The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is reinforcing its presence in North-East Ukraine and establishes an Area Office based in Kharkiv. The Area Office North - East (AONE) will become a new area office, scaled up from the current Kharkiv Field Office, and will start being operational in the first half of 2026. The Area Programme Manager will take an active part in this scale up.
AONE will cover regions of Kharkiv and Sumy where current Field Office (FO) in Shostka will, in first half of 2026, structurally move to be under new Kharkiv AONE.
The key sectors of intervention covered by the North-East area office will include Shelter, Information Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA), Protection from Violence, Education, and emergency response through cash assistance.
We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Partnership Officer to join our team. This role is essential in fostering strong collaborations that align with NRC’s strategic objectives. The Partnership Officer will support the growth and effectiveness of our partnerships by facilitating partner assessments, agreements, and ensuring smooth coordination of joint activities.
Generic responsibilities
Support the identification, assessment, and selection of potential partners in alignment with NRC’s strategic priorities.
Facilitate the development and management of partnership agreements, ensuring compliance with NRC policies and donor requirements.
Provide guidance and support to partners on NRC’s partnership principles, tools, and processes.
Maintain effective communication and coordination with partners, ensuring timely information-sharing and issue resolution.
Support the monitoring and evaluation of partnerships, including partner performance, results, and overall effectiveness.
Contribute to partnership mapping, analysis, and reporting to strengthen NRC’s localization efforts.
Identify challenges and opportunities in partnership management and propose solutions to enhance collaboration.
Organize and participate in partnership meetings, workshops, and joint planning sessions to foster strong working relationships. Support NRC staff in building their understanding of partnership approaches and best practices.
Specific responsibilities
Support the Partnerships coordinator in mapping local partners in North-East AO and ensuring the mapping remains up to date.
Support the Partnerships coordinator in identifying potential partners and cultivating relations with them.
Facilitate communication and coordination between NRC and partners, including conducting monitoring visits as required.
Support organisational assessments and vetting of potential partners in accordance with the NRC Partnership Toolkit.
Monitor partner compliance with NRC policies and, where applicable, donor-specific requirements.
Identify partners’ capacity development needs and support the Partnerships Coordinator in coordinating systematic capacity-building initiatives.
Liaise with the NRC Partnership Unit (Country Office) and programme teams to ensure provision of technical support, including organising training, coaching, and mentoring.
Support the Partnerships Coordinator in contracting and sub-granting processes for partners in North-East AO.
Support the development of project implementation agreements between new partners and NRC.
Support partners in becoming familiar with NRC’s reporting templates.
Collaborate with Protection, Safe & Inclusive Programming (SIP), Finance, Logistics, and MEL to mainstream NRC principles and procedures across all operational partnerships.
Collaborate with the Partnership Unit, Country Office, and Partnerships Coordinator to maintain the Partnership Tracker for North-East AO.
Participate in Project Review Meetings and follow up on outstanding partnership-related issues.
Contribute to the development and operationalisation of NRC’s Partnership Strategy for engagement with public authorities, local academia, private sector actors, and civil society stakeholders (LNGOs, CBOs, NNGOs).
Identify bottlenecks in the implementation of the Partnership Strategy and propose improvements to strengthen partnership mechanisms.
Maintain filing and documentation of partner projects and related partnership records in line with NRC Ukraine’s filing and information management systems.
Short translations, either Ukrainian to English or vice versa, of relevant documents related to partners.
Carry out other administrative tasks as assigned by the line manager.
Professional competencies
Generic professional competencies:
Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in a humanitarian or development agency, or within Ukrainian civil society or local academia.
Strong data management skills to support partners in tracking progress on indicators and individuals reached.
Ability to support partners in organizational development and capacity-building initiatives.
Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and discretion in handling confidential information.
Confident user of MS Office 365 apps and online information platforms.
Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Context/ Specific skills, knowledge and experience:Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, statistics, research, international development, economics, or other related fields.
Good understanding of Ukrainian civil society is an advantage.
Proficiency in English (written and verbal) and Ukrainian is required.
Behavioural competencies:
Handling insecure environments
Managing resources to optimize results
Empowering and building trust
Managing performance and development
Planning and delivering results
Working with people
