Partnership Officer

Chişinău

Organization: DRC - Danish Refugee Council
Location: Chişinău
Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
Occupational Groups:
- External Relations, Partnerships and Resource mobilization
- Public, Private Partnership
Closing Date: Closed

The Danish Refugee Council is currently looking for a skilled and experienced Partnership Officer to join our team in Chisinau, Moldova.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency whose mandate is to promote and protect durable solutions to conflict and displacement-affected populations on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC is implementing a multi-sector response to support Ukraine refugees, IDPs, and host populations both within Ukraine and in the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova, and wider Europe. DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, following previous operations in the 1990s and between 2007-2013. Over the years, DRC successfully maintained its presence in the government-controlled areas (GCA) and adapted its programmes to provide early recovery and durable solutions to people affected by the conflict including IDPs and communities living along the contact line, as well as reduce the threats of explosive ordnance with a growing humanitarian mine action programme. Due to the ongoing conflict that began in Feb 22, DRC opened offices in Poland, Moldova, and Romania to provide support to displaced populations through a partnership with civil society organizations and national NGOs, duty bearers, and other actors. DRC continues to implement in these three countries through partnerships, technical assistance and capacity exchange, and direct implementation in some cases.

About the job:

The Partnership Officer will be based in Chisinau, however overseeing larger areas in which DRC Moldova’s implementing partners are operational and responding to the needs of refugees from Ukraine, as well as of domicile vulnerable population. The Partnership Officer supports and is co-responsible for the effective implementation of the partnership implementation plans on the local level. Partnership Officers, a DRC Moldova’s focal point for local partners and is responsible for streamlined communication among all actors involved in the project. Partnership Officer provides technical and administrative support for the partner (with a specific focus on partnership development and capacity building) in full compliance with DRC and donor requirements. The Partnership Officer belongs to the Programme department, reporting to the Response Manager and working in close coordination with the program sectorial teams (Protection, SMS, Risk Education, etc.) Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Partnership Implementation Plans

Timely and quality implementation of the partnership implementation plans at the local level following the technical guidance of the Response Manager in charge of setting the technical direction and identifying potential commonalities and synergies between the different local areas.
Ensure streamlined and clear communication between partners and all in-country DRC departments (finance, program, and area operations)
Coordinate from design to delivery of each activity at the local level under the partnerships implementation plan
Coordinate with support colleagues (supply chain, finance, etc.) any aspects required for the effective implementation of the plans.
Implement, under close coordination with the MEAL Officer, the monitoring aspects per each activity as per the regular MEAL standards.
Maintain thorough and orderly documentation of every activity, meeting, and conversation pertaining to the partnerships development plans.

Partnership Support

Provide overall and administrative support to bilateral projects implemented directly by DRC Moldova’s partners in line with relevant strategies and Operations Handbook with compliance with donor requirements and regulations.
Contribute to the development of the DRC’s Partnership Approach for Poland
Ensuring timely submission of specific partner reports for bilateral projects (alongside relevant partner representatives). This includes the following reporting/proposal development deadlines and planning. As well as, but not limited to, communicating with relevant staff members to ensure timely and quality inputs, verifying data and donor compliance.
Ensure compliance with donor and DRC rules, regulations, and guidelines and raise issues affecting external/ internal compliance
Support long-term, equitable and sustainable relationships with the partners

Programme Support

Oversee specific tasks for bilateral granting to partners as delegated by his/her line manager: grant management processes, proposal amendments, grant extensions, etc. Contribute to the follow-up of bilateral sub-grant agreements, tracking, and oversight of partnerships.
Ensure DRC Dynamics is used to its full capacity within its area of responsibility (partnership), create reports and data analytics whenever required.
Support DRC key focal points and technical coordination on any aspects related to the project cycle management (assessments, proposals, and reports), whenever aspects related to DRC partners and their capacities would be required.
Any other tasks/functions that may be required within the scope of responsibilities of the present JD and the department it belongs to (Programme department)

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have:

Minimum 2 years of proven experience in the project/program implementation and reporting through or with local partners, preferably in the humanitarian response and refugee protection.
Bachelor's degree in social sciences, psychology, international development, economics or another relevant field.
Proven experience in capacity building and training of national staff and local partners.
Experience in drafting research- / needs assessment-based programmes.
Good interpersonal, and communication skills with experience in liaising with local authorities and partners.
Flexible, proactive, and with the ability to follow through on tasks.
Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft office.
Full professional proficiency in English and Romanian languages.
proficiency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is highly recommended.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.