Partnership Officer At Danish Refugee Council

Overall, Purpose of the Role:

The Partnerships Officer will be responsible for supporting the implementation of anticipatory action programming at the field level. In particular, The officer will ensure the engagement with the different partners in relation to the global Anticipatory Humanitarian Action for Displacement (AHEAD) project implemented in West Nile funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position will report to the Project Manager ( Direct Supervisor) as well as a dotted line of reporting to the technical partnership focal person at CO. The position will be pivotal in expanding DRC’s anticipatory action initiatives in close collaboration with partners at the West Nile level. You will work closely with country teams, local government bodies, and stakeholders to design, implement, and scale anticipatory action projects that enhance preparedness and improve the resilience of communities at risk of displacement.

Responsibilities:

1. Partnership Development

• Identify, establish, and maintain strategic partnerships with NGOs, private sector entities, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Support the negotiation of agreements and align partnership objectives with organizational goals.
• Promote and facilitate collaborative partnerships management, including timely and effective partner program, finance, and compliance review and reflection (monitoring), and work with the CO partnerships focal person, and technical coordinators to address any project performance issues.
• Together with the Partnerships taskforce, support Partners’ Due Diligence and prepare a response strategy to risk and recommend capacity-building actions accordingly.
• Support in drafting sub-grant agreements and modifications
• Facilitate partner grant kick-off and close-out meetings to monitor project progress and ensure donor compliance, operation/program integration, procurement planning, sharing of lessons learned, etc.
• Support in developing and updating the tracking tools and templates for effective partnership management.
• Review the partner’s budgets and ensure that the budget costs are justified and aligned with program activities.
• Cultivate strong relationships to ensure mutual benefits and sustained collaboration.
• Address partner concerns and facilitate smooth communication.
• Collaborate with partners and DRC staff to constructively resolve any issues that may arise.
• Coordinate with the Finance team to ensure partners’ liquidity and advances for the smooth running of partners’ financial reporting.
• Maintain effective coordination with the program colleagues to track the partner’s program activities.
• Ensure that timely and reliable sub-grant administration support is provided to all units within the office.

2. Relationship Management and Coordination

Maintain regular and effective coordination with partner organizations to ensure smooth implementation of project activities and closeout

3. Program Support and Monitoring

• Coordinate with internal teams to integrate partnership contributions into projects.
• Monitor partner commitments and ensure compliance with agreements.
• Champion robust partner relationship management characterized by core partnership principles of responsibility, results-oriented approach, equality, transparency, and complementarity.
• Conduct periodic monitoring visits to partner project sites

4. Reporting and Documentation

• Track partnership activities, support partners prepare progress reports and share impact stories.
• Coordinate external reporting, ensuring high-quality, well-written, and timely reports meeting donor and DRC requirements, with support from the technical program coordinators and program managers.
• Maintain partner files, including regularly updating DRC’s Grants Management System (DRC Dynamics).
• Maintain the subgrants and report tracking system to ensure all grant files are organized and well managed for planning and preparation of donor reports and project monitoring
• Support the Programme Manager and country partnerships focal person in providing timely, thorough responses to information requests from internal and external sources.

5. Capacity Building

• Train staff on partnership engagement strategies and cross-sector collaboration.
• The Partnerships Officer plays a critical role in resource mobilization and advancing organizational missions through strategic collaborations.
• With In collaboration with the CO Partnerships focal person, provide training to partner staff as per DRC’s PCD guidelines

Experience and Technical Competencies:

• Degree in a related field, such as social work, social sciences, or development studies.
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in international humanitarian and/or development aid, preferably with displaced populations.
• Technical expertise and experience in social work, protection, and Anticipatory Action.
• Robust Engagement and planning skills.
• Demonstrable track record of meeting or exceeding program targets, whilst maintaining technical quality
• A demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, partners and local organizations
• Fluent in written and spoken English

Education:

Degree in social work, social sciences or development studies, or other relevant field.

DRC as an employer
By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of around 8000 employees in 40 countries. We pride ourselves on our:

• Professionalism, impact & expertise
• Humanitarian approach & the work we do
• Purpose, meaningfulness & own contribution
• Culture, values & strong leadership
• Fair compensation & continuous development

We offer:

Contract length: 10 months contract

Level: H2 – non-management

Designation of Duty Station: Arua

Start date: 1 March 2025

DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/jobsupport.

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer and we consider all applicants based on individual merit and qualifications, regardless of personal characteristics or attributes. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce, aiming for a 50% balance of men and women in management roles and ensuring that at least 50% of management roles are filled by national staff. We recognize that a diverse and inclusive team is crucial for achieving our organizational goals and making a positive impact on the communities we serve.