Partnership Officer at Mercy Corps (Kyiv)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Purpose / Project Description:

The conflict in Ukraine has resulted in over a mass displacement across Ukraine. The circumstances and populations are constantly evolving with the conflict. Mercy Corps has reopened its registration and presence in Ukraine as well as offices/activities to support people in neighboring Poland, Moldova and Romania. This includes partnerships, cash, information as protection and other, emergency response activities in a very fluid environment.

Consultant Objectives:

The Partnerships Officer is responsible for coordinating and assisting partner-led projects or project components. The position holder will work closely with the implementation partner(s) to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective implementation of the program.

Consultant Activities:

The Partnerships Officer will conduct the following key assignment responsibilities.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• Diploma or University Degree in international studies, social, economic or other relevant field is desired.
• At least 3 years of experience working in a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on humanitarian assistance, relief or development work is desirable.
• Basic understanding of structures and processes of NGOs – including sub-grant mechanisms- required;
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate closely with a broad range of stakeholders in different geographic locations; experience with remote management or monitoring a plus
• Familiarity with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required
• Excellent oral and written Ukrainian and English is required. Russian language is desirable.
• Knowledge of humanitarian standards and codes, including SPHERE, HAP is an asset.

Success Factors

Must be able to understand compliance requirements for subawards and have the ability to assist and offer support with partnerships. Strong multi-tasking, organizational, prioritization skills are necessary. Accuracy and attention to details are necessary. A demonstrated ability to work quickly, accurately, meet deadlines, and process information in support of changing program activities is necessary. Ability to manage and coordinate with different members/levels of a team. Ability to work in Remote project environment.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will: Carry out the above mentioned key responsibilities and activities. 

Timeframe / Schedule: 

This is a 6 months’ assignment. 

The Consultant will report to:

Partnerships Program Manager. 

The Consultant will work closely with:

Program Departments, Program Performance and Quality (PaQ), Operations Team, Security Management, Finance

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy and Vision

• Develop the weekly work plan and overall schedule of assessments and monitoring.
• Support the broader cash team in the identification and consolidation of gaps, needs, and opportunities.
• Plan the schedule for commodity, cash and voucher distributions, shelter rehabilitation and distribution monitoring.

Program Implementation

Strategy and Vision

• Contribute to the development of transparent calls for applications, with a specific focus on the Emergency sector.
• Support the launch of these calls by reaching into existing Ukrainian civil society networks, collaborating with other MC teams in the region, and coordinating with other INGOs operating in Ukraine, and working with civil society networks.
• Participate in internal partner selection processes and review committees when relevant, including contributing to the development of technical selection criteria.
• Support potential humanitarian partners in project design and proposal development, contributing to program quality and ensuring soundness of technical approaches.
• Work closely with selected humanitarian partners to develop M&E plans, work plans, and other relevant programming documents that will guide project implementation.
• Serve as the project’s primary focal point with humanitarian partners during sub-project revisions and negotiation processes and throughout the sub-grant lifecycle.
• Review sub-grantee narrative reports to ensure implementation is on track, and collaborate closely with Finance Officers and M&E teams to track alignment of partners’ activities with expenditures.
• Follow up with partners on any issues that emerge from the reports, and work with them to realign or revise project strategies and plans as necessary.
• Maintain sub-grant project files for each partner, and track submission of narrative reports and other deliverables.
• Ensure proper maintenance of project files for the partner(s), keep all trackers up-to-date, and ensure project related deliverables are completed in a timely manner.
• Ensure timely preparation partner payment packages.
• Ensure compliance with donor regulations.
• Assist in the completion of monthly projections and other requested documents.
• Contribute to drafting and reviewing accurate reports (monthly, quarterly and final).

Coordination & Communication

• Contribute to the development of the overall project strategy, specifically in terms of humanitarian needs, emergency priorities, and geographic location for partner projects.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders – including NGOs, clusters, UN agencies, community-based organizations.
• Ensure that information from coordination meetings is shared internally and with other sectors, as appropriate.
• Work closely with the MEL Coordinator to aggregate and analyze data provided by partners to both influence programmatic decision making and contribute to reports to the donor and/ or MC stakeholders at HQ or in the region.

Other

• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in (Kyiv, Ukraine) and it requires very little (5%) travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

2023-03-24T12:08:40.000 2023-04-24T23:59:59.000 Full time TELECOMMUTE Україна Mercy Corps