United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Senior Partnership Executive

Position: Senior Partnership Executive

Reports to: Head of European Strategic Partnerships Team

Location: London

Salary: circa £41,000 per annum

Hours: 37.5 hours

Contract: 12 month fixed term – (further extension is anticipated, pending budget approval in 2016)

BACKGROUND

Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. 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.

The International Rescue Committee UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its headquarters in New York and London. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. Through 22 regional offices in cities across the United States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become self-sufficient.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

IRC-UK

Our European headquarters, IRC-UK, were established in London in 1997 to support the organisation’s global activities and particularly to diversify its donor base and be able to better advocate with European policy-makers on behalf of the people we serve. Since its establishment IRC-UK has grown rapidly and is now acknowledged for its high quality project management, technical expertise in governance and rights and economic recovery, and innovative thinking on early recovery and gender based violence. The IRC also has offices in Brussels and Geneva.

IRC-UK comprises approximately 70 staff across five departments.

The Purpose of the Role

The IRC-UK has developed a Europe Strategy to complement the newly issued five-year IRC Global Strategy. The IRC-UK holds the responsibility for identification and analysis of long-term trends and opportunities from European Institutional Donors, and subsequently is directed to develop strategies and tactics to ensure the IRC is well equipped to manage and thrive despite changes in the external donor environment. Due to substantial growth in portfolio with current donors, the IRC now requires an increase in capacity and skills sets for identification and approach on donor diversification strategies within Europe.

The European Strategic Partnerships Team is a newly created unit responsible for driving increased strategic and unrestricted funding from target European Institutional Donors, to support IRC’s vision as set out in the Europe Strategy. Working in collaboration with Policy, Advocacy and Communications colleagues, the Senior Partnership Executive will be responsible for increasing IRC’s profile and influence with these target donors.

The Senior Partnership Executive will be responsible for implementing Donor Action Plans for an assigned portfolio of target countries, managing key relationships with officials and stakeholders in specific target countries, and ensuring the IRC is positioned to effectively secure strategic and unrestricted funding sources from European Institutional Donors. The Senior Partnership Executive will be responsible for relationship management, providing specialist advice and coordination to IRC departments on specific donor strategy/engagement with target countries, and identifying and coordinating on strategic and unrestricted funding opportunities.

This is an important role to ensure IRC-UK is able to identify and cultivates opportunities with donors on an institutional level, as distinct from responding to specific programme funding opportunities identified at a country or technical unit level.

Scope and Authority

Authority:

• Informs and executes engagement strategies with target donor countries, including contributing to the development of the European Funding Strategy and relevant IRC global initiatives.


• Informs Senior Management in IRC-UK, Europe and across the global organisation on stakeholder engagement priorities.


• Represents IRC at external senior level meetings with target donors, including ministers, political advisers, Director-General/equivalent and senior civil servants.


• Responsible for relationship management of an assigned portfolio of target donors, including key stakeholders such as Government ministers, political advisers, Director-General/equivalent and senior civil servants.


• Initiates engagement and develops strong relationships with prospective donors and partners.

Responsibility for Resources:

• IRC is recognised as a reputable and trusted organisation by target donors.


• Play an active role in the global IRC network, with a particular emphasis on maintaining effective partnerships and collaboration between IRC-UK and IRC-NY.

Key Working Relationships

• Reports to the Head of European Strategic Partnerships Team


• Management of senior (external facing) stakeholder engagement for assigned portfolio of European target donors as the designated relationship manager


• Liaison with President’s Office on stakeholder engagement with European target countries and delivery of briefings.


• Engagement with senior IRC staff including Leadership Board, Senior Leaders Group, IRC-UK senior management team and Directors of other IRC offices in Europe. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Development of Strategic and Flexible Funding from Europe (70%)

• Maintain up-to-date Donor Profiles, Stakeholder Mapping and Donor Action Plans, including political landscape, funding priorities, strategies, funding mechanisms, working in collaboration with policy, advocacy and communications colleagues to deliver integrated approaches for assigned portfolio of target European Governments (driving profile, influence, and funding).


