Partnership Manager 60 views

ROLE PURPOSE:

Save the Children in Ethiopia implements a wide range of both humanitarian and development programs with partners across the country.  We work with UN agencies, donors, Government of Ethiopia, International and local organizations, research centers, academic institutions and media agencies. Our partners are of diverse type, capacity, technical expertise and geographic focus. Partnership development and management takes place across different departments at program development and quality, implementation and close out.

The partnership manager is responsible for oversight of all aspects of partnership management across the country office. The incumbent is responsible for overseeing partners’ selection and partnership development, capacity assessment and building capacities of partners and staff working with partners. In addition, the partnership manager is responsible for the development and roll out of partnership specific standards, compliance and guidelines to relevant stakeholders. In general, the position holder plays coordination and facilitation roles across finance, programs, awards, Child Safeguarding and other key functions to ensure implementation of Save the Children’s internal policies and standards on partnership management.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to:  Head of Partnership

Staff directly reporting to this post:  none

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Partnership Management, development and learning

• Ensuring standards for partnership establishment, development, management and close out are complied with.
• Develop partner engagement plan together (including joint project design where possible) and consultation with partners and SC staff.
•  Maintain and archive Partner Database
• Facilitate regular dialogue, review meetings and information sharing with partners including government, non-government, research, academics and other types of partners

• Facilitate partner involvement in SC proposals and input directly to ensure partner design and costs are appropriately represented and adequately resourced.
• Monitor partners’ performance in accordance with Save the Children policies and procedures
• Ensure best practices from partners or SCI projects are shared to ensure a high quality of implementation
• Actively participate and contribute towards an exchange of knowledge and learning with partners
• Ensure that learning and feedback is prioritized throughout all partnerships
• Organized and facilitate partnership survey to ensure feedbacks come out from partners and properly addressed by save the children
• Support programs in carrying out Annual Partnership Review Meetings.

Organization Development and Partners’ capacity building

• Motivate, lead and develop partners’ organization development initiatives
• Conduct partners’ capacity assessment; ensuring SCI standards for partnership development are complied with and documented.
• Facilitate and coordinate pre award partnership and capacity assessment and follow up implementation of capacity support plans.
• Keeping up to date and documentation of core partnership processes per each agreements and ensure these are reported to relevant teams
• Design a system to provide technical support for partners based on assessment findings
• Work with external agencies to understand contexts where partners work and support in providing strategic guidance to the organization.
• Identify and recommend possible supports to partners to build their capacity and enhance performance
• Report trends and performances of partners and document lessons drawn from working in partnership

Partnership Selection Assessment and Monitoring

• Coordinate and support ownership of the partnership selection/development systems, processes and procedures.
• checking (and occasionally drafting) partnership agreements, memorandum of understanding; ensuring SCI formats and standards are adhered to;
• Lead the process to design and implement good processes/criteria for scoping, selection and assessment of potential partners in coordination with other relevant functions.
• Manage all partnership processes and oversee the partner implementation cycle from kick off, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and close out.

• Ensure monitoring schedule of partners and the tracking as per schedules.
• Conduct regular joint visit to projects and provide/record constructive feedback

• Coordination with other finance units and BHs on partner related issues
• Review monitoring reports of partners and give feedback.

Project Planning, management, monitoring and Evaluation

• Closely work with internal and external stakeholders to support projects implemented by partners and with partners
• Design projects including project proposal development on partnership capacity strengthening and
• Follow up and monitoring of projects; ensuring preparation of periodic reports, review, evaluation
• Ownership of the project budget and making sure partnership and capacity development budgets are allocated as appropriate
•  Lead periodic review, evaluation and learning among and with partners
• Documentation of learning from promising and good practices on partnership

Representation and networking

• Represent SC in the various organizations and forum mainly related to partnership, civil society sector and/or charities.
• Network with peers, other agencies, INGOS and relevant government stakeholders

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, understands where different people are coming from, able to work cross-culturally.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence
• displays consistent excellent judgement

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in any relevant field of study in particular project management, social sciences, business administration and eight (8) years of relevant experience.
• Practical experience in partnership and capacity development of partners is essential.
• Experience of working within large and complex international organizations
• understanding of the requirements and challenges of working with civil societies and local partners with substantial experience of partnership and partnership management is a requirement.
• Must have strong coordination skill, partnership building skill, team building and conflict management skill, financial management (budget preparation and monitoring)

• Experience of working in child focused organizations
• Project and program development and management experience
• strong cultural sensitivity, with highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation, problem solving and coaching
• experience of working with a high degree of autonomy on large projects working with significant levels of ambiguity around the process
• experience of working in networks, consortia and alliance resulting in strong working relationships
• experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in
• Fluency in English language preferred.
• Basic Computer application
• Commitment to Save the Children values and principles