Partnerships Senior Officer - Damascus

Country: Syrian Arab Republic Organization: International Rescue Committee Closing date: 14 Oct 2026 Job Overview/Summary: The Partnerships Officer will support IRC Syria in developing and managing effective, equitable and sustainable partnerships with local and national organizations and other relevant stakeholders. The position will contribute to the effective management of partnership initiatives across the partnership lifecycle, while strengthening partners’ organizational, programmatic and project management capacities. The role will work closely with the Partnership, Program, Grants, Finance, MEAL and other relevant teams to facilitate effective coordination, partner engagement, capacity strengthening and delivery of agreed partnership and capacity-sharing plans. The position will also support strategic partnership initiatives and collaborative platforms, including initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity, leadership and organizational effectiveness of local and women-led organizations. This will include supporting planning, stakeholder engagement, coordination, implementation follow-up, documentation and learning. The role requires strong project management, stakeholder engagement, communication and coordination skills, alongside an understanding of partnership principles and capacity strengthening approaches. Responsibilities: Follow IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) that sets out efficient and responsive processes, delineates clear roles and responsibilities, and articulates IRC’s strategic approach to partnerships. Assist the partnership team for quality sub-award management, including sub-award start-up, sub-award implementation monitoring, capacity sharing and appropriate sub-award close-out. Project and Partnership Initiative Management Support the planning and coordination of partnership, capacity-strengthening and other collaborative initiatives, ensuring activities are aligned with agreed objectives, workplans, timelines and available resources. • Develop and maintain activity plans, implementation trackers and action plans, ensuring timely follow-up on agreed deliverables and milestones. • Coordinate inputs from relevant IRC teams, partners and stakeholders to facilitate effective implementation of agreed activities. • Organize and facilitate meetings, workshops, consultations and other collaborative activities, including preparation of agendas, materials, minutes and follow-up actions. • Track progress against agreed activities and deliverables, identify implementation challenges and support timely follow-up or escalation through the appropriate channels. • Support the preparation of progress updates, presentations, learning products and other materials required for internal and external stakeholders. • Contribute to documenting lessons learned, good practices and recommendations to inform future partnership and capacity-strengthening initiatives. Partnership Facilitation: • Follow IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS), supporting efficient and responsive partnership processes and clear roles and responsibilities across the partnership lifecycle. • Assist in identifying, assessing and developing potential partnerships with local and national organizations, in coordination with relevant IRC teams. • Develop and maintain constructive working relationships with partners, ensuring regular communication, coordination and follow-up. • Support monitoring of partner performance and, through the Partnership team and relevant technical colleagues, facilitate appropriate technical support and guidance to address partnership-related issues. • Support stakeholder and partner mapping and analysis to inform partnership engagement and capacity-strengthening approaches. • Support pre-award due diligence processes for sub-awards, including appropriate vetting, risk analysis and identification of measures to manage identified risks, working with relevant departments as appropriate. • Support the preparation and processing of sub-award agreements and related documentation in line with IRC procedures and required approvals. • Support monitoring of partnership activities through partner engagement and field visits, ensuring implementation is aligned with agreed workplans, budgets and partnership agreements. • Support grant opening meetings and partner briefings, in coordination with Program, Finance, Grants and other relevant functions, to establish clear expectations, roles, responsibilities and compliance requirements at the start of partnerships. • Support the Partnership team in following up on partnership agreements and completing relevant internal processes, including OTIS. Partner Support and Capacity Sharing • Support capacity assessments of partners and contribute to the development of practical, jointly agreed capacity-strengthening plans. • Coordinate with the Partnership team, Capacity Sharing focal point and relevant technical colleagues to facilitate implementation of capacity-strengthening plans. • Support the organization and delivery of training, workshops, mentoring, coaching and peer-learning activities aimed at strengthening partners’ organizational, programmatic and project management capacities. • Support partners to strengthen practical systems and processes related to project planning, implementation, coordination, reporting and organizational management, in coordination with relevant IRC teams. • Monitor progress against agreed capacity-strengthening actions and support partners and IRC colleagues in identifying and addressing implementation challenges. • Document capacity-strengthening progress, lessons learned and good practices to inform future partnership approaches. • Provide appropriate support and guidance to partners while maintaining clear roles, responsibilities and mutual accountability between IRC and partnepartners, sharing best practices and ensuring adherence to IRC and donor requirements. Documentation and Reporting: • Maintain accurate and up-to-date partnership records, including partner communications, agreements, deliverables, action points and relevant documentation throughout the partnership lifecycle. • Maintain and update relevant partnership trackers, ensuring key milestones, deliverables, payments and other requirements are appropriately recorded and followed up. • Document meetings and engagements with current and potential partners and relevant stakeholders, and share agreed actions with responsible colleagues. • Prepare regular updates for the Partnership team on partnership activities, progress, challenges and outstanding actions. • Support relevant IRC teams in reviewing partner reports and consolidating partner inputs into internal and donor reporting, as required. • Ensure relevant partnership and capacity-strengthening documentation is appropriately filed and accessible in accordance with IRC procedures. Required Experience/qualification/Skills: • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as international development, business administration, social sciences, project management or a related discipline. • 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in partnership management, project coordination/management, capacity strengthening, stakeholder engagement, grants management or a related field, preferably within the humanitarian, development or civil society sector. • Strong understanding of stakeholder analysis and partner mapping techniques. • Demonstrated experience coordinating projects or multi-stakeholder initiatives from planning through implementation, monitoring, follow-up and reporting. • Experience working with local and/or national organizations, civil society organizations and/or community-based organizations. • Experience conducting organizational or programmatic capacity assessments and supporting the development and implementation of capacity-strengthening plans. • Demonstrated experience in stakeholder mapping, engagement and coordination. • Experience facilitating workshops, consultations, training, mentoring or other collaborative learning activities. • Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple activities, deadlines and stakeholders simultaneously. • Experience working with ECHO, GFFO, BMZ, FCDO or other institutional donor-funded projects is an advantage. • Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation and interpersonal skills. • Proven ability to work effectively with diverse teams, partners and stakeholders. • Fluency in Arabic and English required. • Female candidates are encouraged to apply Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: • A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct. • Credible written, presentation and verbal communication skills • Validated sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to effective resolution. • Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience. • Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior level management and all other partners to maximize cooperation and productivity. • Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop is a must. • Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to complex matters. Language/Travel: • Fluency in English and Arabic is required. • Travel: 50% to field sites Key Working Relationships: Position Reports to: Partnership Manager Position directly supervises: N/A Indirect Reporting (If applicable): Partnership Coordinator Key Internal Contacts: IRC Programs Key External Contacts: Partners Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation. Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery. Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work. IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation. How to apply (female candidates are Highly encouraged to apply) https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/f5MXzq2Dxw