Extended deadline: Helvetas is hiring Partnership Manager

Job title:                  Partnership Manager

Contract type:        Local (full-time)

Starting date:          ASAP

Contract duration: until June 30, 2024

Salary:                      37940 MDL gross

Duty Station:          Chisinau, Moldova

Application deadline: August 18, 2023

GENERAL CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND:

HELVETAS is the largest Swiss nongovernmental organization with a dual mandate for long term development and humanitarian response. It has been present in Moldova since 2018 implementing projects in the field of market systems development in the field of agriculture.

In the coming months, HELVETAS plans to implement the project aiming at advanced socioeconomic integration of Ukrainian refugees and vulnerable Moldovans to increase independence from humanitarian assistance while promoting resilience and self-reliance for vulnerable populations.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Partnership Manager works across departments (Programme and Operations) to support the country office in establishing and continuously improving systems to support HELVETAS partnership strategy. Coordinates and networks with the relevant stakeholders for the realization of the project activities to assure the successful accomplishment of project outputs. The Partnership Manager also engages externally, particularly in coordinating our partnership work with other INGOs, representing the organization in partnership discussions, helping to identify and pursue new partnership opportunities, and support the National Employment Agency, HELVETAS, HEKS/EPER and other NGOs in the organization of a coordination group for the provision of socioeconomic assistance to vulnerable populations in Moldova including Ukrainian refugees.

RESPONSABILITIES:

Objective 1: Partnership Strategy

• Lead the country office in developing systematic approaches to selecting partners, and in identifying and pursuing strategic partnerships.
• Lead the development of a Partnership Strategy, informed by Global Partnership Framework and the context.
• Clearly articulate a vision for HELVETAS’s partnerships and help promote that vision with HELVETAS staff and partners.
• Stay abreast of current trends in partnerships and share learning with country Senior Management Team (SMT) and others

Objective 2: Partnership Systems and Policies

• Work across departments to develop systems and policies that are supportive of the Partnership Strategy, and ensure periodic review and updating of policies once they are in place.
• Develop, and/or coordinate with other departments in the management and monitoring systems regarding partner programming.
• Ensure effective and collaborative partnership assessments and vetting on a routine basis so that the organisation is not exposed to undue risk in cooperation with Acquisition Desk.
• Review partnership management practices: identify and follow up on actions to improve management practices.
• Help ensure partners’ involvement in strategic planning, program design and proposal/concept paper development.
• Establish and ensure implementation of standard communication framework and medium with partners, so that both HELVETAS and partners have easier access to information.
• Define a standard framework of roles and responsibilities among various departments and between area office levels for partnership communication and engagement.
• Establish and maintain a partnership database that maps out partner capacity, influence, and strategic alignment

Objective 3: Establishing partnerships

• Assess the current partnership portfolio identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks related to current partners.
• Identify and explore new partnerships, including the updating of the partnership mapping and establishing relationships for collaborating on programming and capacity building.
• Identify and create partnership with public institutions and stakeholders in a manner so that project outcomes would be fulfilled successfully.
• Review existing partnering resources and identify additional needs to support capacity assessment, monitoring, compliance/vetting, project cycle management etc., coordinating closely with the field teams.
• Undertake the initial risk and capacity assessment of the partners

Objective 4: Partnership Management and Monitoring

• Coordinate key processes and actions between and among partners and HELVETAS staff.
• In collaboration with partners, plan and facilitate regular partnership meetings between partners and HELVETAS staff, ensuring that discussions are as constructive, relevant, and mutually beneficial as possible.
• Under supervision of Emergency Programme Coordinator, receive and revise the activities reports, M&E reports and Ad-Hoc reports from the partners.
• Promote relationships of mutual respect and mutual learning with partners and provide guidance to relevant staff on balancing between holding partners accountable while supporting them.
• Facilitate partners’ feedback on their partnership with HELVETAS and work with relevant departments to address feedback.
• Develop a system for accountability towards partners where HELVETAS regularly seeks feedback from partners on its strategies and plans.
• Secure mutual learning with partners in terms of program delivery and partnership building.
• Analyse results of on-going partnerships, remote management and results on the ground to produce lessons learnt and inform strategic decision-making

Objective 5: Data collection and reporting

• Coordinates data collection and recoding regarding the project indicators and the potential beneficiaries.
• Reports to the Emergency Programme Coordinator and/or Emergency Response Representative regarding challenges and obstacles that may impact the overall implementation of project activities.
• Reports daily activities, incidents and achievements.
• Approves the use of materials and possible improvements.
• Supports in the design, implementation and/or monitoring of any activity relevant for the projects.
• Coordinates and monitors the writing of the reports as per donor’s requirements.
• Maintains an accurate reporting and data management of the activities

Objective 6: Security

• Evaluate the risks related to project implementation and take designs mitigation measures.
• Respects the security rules specified in the mission and the base security plan and perform the security management tasks that can be assigned in its protocols.
• Communicates to the management about any security related information or noncompliance with the security plan

Objective 7: Support all HELVETAS activities

• Supports any activity that helps achieving HELVETAS programme’s outcomes as per the employee`s capacities.
• Participate in new assessments

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Postgraduate or Masters degree in International relations, Social Sciences, economic development and/or relevant field.
• Excellent skills in problem solving and mediation.
• Excellent presentation and persuasion skills
• Strong time management skills
• Ability to deliver messages to a large audience in a comprehensive manner.
• Ability to multitask
• Capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Reporting capacity organized and rigorous.
• Learning capacity.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, Romanian and Russian. Ukrainian will be an advantage

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 5 years work experience in the development / humanitarian sector/with NGOs or other development institutions, with at least 2 years’ experience in partnership-based or community-based programming.
• Experience in all aspects of programme cycle management - design and development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience working with State Officials and public institutions

Please mention the name, position and contact details of at least two references, including the line manager during your last job. Family members are to be excluded.

Send your application (resume and cover letter) in English to HR.Moldova@helvetas.org.

Please indicate in the subject line the position you are applying for. Only shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.

*All of the information you provide during the application process will only be used for the purpose of progressing your application, or to fulfil legal or regulatory requirements if necessary. It will be held securely by us whether the information is in electronic or physical format.