JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: EU Partnership Manager (ECHO) Maternity Cover
Reporting to: EU Representative, Plan International EU Office
Based in: Brussels, Plan International EU Office
Duration: 6 months maternity cover: Jan.-June 2018
Status: Full-time (100%, 5 days per week)
Salary: Dependant on experience
Benefits: 12 days’ holiday, pension scheme, life assurance cover, hospitalisation and outpatient cover (DKV), meal vouchers, work-related public transport costs.
Travel: occasional travel might be necessary, within or outside Europe, including to projects/operations
Role Specification
The purpose of the role is to support the Plan International EU Office (EUO) by achieving the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) objectives of the Office as set out in our new five-year strategy 2017-2022.
Over the years, Plan International has scaled up its humanitarian work and operations, and is now recognized as one of the global leaders in child-centered DRM. Plan works in partnership with the world’s largest humanitarian donors, including the EC Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) through the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) of 8 Plan National Organisations (NOs) with ECHO.
Plan International EU Office acts as the Global Account Management (GAM) holder for ECHO on behalf of Plan International. As such, the EU Office oversees the overall engagement strategy with ECHO and steers the fundraising process, aiming to maximise funding potential for Plan as a whole and to influence the EC around Plan priorities and approaches on DRM.
The role is responsible externally for ensuring that there is a relevant and coherent engagement approach to ECHO, presenting a “One Plan” face to the donor, and internally for maximising capacities and resources by coordinating our engagement.
Principal Responsibilities
1. Internal
- Support Plan NOs and Country Offices (COs) with submissions to 2018 HIPs, including liaising with ECHO’s relevant staff in Brussels and reviewing proposals to maximise compliance to Humanitarian Implementation Plans‘ (HIPs) thematic priorities and grant management requirements.
- Supervise and steer the engagement approach with ECHO of lead NOs & COs in respective countries/regions, by regular internal liaison.
- Coordinate the work of the ECHO Global Account Management (GAM) Technical Committee, by holding regular calls and circulating updates on leads, engagements, acquisitions and rejections to HIPs 2018.
- Support NOs and COs during ECHO project monitoring visits and HQ/field audits, by enhancing respectively engagement modalities and grant compliance.
- Coordinate regularly with the other EU Partnership Manager working on DevCo to steer respective GAMs in a complementary way and maximise opportunities with EU Trust Funds.
- Participate in DRM Network meetings at IH and ROs, as appropriate.
- Supervise the EU Office staff in charge of regularly updating the EC Grant Database and produce analyses of the performance in the 2018 HIPs, by gathering good practices/case studies and extracting lessons learnt on the NOs/COs’ engagement approach.
- Contribute to Plan International EU Board meeting, by preparing pre-read materials/analyses and any other information as requested by the EU Representative.
2. External
- Liaise and gather information & intelligence in Brussels on HIPs, FPA, EU trends on humanitarian aid; disseminate internally.
- Represent Plan at the VOICE FPA Watch Group and Task Force, as well as at the Brexit Task Force.
- Represent Plan International at meetings and events with EU institutions and other stakeholders on DRM.
Other responsibilities
- Keep abreast of the current issues in humanitarian aid, including as regards the upcoming EU budget negotiations.
- Work cooperatively and supportively with the wider Plan International EU Office team and other Plan International entities.
- Ensure that all activities undertaken on behalf of Plan International, externally or internally, are executed in accordance with the overall aims of the organisation and in line with Plan International’s policies and procedures.
- Participate in training and other activities as requested by the Head of Office.
Skill requirements
1. Knowledge and experience
- Proven track record in raising significant funds from major institutional donors, including ECHO.
- Experience of managing ECHO contracts.
- Sound knowledge of ECHO at Headquarters, regional and country levels, including ECHO funding and compliance mechanisms.
- Network/relationship management experience, preferably with ECHO staff.
- In-depth understanding of contemporary issues relating to humanitarian crises and emergency response in complex and less complex environments.
2. Skills and personal qualities
- Commitment to the organisation’s vision and mission.
- Proactive and independent professional capable of working equally well autonomously and as part of a team.
- Fluent in oral and written English and working knowledge of French; Spanish an asset.
- Excellent communication, networking, and inter-personal skills.
- Constructive, collaborative and diplomatic approach.
- Capacity to work in a multi-cultural environment.
- Ability to meet deadlines under pressure.
- Willingness to travel if necessary.
How to apply?
To apply for the position, please send a one-page letter outlining your motivation for and approach to the post, together with your CV (max. 2 pages), to tanja.berretta@plan-international.org by midnight on 22 November 2017, with the subject “APPLICATION: EU Partnership Manager (ECHO)”.
Interviews will take place in Brussels or via Skype in the week commencing 27 November 2017. A second interview may be necessary. Preferred start date: 02/01/18.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.