Partnerships Officer North-East AO in Norwegian Refugee Council / NRC

Croatian Refugee Council (NRC)is an independent humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in 1946. We provide assistance, protect the rights and contribute to solving the problems of refugees, internally displaced persons and other persons affected by armed conflict. NRC began its activities in Ukraine at the end of 2014, supporting people affected by the conflict in the east of the country. We are now increasing our efforts in Ukraine and neighboring countries to provide assistance to people forced to flee their homes due to war. 

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is strengthening its presence in northeastern Ukraine and establishing a regional office with an office in Kharkiv. The Regional Representative Office North East (AONE) will become a new regional representative office, expanded from the current representative office in Kharkiv, and will begin functioning in the first half of 2026. The Regional Program Manager will be actively involved in this expansion. 
  
AONE will cover the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, where the current representative office in Shostka will structurally transfer to the new AONE representative office in Kharkiv in the first half of 2026.    
 
Key intervention sectors covered by the North East regional office will include housing, information counseling and legal aid (ICLA), protection from violence, education and emergency response through cash assistance. 

We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented Partner Relations Specialist to join our team. This role is essential to developing strong partnerships that align with NRC's strategic goals. The Partnership Specialist will contribute to the development and effectiveness of our partnerships by facilitating partner evaluation, deal making and ensuring smooth coordination of joint activities. style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal">General Responsibilities:

• Support the identification, evaluation and selection of potential partners in accordance with NRC strategic priorities.
• Contribute to the development and management of partnership agreements, ensuring compliance with NRC policies and donor requirements.
• Provide guidance and support to partners on NRC partnership principles, tools and processes.
• Supportedcommunicate and coordinate effectively with partners, ensuring timely information sharing and resolution of issues.
• Support monitoring and evaluation of partnerships, including partner performance, outcomes, and overall effectiveness.
• Contribute to partnership mapping, analysis, and reporting to enhance NRC efforts with localization.
• Identify challenges and opportunities in partnership management and propose solutions to improve cooperation.
• Organize and participate in partnership meetings, seminars and joint planning meetings in order to strengthen working relationships. 
• Support NRC staff in building their understanding of partnership approaches and best practices
  
  

Specific responsibilities:

• in the North-East Territorial District and ensuring that this list is up-to-date.
• Provide support to the Partnerships Coordinator in finding and building relationships with potential partners.
• Facilitate communication and coordination between the NRC and partners, including conducting monitoring visits as necessary.
• Provide support in conducting organizational assessments and vetting potential partners in accordance with the Partnership Toolkit NRC.
• Monitor compliance by partners with NRC policies and, if necessary, specific donor requirements.
• Identify partner capacity development needs and support the Partnerships Coordinator in coordinating systematic capacity building initiatives.
• Collaborate with the NRC Partnership Unit (Country office) and program teams to provide technical support, including organizing training, coaching and mentoring.
• Provide support to the Partnerships Coordinator in the contracting and sub-granting processes for partners in the Northeast administrative region.
  
• Support for the development of agreements on the implementation of projects between new partners and the NRC.
  
• Support pairstners in familiarizing themselves with NRC reporting templates.
  Collaborate with Defense, Safe and Inclusive Programs (SIP), Finance, Logistics, and MEL units to implement NRC principles and procedures in all operational partnerships.
  
• Collaborate with partnership unit, country office and partnership coordinator to maintain the partnership register for the North-Eastern operational area.
  
• Participate in project review meetings and follow-up on outstanding issues related to partnership.
  
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the NRC Partnership Strategy for interaction with government agencies, local academia, private sector entities and civil society stakeholders (local NGOs, CSOs, national NGOs).
  
• Identify obstacles in the implementation of the Partnership Strategy and propose improvements to strengthen partnership mechanisms.
  
• Maintain accounting and documentation of partner projects and relevant partnership records in accordance with NRC Ukraine accounting and information management systems. on the contrary.
  
• Perform other administrative tasks assigned by the immediate supervisor.
  
  
  
  Professional competences:
  
  
Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in a humanitarian or development organization, or in a Ukrainian public organization institution.

• Strong data management skills to support partners in tracking progress on metrics and enrollment.
  
• Ability to support organizational development and capacity building initiatives.
  
High attention to detail, organizational skills and discretion in handling confidential information.

• Proficient in MS Office 365 applications and online information platforms.
  
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
  
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
   
  
  Context/ Special skills, knowledge and experience:
  
  
  
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in social sciences, statistics, research, international development, economics or other related fields.
  
• Deep understanding of Ukrainian
  
  Behavioral competencies:
  
  
• Working in hazardous conditions
  
• Managing resources to optimize results
  
• Empowerment and building trust
  
• Performance and Development Management
  
• Planning and achieving results
  
• Working with people
  
  We offer:

• Official employment, fixed national contract for 12 months;
• Competitive salary and health insurance;
• Working hours 9.00 am to 5.00 pm;
• Professional growth opportunities;
• Working in a dynamic and influential environment;
• This vacancy involves working in an office.
  
  

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an employer that provides equal opportunities for development. Your job application will be considered based on the criteria of professional skills required for the position. Other personal characteristics (such as gender, age, disability, religion, national origin, sexual identification, etc.) will not be taken into account when reviewing resumes.

We will only contact candidates who have entered the "short list" of applicants based on the selection results.

We reserve the right to end this competition at any time.

To apply for this vacancy, click the link