Partnership Advisor

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Scope: The Partnership Advisor will work in close collaboration with the IRC Afghanistan Partnership Unit
to facilitate an inclusive process to produce the IRC’s national Partnership Policy, which will guide the way in which the IRC engages with and supports Afghan Non Government Organizations. The Partnership Advisor will lead in drafting all policy content.

The Partnership Advisor reports to the Deputy Director of Programs, while maintaining an ongoing collaborative relationship with the Partnership Coordinator.

Responsibilities:

Policy Research • Analyze relevant source material produced by peer organizations and other IRC country programs in collaboration with the HQ based Partnership Technical Advisor; • Compile and analyze relevant existing policy documents relevant to contracting, monitoring and evaluating local partner organizations in collaboration with the HQ based Grants and Contracts Unit; • Review outputs from recent Partnership dialogue with existing Afghan NGO partners in collaboration with the IRC Afghanistan Humanitarian Program Advisor; • Conduct one to one follow up meetings where required to capture partner priorities in joint planning, budgeting and project implementation management.

Policy Development • In discussion with the national staff Partnership Coordinator, lead the development of IRC Afghanistan policy document, accompanied by the tools required to implement it; • Work with the Partnership Coordinator to develop or standardize organizational capacity development tools and mechanisms; • Develop indicators to measure changes in partner institutional capacity; • Draft policy document, building in review milestones in conjunction with Deputy Director of Programs; • Revise draft policy based on Afghanistan Senior Management Team, HQ Technical Advisor, and Grants and Contracts Unit recommendations.

Policy Rollout • In collaboration with the Partnership Coordinator, develop training material and elaborate a schedule and methodology for the roll-out of the policy with key IRC Afghanistan stakeholders, including existing Afghan NGOs. • Train IRC DRC senior management and relevant program, finance and operations staff in IRC Afghanistan partnership principles and approaches;

Requirements • Postgraduate degree in International Development, or similar relevant social science. • Excellent professional track record with at least four years of international management level experience within partnerships, civil society development or institutional capacity building programming. • Expertise in the development and use of partner capacity building and monitoring tools; • Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills; • Successful experience working within a volatile security environment is a must.

Specific Security Situation/Housing: In the changing context of Afghanistan, security is taken very seriously. Staff are required to communicate all movements, carry communications equipments at all times, and abide by curfew & location restrictions. International staff may travel by air to provincial capitals where IRC has field operations, but are not permitted to travel outside of provincial capitals. All international staff are based in Kabul and reside in IRC guesthouses which are staffed by IRC guards.

Please apply at http://tbe.taleo.net/NA2/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=IRC&cws=1&rid=7052

Closing date: 29 Jun 2011 — International Rescue Committee