Partnership Manager (Türkiye)
Location: Ankara, Türkiye
Contract: 24-month fixed term contract, renewable
Salary: £46,000 DOE + £1,368 monthly allowance

Status: Accompanied position

Could you lead the strategic partnership of British Red Cross (BRC) with the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), overseeing a project to enhance economic resilience for refugees and host communities in earthquake-affected regions of Türkiye; aligning BRC’s engagement with TRC’s strategic priorities, fostering significant relationships with key donors like FCDO, promoting shared leadership within the International Federation Red Cross (IFRC) Network and ensuring effective collaboration and support to the Turkish Red Crescent ‘s long-term goals?

About the Role

The British Red Cross (BRC) Partnership Manager leads the partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), overseeing a five-year FCDO-supported project to enhance economic resilience for refugees in earthquake-affected areas. This role involves aligning BRC’s engagement with TRC’s strategic priorities, supporting TRC’s goal of direct FCDO funding, and acting as the primary in-country representative. The Partnership Manager is responsible for building effective relationships at diplomatic levels with TRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Partnership Manager will be entrusted to:

• Develop and maintain BRC relationships at the country level, ensuring an open and transparent dialogue through diplomatic representation.
• Demonstrate a localisation approach to partnering by prioritising relationships, understanding organisational needs, and contributing to TRC-identified organisational development.
• Lead BRC’s engagement in mutual monitoring and review of the partnership, as per the Partnership Agreement.
• Continue ongoing engagement to determine the best use of new funding opportunities and the further allocation of the outstanding funds from the BRC Earthquake Emergency Appeal.
• Collaborate with Programme Quality and Development Manager to represents the BRCs current funding portfolio and identify/secure new funding opportunities in line with the mutually agreed BRC/TRC strategy and in close coordination with IFRC as part of a harmonized resource mobilization plan and fundraising effort.
• Oversee coordination and collaboration with the IFRC Delegation in Türkiye regarding integration services in line with the Integration Country Activation.
• Support TRC and IFRC to maintain accountability to donors in all BRC-supported activities within the country portfolio, ensuring resources are used effectively with maximum impact.
• Collaborate with TRC to ensure that community engagement and accountability principles are used, that programme affected populations are consulted in design and implementation, and ensuring the effectiveness of regular and complementary mechanisms for sharing information with and receiving feedback and grievances.
• Support team to review program reporting in accordance with Grant Agreement Document terms and conditions, consolidating inputs from TRC and IFRC, and submission of full reporting to FCDO and other donors.

What we are looking for

You will have a substantial working knowledge of the international humanitarian system, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and demonstrate a commitment to principled partnership approaches, localisation, and decolonisation of aid. Additionally, you should have a thorough understanding of the context, challenges, and opportunities within Türkiye.

You must be adept at building and maintaining partnerships and relationships at senior and representational levels, with proven skills in project/programme management techniques, processes, and controls, including project planning, change control, resource allocation, and team management.

Expertise in programme development through the entire programme cycle management process, including proposal writing for various traditional and institutional donors (e.g., FCDO), is essential. You will also have solid experience in leading a country office with a significant budget and bilateral programmes.

Furthermore, you will have proven management experience at a strategic level in a complex organisation, along with demonstrated experience in developing and leading people, managing multi-cultural teams, and working with national organisations to support capacity building of local partners.

You must be willing to travel overseas and operate in a physically demanding working environment, as well as to work out of office hours when necessary.

It’d be useful if you possess language skills in Turkish, experience working with the RCRC Movement and a good understanding of the basics of international humanitarian law and principled humanitarian action.