Senior Partnership Manager (National Position)

Background/IRC Summary

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Job Overview/Summary

Within the Programs and Awards Management Unit, the partnership management team is responsible for the contractual and process elements of partnerships, coordination and key risk control elements of IRC Thailand’s entire partnership processes including capacity building of partners, underpinned by the global Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) to ensure full compliance with IRC and donor policies, both financially and programmatically. The partnership management team oversees the management, coordination and key risk control elements of all IRC’s partnerships, ensuring that compliance and risk mitigation mechanisms are in place and that high quality partnerships are delivered timely and effectively. The partnership management team oversees and manages processes within the partnership management lifecycle and contributes to the overall program cycle management.

The Senior Partnership Manager assists the Partnership Coordinator in managing the IRC Thailand partnership management of The Border Consortium, a key partner of IRC Thailand country program. The Senior Partnership Manager coordinates with technical program staff, technical advisors, operations staff, and other staff members of the Programs and Award Management Unit to ensure efficient and effective partnership management processes from solicitation and proposal development to program implementation, monitoring and closure, in compliance with PEERS, IRC policies and standard operating procedures and donor regulations. The Senior Partnership Manager coordinates regularly with the partner, The Border Consortium, to ensure programmatic and compliance adherence in line with the sub-grant agreement. 

Major Responsibilities

PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT:

• Oversee and monitor the IRC Partnership Management of The Border Consortium and coordinate with other staff member in the Programs and Award Management Unit, operations staff and program staff in the field.
• Coordinate with program coordinators and program managers, including with operations, finance and supply chain staff to ensure that due diligence and partner project capacity review is conducted for The Border Consortium in accordance with their project proposals.
• Review the partner’s project proposal and quarterly reports and coordinate with the Programs and Awards Management Unit, and M&E Coordinator to provide feedback to The Border Consortium.
• Liaise with program staff in the field, operations staff and other staff members in the Programs and Award Management Unit to ensure the completeness and effective implementation of partners’ projects.
• Initiate partnership meetings including but not limited to opening meeting, closing meeting and quarterly management meeting by working closely with other staff in the Programs and Award Management Unit and M&E staff. Ensure the process complies with PEERS.
• Keep the Partnership Coordinator and senior management team informed of any compliance issues, major budget fluctuations, significant overspending or underspending in a timely manner to ensure appropriate mitigation and course correction.
• Lead post-award monitoring by coordinating with program staff in the field, operations staff and other staff members in the Programs and Award Management and the M&E team to plan and prepare for monitoring visits. Upon completion of the monitoring, prepare compliance monitoring reports that include recommendations for The Border Consortium.
• Ensure that all program, financial and compliance monitoring visits, and reports are completed in a timely manner and are shared with The Border Consortium for feedback.
• Coordinate with technical advisors and The Border Consortium to ensure completion of The Border Consortium’s engagement plan.
• Maintain a tracking sheet and filing system (soft copy) of The Border Consortium’s proposals, due diligence checks, agreements, modifications, program and financial reports, monitoring reports, and relevant correspondence.
• Assist the Partnership Coordinator in ensuring IRC Thailand county program’s robust partner relationship management characterized by the core partnership principles of equality, complementarity, transparency, results-oriented approaches and responsibility

PARTNER SUPPORT AND NETWORKING:

• Assist the Partnership Coordinator in identifying capacity building needs (both new and existing skills) of The Border Consortium on an ongoing basis, and work with the appropriate IRC teams and technical advisor(s) to address them.
• Actively engage in and help drive IRC regional partnership initiatives, including participating in working groups and thematic meetings on partnership approaches and practices. Facilitate relevant trainings and workshops as required.
• Actively participate in, and contribute to, IRC Thailand country program meetings and trainings as relevant.
• Provide assistance based on requests from IRC Headquarters as assigned by the Partnership Coordinator.
• Any other duties as assigned by the Partnership Coordinator.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to:  Partnership Coordinator
Position directly supervises:  N/A
Indirect Reporting: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: senior management team technical coordinators and field-based technical teams; M&E Coordinator; Programs and Awards Management Unit team members; Finance Unit; Supply Chain Unit; HR Unit, ERD Technical Advisors
External: The Border Consortium