• Lead on the implementation of Donor Action Plans for assigned portfolio of countries with designated Country Teams, key activities include: regular communication with target donors; and meeting donors, participating/arranging events, including facilitating field and HQ meetings/visits for key target stakeholders.


• Scope new opportunities for partnership, strategic/flexible funding, and influencing in target countries.


• Liaise with IRC staff developing programme funding proposals (Awards Management Unit/International Programmes Team) and other relevant teams (Technical Units, Policy & Advocacy) to ensure shared knowledge and coordinated approaches towards target countries.


• Contribute to the development and implementation of strategies, tactics and tools to position IRC as the premier, effective and innovative agency in the view of European Institutional Donors.


• Manage and develop reports, briefings, donor profiles, presentations and other materials for assigned donor portfolio.


• Produce analysis for IRC leadership on current and anticipated changes to inform priorities, engagement and decisions, and provide briefings in preparation for meetings with officials from target countries.


• Provide input into annual internal/external reports on work of the European Strategic Partnerships Team.

External Representation (30%)

• Participates in IRC external representation at senior level meetings with target donors, including ministers, political advisers, Director-General/equivalent and senior civil servants.


• Undertake direct representation with key donor officials, and support and facilitate other staffs’ donor relationships.


• Represent the IRC at external meetings, events, and forums including requirement to give presentations to senior donor representatives, forums and sector groups.


• Identify, initiate and cultivate key relationships with target external stakeholders, prospective donors and partners from target countries.


• Lead on the preparation of briefings and pitches for use with specific donor agencies supported by comprehensive understanding of polices and priorities, and the IRC’s strategy for the relevant target.


• Contribute to the design and delivery of an annual donor meeting.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Degree in a subject related to IRC’s work (e.g. International Relations, Refugee or Migration Studies, Development Studies, etc).


• Considerable experience of working in the not-for profit sector, managing institutional donor relations and proposal bid development.


• Extensive knowledge of European donor policies, priorities and financing mechanisms


• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.


• Fluent in at least one of the following European languages: Swedish, Norwegian, German or French (ability to have external meetings/discussions in language, including technical dialogue; ability to understand and summarise donor documents, media, etc. into English).


• Ability to build strong relationships across the organization, including senior stakeholders and field staff.


• Ability to lead and manage projects, including remote/virtual teams.


• Strong written and communication skills including proposals, business cases, reports, briefing papers and pitch presentations.


• Experience of presenting to donors and government officials (i.e. part of a pitch or contributing to strategic discussions).


• Good analytical skills and first-class attention to detail.


• Strong organizational and time management skills.


• Proven ability to self start and motivate teams on new initiatives.

Experience:

• Substantial experience in developing strategic funding proposals such as DFID Programme Partnership Arrangements (PPAs), block grants or equivalent (£500k plus).


• Demonstrable experience of working with European Institutional Donors including coordinating and writing concept notes, proposals and reports.


• Experienced in strategic relationship development; positioning with donors and in prioritising engagement focus.


• Proven analytical skills: the ability to identify key points from complex materials and produce succinct summaries and analysis of trends or significant items.


• First-hand experience in building and managing institutional/public donor relations and representation of the organisation to diverse audiences, including at a senior level.


• Proven ability to work supportively and successfully with virtual teams.


• Experience in negotiation of programmatic and financial contractual arrangements with donors and partners.

Desirable:

• Significant experience in developing countries, preferably in the context of an NGO or International Organisation (UN, major donor or similar).


• Masters degree or the equivalent experience, in a subject related to IRC’s work.


• Demonstrable experience of driving integrated advocacy, communications and fundraising programs to access strategic funding.


• Experience of developing DFID business cases (or equivalent for other donors) and successful propositions for core funding. .

How to apply:

To Apply

Please send a CV (two pages maximum) and cover page (two pages maximum) to: applications@rescue-uk.org

Please state clearly in your cover letter:

• Your reasons for applying


• How you meet the person specification, skills and experience specified in the job description


• Where you saw the job advertised


• Current salary

The closing date is: 10am on Monday 14^th December 2015.

Interviews will be on Monday 21^st or Tuesday 22^nd December 2015.

In order to minimise administrative costs, IRC-UK will only contact short-listed candidates.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

IRC-UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.