Senior Officer, External Relationships

The External Relationships Coordinator is part of the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships team in Asia Pacific but based in IFRC’s Country Cluster Delegation in Bangkok which allows for face to face engagement with a number of key actors. The position develops and implements strategies for engagement with major external donors in the region such as multi-lateral development banks, governments and large multinational corporations.  The person will lead a network of IFRC Heads of Delegation, Partner National Societies (PNS), and technical experts to position the IFRC and NSs as a programmatic partner of choice and to access financial resources.  The post cultivates senior level relationships with donors, understanding possible envelopes for funding for solicited and unsolicited envelopes for emergencies and long term programming.   Through the experience with institutional donors, the candidate will utilize her/his relationships and knowledge to ensure IFRC has a seat at the table, and that country offices are also able to operate at this level.

The purpose of this position is to develop and lead a strategy of engagement to cultivate relationships with governmental donors, multi-lateral development banks, and multinational corporate donors to raise resources for IFRC. The position will build the profile of the IFRC and Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies with these entities, and raise financial resources for programs in climate change, migration, health, disaster risk reduction, and emergency response.

STRATEGY

• Develop and implement strategy for engagement with major donor entities based in region or with significant operations in the region
• Develop and implement strategy of co-leadership with PNS to engage with back donors of their home countries
• Set funding goals for specific donors and strategies and tactics for achieving them
• Regularly update and align strategies with regional and global priorities

LEADERSHIP OF MATRIXED TEAM

• Form and lead team(s) of geographically disbursed IFRC staff in delegations (HODs and PCs) and in regional office technical staff to deliver on strategies and engagement with donors
• Ensure engagement of team members with donors in various locations, coaching them in donor-specific ways of working
• Share information, intelligence, and leads about donor agency funding with 13 IFRC delegations in Asia Pacific and technical team in the Asia Pacific Regional Office

SENIOR RELATIONSHIPS BUILDING

• Build direct relationships with senior officials and partnership departments of major international donor agencies
• Lead the creation of annual summits between IFRC senior leadership and top officials of major donors in region
• Support the launch of an AP Humanitarian Advisory Group for donors
• Arrange and prepare content for senior leadership meetings

DONOR CULTIVATION

• Build professional relationships with key staff of donor agencies
• Lead relationship building of IFRC technical and country leadership with appropriate donor agency staff
• Lead communications with donors during cultivation and stewardship, ensuring ongoing engagement from numerous nodes throughout the region
• Meet virtually and in-person with key donor agency staff in key nodes of agency

INTELLIGENCE ON STRATEGIES, FUNDING ENVELOPES AND KEY STAFF

• Through network with donor agency staff, gather intelligence and information relevant to building stronger relationships and identifying funding opportunities
• Analyze funding trends and modalities of set of donors
• Track opportunities for funding consistent with IFRC priorities
• Attend face to face meetings and events sponsored by donors

COMMUNICATIONS, PROMOTION, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Work with technical staff of IFRC on development of concept papers and proposals
• Shared leadership with technical and HODs to develop promotional documents tailored to specific donor needs
• Regularly share IFRC and Red Cross Red Crescent program information and updates with donor agencies
• Work closely with appropriate Red Cross Red Crescent national societies on donor relationships with which they are connected
• Coordinate on donor portfolio with Geneva headquarters and colleagues in other regions for donors with global scope or multi-region scope
• Lead connecting appropriate technical staff for participation of IFRC or national society technical staff as subject matter experts in donor events
• Connect technical and other program staff with donor agencies.
• Ensure stewardship of donor relationships through social media connections

CONFIDENTIALITY

• Maintain strict moral confidentiality and do not disclose neither spread any confidential or sensitive information.
• Organize archives of all reports and documents and treat them as confidential material

Required

• University degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline.

Preferred

• Relevant post-graduate degree, preferably at Master’s degree level.

Required

• 10 years of work experience in particular working with international institutional donor (government donor agency, MDB) or role in INGO, UN agency in resource mobilization, program design, or implementation
• Working experience with UN, INGOs, or International Organisations focused on humanitarian or development issues
• Independently producing high quality proposals, concept papers, and promotional materials
• Experience leading or working with geographically dispersed, matrixed organizational teams across many countries

Required

• In-depth understanding of international donor funding systems (government, multilateral, private sector)
• Poise and gravitas for interacting with senior international officials of aid agencies and diplomatic community
• Leading a disbursed, international team not under direct line management
• Ability to work in a diverse cultural context while understanding general sense of protocol
• Networking and ability to quickly make contacts
• Proposal and concept paper coordination and writing for institutional donors
• Strong knowledge of information sharing tools, and the ability to implement them
• Highly organised, with ability to create a team approach
• Excellent communication skills; influencing skills
• Desktop publishing
• Demonstrated skill in analytical and strategic thinking
• Facilitation and presentation skills involving high level officials
• Very high level of written and spoken English language skills.  Written grammar, style, and composition skills should require no editing or correcting.
• Ability to edit in English

National staff position: Only Thais or foreigners who have a Thailand work permit can apply

Grade 7: THB 7 3,796 - 9 0,197