Partners and Localization Specialist At Danish Refugee Council

The overall purpose of the role: DRC is seeking a dynamic and self-motivated individual to establish and formalize our strategic partnerships framework and systems in the country, with the objective of strengthening our current and future partnerships with national NGOs, community-based organizations, civil society, the private sector, research institutes, local and national authorities, and others across Iraq. These efforts will build on our global partnership principles and civil society engagement strategies and align with our Iraq Strategic Plan and DRC’s Global Strategy 2025. This role will work across DRC Iraq’s departments to establish systems and approaches for identifying, pursuing, and maintaining effective and sustainable partnerships that are in alignment with DRC’s strategic objectives. The Partnerships and Localization Manager will map out and identify new partnership opportunities, assess partner organization capacities, facilitate relevant capacity strengthening support, and provide ongoing support to the partner organizations throughout and after project implementation.

Responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership and Coordination

• Develop DRC Iraq’s partnerships and localization strategy in line with our country’s Strategic Plan and DRC’s global strategy 2025—and promote this vision for DRC Iraq’s partnerships approach among DRC staff and partners.
• Liaise with DRC Iraq technical coordinators to support a vision for partner-led partner programming in sectors including Protection, Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding, Economic Recovery, Shelter and Settlements, and WASH in line with partnerships principles
• Participate in relevant country-level partnerships and localization working groups and advocate for the inclusion and support of national organizations in these forums
• Coordinate with external agencies working with partners in similar sectors and locations, to ensure a partner-centered approach
• Establish and maintain productive links between national NGO partners and staff, and with DRC Program teams
• Stay up to date on current trends in partnerships and localization practice globally and in the region and share learning with relevant internal stakeholders.

Internal Capacity Building and Technical Guidance

• Drawing on DRC’s global policies and tools, develop and implement systematic approaches to identifying and engaging with prospective partners and support partnership selection processes for national NGOs
• Work across programme and support departments to develop and/or adapt systems, policies, and SoPs that are supportive of the Partnership and Localization strategy and contextualize DRC’s global tools, and ensure their periodic review and update
• Define a standard framework of roles and responsibilities among various DRC departments and between area and country office for partnership communication, support, and engagement
• Review and contextualize existing partnership resources and identify additional needs to support capacity assessment, monitoring, compliance, project cycle management, etc.
• Conduct internal training to DRC staff on partnerships principles to improve understanding of partnership approaches and enhance their relevant skills and capacities to successfully engage in partnership programming.
• Develop the capacity and provide ongoing mentorship to key partnership focal points among DRC’s national staff

Partnerships Development and Collaboration

• Establish and maintain a partnership database that maps out partner capacity, influence, and strategic alignment with DRC programming
• Coordinate across teams to carry out partner organizational capacity assessments and analyse assessments to identify specific capacity strengthening and organizational development needs, and provide and/or coordinate training and targeted capacity strengthening support
• Support proposal development for funding opportunity components directly related to partnerships and localisation and actively support identification of and liaison with new and existing donors, in close collaboration with key stakeholders
• Analyse results of ongoing partnerships, remote management, and results on the ground to produce lessons learnt and inform strategic decision-making
• Lead initiatives to improve partnership practices by periodically assessing DRC Iraq’s partnership approach, considering both DRC and partners’ perspectives, capturing lessons learned and best practices, and making recommendations for improvement

Grants, Accountability, Reporting, and Learning

• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and develop relevant accountability initiatives as well as strengthening the effort to document the impact and lessons learned of activities
• Ensure a compliance process with internal and external reporting requirements including procurement, HR, and finance, in close coordination with the relevant support function partnerships focal point
• Provide input for donor reports and proposals as needed in relationship to partnerships and localization
• Work with the Programme Development team to ensure that partnership tools and financial standards meet donor requirements and allow for adaptation and flexibility and advocate for these changes at country and donor level
• Ensure documentation and consolidation of success stories, in coordination with DRC’s communications specialist, which can be communicated externally and to ensure that DRC is able to articulate and document relevant best practice.

Other

• Ensure adherence to DRC’s Age, Gender, and Diversity policy and AGD programmatic minimum standards
• Ensure compliance with zero-tolerance to Sexual Exploitation and APolicyolicy, Safeguarding Policy, and Child Safeguarding Policy
• Ensure compliance with DRC guidelines and policies on HR, admin, finance, and supply.
• Perform other relevant tasks as requested by and in discussion with the Head of Programme

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum 3 years of practical, field-based experience in working with national partners on programming and capacity-strengthening is essential.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity-strengthening support to national partners and a strong understanding of partnerships principles
• Experience in donor compliance and procedures across the project cycle
• Demonstrated commitment to applying an age, gender, and diversity (AGD) and Conflict Sensitive approach to programming.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, international development, economics, or other relevant fields. Postgraduate degree desirable.
• Practical training or courses in partnerships principles and capacity-strengthening

Languages:

• English fluent (to a high standard);
• Fluency in Arabic is highly desirable

Key stakeholders:

• A full array of national actors including national NGOs, community-based organizations, and research institutes
• Technical Coordinators, Head of Support Services, Advocacy Advisor, Area Managers and Project Managers, partnerships colleagues in the Regional and HQ, among others