Job overview:
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is rapidly expanding partnership portfolio of national organizations in Afghanistan to rapidly scale up emergency response and is also entering in partnership with different international organizations to enhance and complement the response. NRC is seeking an experienced Partnerships Officer to support partnership with local partners in Afghanistan as it works to build the ownership, capacity, and resources of local partners to effectively respond to humanitarian needs in the country.
Generic responsibilities:
Adherence to NRC policies, guidance, and procedures. Support the partner mapping, due diligence and organization capacity assessment process, identifying partnersโ capacity gaps and developing plans to address them. Support Partnership Adviser in developing and dissemination of partners agreements, extension and amendment letters as well as partner payments and reporting schedule to support effective cash management. Support the Documentation function by maintaining an update partnerโs information sheet, partnership log, reporting log, partnership database among others. Serve as a Focal person for regular follow-up with partners on submission of their narrative and financial reports.ย Establish strong coordination with NRC-Afghanistan Implementing Partners (IPs). Attend partnership-related internal and external meetings and share the minutes of the meeting with partnership manager and relevant NRC and Partners staff. Take initiative in bringing appropriate improvement in respect to Partnership (such as development of new tolls and trackers etc...)ย Actively participate in various project cycle management meetings (grants opening meetings, progress review meeting and grant closure meetings) to articulate partnership issues.Specific responsibilities:
Partnership Identification & Selection:
Mapping of partners- support to identify and research potential partners aligned with organizational goals. Lead in the partner selection process, coordinate the selection committee, document proceedings as per partnership guidelines. Lead the due diligence process and partner organizational assessments for prequalified/potential partners as per NRC organizational assessment tool. Ensure all relevant departments are involved in the process.ยย
Partnership Relationship Management:
Cultivate and nurture relationships with various local and national stakeholders, contributing to a coordinated humanitarian response. Maintain active communication with existing partners. Address partner concerns and ensure mutual objectives are being met. Organize regular check-ins, meetings, and events with partners.Capacity building:
Oversee capacity-building activities aiming at ensuring smooth implementation of the partnership agreements, but also at supporting the overall development of the NGO partner. Supervise the monitoring of partner learning progress and the application of transferred knowledge, identifying and reporting challenges and achievements. Assess the partner NGOโs priority needs in terms of capacity development.ย Actively integrate partner feedback into tools and guidance and ensure strong mutual learning between NRC and its partners.ย Support partners in adhering to NRC policies, tools, handbooks, and guidelines, providing compliance spot-checks/audit support, and supervising and coaching partnership staff.Coordination and Collaboration:
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Track partnership performance against agreed-upon goals. Prepare progress reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders. Use data to inform decision-making and improve partnership effectiveness.Communication and Reporting:
Prepare regular updates, reports, and presentations on partnership activities. Promote successful partnerships through newsletters, social media, or public relations channels in coordination with advocacy teams.General Administration:
Ensure all documentation required to be kept by donors is available by maintaining a high standard of information management/filing systems (both soft and hard copies). Assist the Partnership Adviser as necessary, including representation and attendance at meetings as required, minute taking and coordination with teams to follow up action points identified. Visit area and/or field offices to support with capacity building of staff and monitoring purposes. Coordinate with the Grants Manager and Grants Coordinator to ensure the correct maintenance of an up-to-date grants funding tracker for partners. The Partnership Officer will be assigned as per the line manager's requirements and may vary over time.Generic Professional Competencies:
At least 2 years of relevant experience in partnerships/Grants or a related field. Bachelorโs degree in development studies, social science or any other related field.ย Good personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure. Strong verbal and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of MS Office, particularly Word, spreadsheet, while previous experience with databases. Willingness to travel to field offices and work in a difficult environment according to travel requirements. Must be proactive, flexible, hard working with irregular hrs.ย should be optimistic and a good listenerย Good communication and interpersonal skills. Strong organisational and team working skills. Good cultural awareness and sensitivity. Highly approachable, trustworthy, and confidential. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Dari/ Pashtu. Good level of proficiency in Windows Word and Excel as well as above average computer skills. Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, and holds the team accountable to deliver on their responsibilities.Behavioral Competencies:
Planning and delivering results Empowering and building trust Working with peopleย Communicating with impact and respect Analysing Handling insecure environmentย
We Offer:
Monthly Salary based on NRC Afghanistan Salary Scale. NRC has medical coverage for staff plus 4 dependents.ย Leave and Holidays accordingly Afghanistan Labour Law. Top up Credit card on monthly basis The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.ย Join us in assisting millions of people in areas where others cannot, tackling some of the world's most dangerous and difficult crises. Bring your skills and dedication to an organisation recognised for providing high quality aid and for defending the rights of refugees and internally displaced people.ย At NRC, we give responsibility to employees at all levels and foster professional growth and innovative teams. You can expect a supportive culture and an open dialogue with management. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.ย Together, we save lives and rebuild futures. Safeguarding is central to NRCโs work. We expect all employees to:ย โข treat everyone with respect and dignityย โข contribute to building a safe environment for allย โข never engage in any form of exploitation, harassment and specifically sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH)ย โข always report. NRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against exploitation, abuse and SEAH