Partnerships Officer At Mari Research and Development

About Mari Research and Development

Mari Research and Development is a non-for-profit civil society organization operating in northeast Syria. It was established in 2018 and registered in Canada and France.

In 2018, a group of educated, dynamic and like-minded youth working in the development sector got together to establish an organization for addressing the most urgent and pressing needs of people in Syria. MRD seeks to build a stable and just society where peace and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms prevail.

In order to promote cohesive and tolerant societies where justice and equality prevail, we seek to promote human rights, and to make them the primary and main drivers of the diverse societies which we target through our work.

The purpose of the Position

The Partnerships Officer is responsible for leading the strategic relationships with stakeholders while preparing proposals/reports that support MRD goals and meet donors’ guidelines and criteria. This person serves as the focal point, manages Donor relationships, engages in compliance reporting, and supports special projects initiatives. This position requires strong writing, data analysis, program budgeting, project management skills, with an emphasis on outcome measurement.

Key Responsibilities

The partnerships officer is considered the focal point for MRD’s grants in terms of quality control of the formal and technical design of grants, as well as compliance with the partner’s requirements when implementing, and more precisely, He or She is entrusted with the following tasks:

1. Assist the Grants and Development Manager in supporting the Country programmes for the planning and evaluation of MRD’s projects within the region;
2. In coordination with the grants manager and coordinators, develop project proposals, budgets and reports according to standards (project proposals/reports) and ensure timely reply to donor-related requirements (funding proposals/ reports);
3. In coordination with the grants manager, MEAL team, and Programmes, contribute to developing MRD’s Theory of change and results-based management framework.
4. Contribute to keeping track of projects undertaken in the region, while actively mapping available funds for new initiatives
5. Ensure that regular assessments are conducted, analyze the needs of the refugees and suggest new initiatives
6. Coordinate with the MEAL team and Programmes for project evaluations
7. Maintain close working relations with MRD’s partner agencies, as well as with other international development organizations and funding agencies;
8. Participate in coordination meetings as well as with donors;
9. Explore and help create possibilities for new partnerships.
10. Regularly monitor project funding in close conjunction with the Finance team. Coordinate the grant management (activities/expenditures) with the countries and the HQ Finance team;
11. Provide capacity-building to offices and projects as necessary and/or requested;
12. Communicate regularly with the team (grant manager, programmes…), informing them on all major issues and programmatic developments within the region.

Education

Bachelor’s degree (or 2-5 years of work experience with nonprofit partnership management, grant writing, or fundraising).

Experiences

1. 2+ years of experience in fundraising, grant writing or grants management.
2. 1-2 years of experience in partnership management.
3. Demonstrated analytical and persuasive writing skills experience as well as superior editing skills, including ability to convey complex information in a clear manner to a diverse audience.
4. Strong administrative skills and self-motivated with the ability to set priorities and manage multiple tasks under minimal supervision in effective and efficient manner.
5. Intermediate to expert skills in Microsoft Office (specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Experience with donor development/CRM software systems a plus.
6. Familiarity and experience working with national, governmental donors.
7. Ability to work under pressure and respond to deadlines without sacrificing quality.
8. Excellent English and Arabic skills.