. Maintain and coordinate partners’ program, finance and compliance monitoring schedules and coordinate support for partners to address any concerns or issues that may arise. Ensure that monitoring plans, visits and tools are in place for donor compliance and progress against objectives, and that key monitoring information and reflection session and learning, are documented. Regularly update the World Bank Partnership Tracker and ensure the Contracts section of STEP is kept up to date.Partner Support and Capacity Sharing:
• Collaborate with other IRC departments (Supply Chain, Finance, HR, grants, Communications and Programs to support the partners) and identify opportunities for IRC to support partner capacity strengthening efforts.
• Support IRC’s role in the delivery of capacity strengthening plans for partners in close coordination with the partnerships manager.
• Support the partners in the development of the narrative proposals and budget.
• In coordination with relevant units and Partnership Manager, support the partners in finding proper solutions and mitigation measures to challenges faced throughout the project period.
Promote Effective Partnerships:
• Implement best practices with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for:
• Systematic collection of partner feedback on IRC's management of partnership relationships, as well as taking appropriate action in response to this feedback.
• Actively engaging and supporting partners in their daily activities to ensure compliance with donor and IRC regulations.
• Ensuring partner engagement in program development
• Promoting a culture of partnerships adhering to the principles of equality, transparency, responsibility, result oriented and complementarity.
Documentation and Reporting:
• Ensure that comprehensive electronic and physical files for partnerships are maintained.
• Oversee and work with project lead and other partnership staff to review monthly internal reports and support the drafting and compilation of partner reports into overall donor reports.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Partnership Manager
Position directly supervises: N/A
Indirect Reporting: N/A
Other Internal and/or external contacts: