Turkey: Partnership Support Advisor - Turkey (219493-927)

Organization: Mercy Corps
Country: Turkey
Closing date: 26 Mar 2015

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

As Mercy Corps seeks to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression around the world we recognize that instances of sudden change within a country or region are rare moments of opportunity. Mercy Corps is interested in strengthening presence for early as well as longer term programming for Syrians, including those who have been displaced, and will be present initially in the north of Syria, with expansion of programming to other regions over time. It is imperative that Mercy Corps present itself as a key and reliable partner with various donors, INGOs, government authorities and civil society actors, to be part of the process of positive change. Syria is currently in the midst a major humanitarian crisis impacting the entire country as well as a number of the neighboring countries. The main thrust of the work of Mercy Corps along with its national and international partners for the foreseeable future would primarily be focused on meeting the urgent humanitarian needs across the country. The heightened insecurity and continuous acts of violence and war make the humanitarian response not only more challenging, but increasingly complicated. In such a context, Mercy Corps is looking at developing the capacity of civil society organizations and community based organizations to best respond to the needs of the displaced inside Syria. At the same time, Mercy Corps is working with local actors in Turkey to respond to the massive influx of Syrian refugees.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The primary function of the position is to develop a strategy for organizational capacity building of local partners according to their needs, in particular in the areas of project management and administrative issues related to joint activities. The Partnership Support Advisor, under the supervision of the Director of Programs, will then coach local partners to assess their capacities, develop capacity building plans and implement specific organizational development activities for each partner. In Syria, he/she will provide leadership in development of the partnership strategy and on the development and implementation of projects sub-granted to local NGOs, which requires being responsible for the overall supervision of all aspects of the local partners’ sub grants, including capacity building, reporting, and evaluation of the program and collecting periodic reports back to Mercy Corps. Under the Turkey program, he/she will work with the implementation team to build capacity of local civil society and local authorities in responding to the needs of the most vulnerable households.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategy and Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
• Develop the Mercy Corps partnership support strategy
• Develop and implement a partnership programme that builds the capacity of partner organisations to provide high quality humanitarian and community-development assistance.

Program Management

• Assist partners in assessing their organizational capacity needs.
• Design and deliver training and organisational development support to meet these needs.
• Develop and implement appropriate project management processes.
• Help develop funding proposals and donor reports. Uphold a vision for the project. Develop a civil society development approach.
• Promote active participation and build professional relationship with partners.
• Coach partners in developing their organizational development plan and ensure that necessary trainings are provided to partners as determined in the plan. If necessary organize the trainings identified in the organizational development plan for each partners.
• Follow up partners’ project cycle. Ensure that adequate support is provided so that projects’ objectives are reached. Work with the project team and local partners in determining project priorities and approaches, in line with project aims and objectives.
• Train Mercy Corps national team members in using the organizational capacity building index with partners.
• Get monthly activity reports from partners and give timely necessary feedback. Make sure that all necessary information is received in time so that project activities are well monitored and all the progress is on the right track.
• Follow up activity plans for the partners’ project; make sure that activities are focused on relevant issues.
• Develop and sustain strong relationships with partner organizations, project communities/beneficiaries, other relevant organizations, and local/government officials. Liaise with relevant parties to coordinate activities and approaches. Help projects components in dealing with authorities.
• Ensure all MC administration, logistical, human resources and financial procedures are followed in relation to implementation of civil society development activities.
• Plan and conduct meetings, field visits, travel, communication, etc. as necessary to achieve the above.
• Deal with problems and issues that emerge, as far as possible. If the issue goes beyond your own mandate and/or resources, bring it to the attention of the livelihood manager

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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 Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None

ACCOUNTABILITY:

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO**:** Director of Programs

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Program Managers, Technical Specialists, DM&E coordinator, operations and finance staff (logistics, procurement, finance, and administration).

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor degree or equivalent in international development, economics or a related field
• 3-5 years’ experience in humanitarian response, with a strong focus on governance and partnerships and organizational capacity building
• Strong oral and communication skills
• Ability to work and communicate closely with community representatives, to encourage partners’ participation in all phases of the project
• Knowledge of Mercy Corps systems and procedures is preferred
• Proven project management skills including planning, monitoring, evaluation, budgeting etc.
• Good written and spoken English is compulsory, Arabic or Turkish language skills highly desirable
• Reporting skills and computer skills are required
• Strong organizational skills and experience working with NGOs are needed
• Experience in providing field-based and on-job learning and coaching support
• Experience and ability to plan and facilitate participatory training workshops and provide coaching support

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful candidate will have a pleasant personality and will be able to work independently, asking for help when needed; able to work under stressful situation. S/he should possess patience, enthusiasm and strong interpersonal and teambuilding skills. Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required. The team member will be able to work in the most difficult and challenging environment with minimal support and supervision, will be able to remotely manage the program objectives and be able to successfully bring forth the priorities set up and agreed in the partnership support strategy for North Syria and Turkey.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position will be based in Ankara, which is a capital city with all major city amenities. The position requires frequent travel to the Gaziantep Office. Personnel in both locations are expected to follow all security protocols. Good medical services and electricity and running water are reliable in both locations. (With infrequent interruptions in service) running water is reliable also. In general, road conditions in Turkey are good.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

How to apply:

Please apply directly at:
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjob&jobid=219493&company_id=15927&jobboardid=479