Partnership Officer

TITLE: Partnership Officer
TEAM/PROGRAMME: Programme Operations
LOCATION: Sana’a, Yemen, with 70% time in the field
GRADE: TBC
CONTRACT LENGTH: 12 months, Fixed Term
REPORTS TO: Partnerships Manager

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Partnership Officer will support the development of the overall partnership portfolio in Yemen by developing and strengthening SCI’s portfolio of partnership work, and ensuring compliance with SCI’s partnership policies and procedures, including financial and reporting requirements.

The Partnership Officer will work under the supervision of the Partnership Manager to take the lead role for SCI’s engagement with existing local partners in Yemen programme in all Yemen FOs, ensuring partnerships in Yemen programme respect SCI’s Partnership Principles and policies of value driven and empowering relationships, transparency, accountability and mutual benefit, and ensuring quality programme implementation with partners through a systematic operational partnership approach guided by SCI’s Partnership Framework and SCI’s Humanitarian principles. The post holder is responsible for ensuring staff and partners’ capacities are developed to ensure quality programming across the full range of SC Yemen’s work. The post holder will be expected, with support, to lead on overall partner coordination, facilitate standard partner assessments, facilitate partner capacity strengthening plans and development, staff capacity strengthening, operational system adaptation and facilitating partners with programme design and budgeting. This role will also be important in supporting Field Offices to adapt and manage new and existing partnerships, ensuring that the right levels of support are given, and that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.

The successful candidate will work closely with: i) relevant programme/project Managers in all Yemen FOs, who are responsible for all aspects of program implementation; in addition to ii) Regional and Global Partnership Advisors for remote support to strategic partnership development, partner mapping, and policy and strategy development. iii) relevant department in particular Awards, MEAL, and PDQ as decided or requested by their line manager.

SCOPE OF ROLE

Reports to: Partnerships Manager
Staff reporting to this post: none
Key working relationships: Field Managers, Programme Managers/Coordinators, MEAL team, Partnership Focal points, Partnerships & Audit officer (finance)

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Support to Partnerships within Programme Operations (50%):

Ensure that partner projects are implemented in line with SCI and donor rules and regulations, including;
Supporting Field Offices with clearly defined roles and responsibilities to allow for accountable partnership management
Providing support to all thematic programme coordinators, managers and partners at the field level to trouble-shoot issues affecting programme delivery
Working to provide support to Field teams to effectively make amendments to any partnership scope within a project, this can include supporting on development workshops, lessons learning and ensuring cross functional support at CO level for any adaptations that need to be made in line with the Partnership Manager
Supporting the early development of Partnership Assessment Tools (PATs) and zero agreements in each field location, making sure that these lists are kept updated and renewed as needed
Ensure that the partners receive adequate support on finance, logistics, HR, reporting and other organisational requirements
To work at all times to build a close, two way working relationship where partners are respected, listened to and supported and to create an open channel to discuss challenges and constraints as they arise
Supporting overall submissions linked with partners including:
- Supporting proposal design, ensuring the partners activities and budget are aligned with SCI and vice versa
- Ensuring strong MEAL mechanisms are accounted for within the planning
- Once approved, ensure the partner is aware of the reporting requirements for timely reporting to ensure on track deliverables
- Follow up partner payments and reports as required
- Support vetting processes as needed

Partnership Management, Planning & Strategy (30%):

Support the Partnership Manager in rolling out, embedding and monitoring the partnership strategy within the Country portfolio
Supporting the Partnership unit to work on forward thinking identification of partnership opportunities and shaping the strategic thinking on partnership in Yemen
Supporting the Partnership unit and the field teams to make sure that the roles and responsibilities in partnership management are clearly defined and being adhered to
Ensuring that partnership is well represented within the Operations functions at all levels, including cross functionally at the CO level, this includes emergency preparedness partners as well as strategic partners
Ensuring there is escalation of challenges related to a partner or FO to the DDPO as needed
Supporting partners on their submissions to/with SCI, ensuring alignment of budget and relevance of activities and facilitating meeting forums in which these issues can be discussed
Support the organising of regular partnership workshops

Emergency preparedness & response (10%):

Working with the Humanitarian Manager and Partnership Manager to ensure that our portfolio of identified partners for emergency response are identified, supported and trained and that there is an active mechanism in place at CO level to ensure the readiness and availability of resources in the event of a rapid response
Supporting scale up and scale down of partner responses as requested by the Partnerships Manager

Capacity Building (10%):

Providing support for the Partnership Manager in planning and coordinating capacity building trainings in line with Field Level feedback and partners requests.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice):

Accountability:

Accountability for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

Honest, encourages openness and transparency

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
At least 3 years prior experience working with partners or through partners
Experience and expertise in humanitarian context
Experience in capacity development and/or organisational development
Strong interpersonal communication and facilitation skills
Very good coaching, mentoring and team building abilities
Excellent English and Arabic language skills
Strong written and oral communication skills
Ability to work in a team and contribute to a positive working environment.
Capacity to work in a fast-paced environment and produce results under challenging conditions
Willingness to work in a challenging security environment

Desirable

A very good understanding of at least 2 of the sectoral programmes and a working knowledge of the programme priorities of the response which include Education, Child Protection, Health, Nutrition.
Experience working in local/national NGO.

Additional job responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Partnership Officer

Job Details

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