Since 2015, NRC Nigeria has been working to help displacement affected communities meet their basic needs, improve their livelihoods, access essential services, and enhance their resilience to future shocks through our six core competencies: water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), Shelter, Education, Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA), Livelihoods and Food Security (LFS), Camp Management, and Protection. NRC provides immediate assistance during the onset of emergencies through the rapid response mechanism (RRM). In 2021, NRC reached over 269,000 people with assistance.

The crisis in Nigeria is marked by brutal violence against civilians causing acute humanitarian needs and displacement. In the north-east, the 13-year conflict has shattered lives, infrastructure, basic services, and social fabric.

Two million people are internally displaced across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Approximately half of these are living within local communities, putting increasing pressure on scarce resources. Access to food is limited, particularly in Borno state where most families are already facing crisis levels of food insecurity. Civilians, including aid workers, continue to be the target of deadly attacks by non-state armed groups and transport corridors are persistently insecure. In the north-west and north-central regions, violence and displacement are rooted in disputes over land and resources, which has been worsened by climate change. Criminality is on the rise. Livelihood opportunities are scarce, and children face an uncertain future, unable to access quality education. Many families have either lost identity papers while fleeing or never obtained them, hindering their ability to access essential services.

NRC is expanding partnership portfolio of local partners in Nigeria - including national and local government authorities, civil society organizations, and private sector actors, to scale up services delivery and enhance localization commitments.

Find out more about NRC https://www.nrc.no/ and Watch this short video to see NRC in action https://vimeo.com/736782633

These strategic locations have allowed NRC greater reach from the north and south parts of the North-East and North Central region and allowed NRC to contribute to bridging the gap between humanitarian aid and development cooperation, including by focusing on equitable access to basic services and strengthening the rights of displaced people and returnees. In addition to the Country Office and the above-mentioned Area Offices, NRC has sub-offices structures in Monguno, Mubi, Pulka and Gwoza. 

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. 

If you are those people, the Norwegian Refugee Council in Nigeria is looking for an enthusiastic and passionate Partnership Officer to join our team in Abuja, Federal Capital. The Partnerships Officer will support the partnership Manager in ensuring quality programming by leading effective partnerships management processes across NRC operations in Nigeria. They will contribute to ensuring compliance with donor rules across the mission’s portfolio: supporting the development and administrative management of sub-grants, developing effective relations and communications with all partners, and supporting the Partnerships Department in establishing and strengthening partnership systems and processes that are contextually relevant to “Country”.

This position holder will also support the direct training and mentorship of national NGO staff in line with thegoals of NRC’s strategy. The position offers many opportunities for learning and development and the post holder should be enthusiastic about professional development and building their own knowledge and skills.

Below is a brief summary of the role. Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position.   

Generic Responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance with NRC policies, tools, manuals, and guidelines (for both sub grants and partnerships).

• Maintain oversight and maintenance of PCM processes and sub grants management tools, including organizing sub grants meetings, filing, project monitoring, and ensuring donor requirements and deadlines are met.
• Maintain NRC’s subgrants and partnerships archiving system and ensure timely archiving of key documents.
• Assist in partner proposal development and reporting processes in line with deadlines and ensuring quality deliverables.
• Support partnership management procedures, including due diligence, monitoring compliance with contractual obligations, and tracking partner reporting deadlines.
• Perform other tasks as requested by the Partnerships Manager.

Specifice Responsibilities:

Partnership Liaison 

• Support pre-award due diligence of potential partners.

• Liaise with local authorities as needed throughout partner selection process
• Assist Partnerships team in partner selection process by drafting Request for Application documents, performing an initial assessment of partners proposals, arranging selection committee meetings, and recording meeting notes and pre-award due diligence process.
• Support in developing and updating the tracking tools and templates for effective partnership management
• Review partner budgets and ensure that the budget costs are justified and aligned with program activities
• Support positive and productive relations with selected NNGOs across the country.

Coordination

• Coordinate with the Finance team to ensure partners' liquidity and advances for the smooth running of partners' financial reporting
• Maintain effective coordination with the program colleagues to track partner’s program activities
• Ensure that timely and reliable sub-grants administration support is provided to all units within the office
• Maintain regular and effective coordination with partner organizations to ensure smooth implementation of project activities and closeout.nor compliance.
• Monitor sub-grant compliance of partner organizations with NRC & Donors rule & regulations

Capacity Assessments and Capacity Development

• Support Specialists in capacity assessment of partners and the design of capacity development plans
• Support the development of relevant and high-quality capacity development materials including editing, formatting, and dissemination
• Support Specialists on drafting global organization policies & processes adapted to “Country” context for partners
• Lead on planning and support delivery of all capacity building trainings including liaising with participants before, during, and after the trainings
• Lead on administrative arrangements for trainings and workshops including venue, accommodation, and transport
• Print and collate all training materials and support materials
• Provide support for online and face to face training, including technical support for online learning events
• Procurement of supplies for all capacity building activities.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field,.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience in an NGO in a similar role, including proposal development, reporting, partnerships/grant management.
• At least one year of experience with an INGO, preferably in grant or partnership related roles.
• Knowledge of NGO operations and the dynamics of the humanitarian sector.
• Flexibility to travel frequently within the country.
• Knowledge of regulations, procedures, and requirements of major donors (UN, ECHO, USG, NFMA, SIDA, etc.).
• Proven ability to produce high-quality reports and proposals.
• Proven experience in capacity building or training.
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and pay attention to detail.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, with problem-solving abilities.
• Good command of spoken and written English.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications, particularly Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.

What’s in it for you? 

Join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility: 

At NRC we think creatively. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative. 

Learn on the job: NRC's collaborative working style favours the exchange of good practice and lessons learnt. At NRC, employees learn on the job and are encouraged to look for opportunities to develop new competencies. NRC managers prioritise the quality work and the competency development of their staff. This entails giving newcomers a good start, following up, training and mentoring employees to allow them to perform well in their current job, and offering learning and development programmes. 

Additional Information: 

 Duty Stations: Abuja, Nigeria 

Duration of contract: 12 months.

Grade Level: Grade 5 in NRC's grading structure. 

Reporting line: Partnership Manager

Travel:  40%

NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.         

We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels.       

You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.         

This position is open to Nigeria Nationals only. We invite applications from all qualified and interested candidates. Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications may be screened prior to the vacancy deadline. Female candidates are strongly advised to apply. 

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.