Partnerships Coordinator

The Danish Refugee Council is one of the world's leading humanitarian NGOs, working in over 30 countries to provide adequate assistance and protection to refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, returnees, people on the move, and vulnerable local populations/host communities. Currently, DRC is seeking a highly qualified national Partnerships Coordinator based in Caracas, Venezuela.

About the job: DRC is managing its operations in Venezuela under the direction of the country office in Caracas and four field offices located in the states of Sucre, Apure, and Zulia (Maracaibo and Santa Barbara de Zulia). DRC Venezuela is implementing an integrated Action encompassing the Protection, Food Security & Livelihood, WASH and Disaster Preparedness sectors.

The overall purpose of the role : The Partnerships Coordinator is an integral part of DRC’s programme unit for Venezuela, together with the Head of Programme (HoP), the Technical Coordinators, the MEAL and Grants teams. The unit leads on all processes related to partnerships throughout the project cycle. The Coordinator will lead on strategy development for the unit and be the focal point for compliance with donor and internal DRC rules and regulations, donor reporting, and grants management in relation to DRC’s partnerships with civil society organizations, both formal and informal. The role will liaise with internal DRC teams, including field teams, programme teams, Finance, and Supply Chain to ensure smooth and effective partnership management, and it will be the primary focal point for partners on programme development and grants management tasks.

Geographic Scope : Venezuela

This role has a country-wide focus, including support to DRC bases in La Guaira, Apure, Sucre, and Zulia.

Responsibilities:

Partnerships Management

• Under the supervision of the GM, lead the development, rollout, and periodic revision of DRC Venezuela’s partnerships and localization strategy
• Support the identification and selection of implementing partners using DRC’s standard tools and templates
• Review partner narrative and financial inputs to proposals and any subsequent project modifications
• Support the monitoring of partners’ progress against programme targets and spending against budgets by reviewing partners’ narrative and financial reports alongside the relevant programme and support focal points
• Ensure sub-grant agreements (SGAs) are drafted, monitored, and followed up on a regular basis
• Conduct partner monitoring visits to ensure quality assurance and to maintain positive relationships with DRC partners
• Advocate for mainstreaming of partnership management across all functions and departments, and clarify internal division of roles and responsibilities for partnership management
• Review and improve partnership management processes and tools, and develop new tools to streamline partnership management if needed
• Ensure DRC Venezuela’s partnership management processes and practices comply with DRC’s global policies and guidelines as well as relevant donor rules and regulations
• Improve partnership practices by periodically assessing DRC Venezuela’s partnership management approach considering both DRC and partners’ perspectives, capture lessons learned and best practices, and make recommendations for improvement
• Ensure partner assessments are completed actioned, ensuring technical coordinators/support units are aware of tools and processes
• Explore new partnership opportunities and identify potential partners in close collaboration with the HOP and Sector Coordinators as needed

Project Development and Coordination

• Under the supervision of the GM, coordinate with partners and DRC teams for the development of concept notes and proposals in collaboration with technical coordinators, field staff, operations staff, the DRC HQ Hub for Latin America, and DRC HQ colleagues, ensuring alignment with DRC and donor strategies, priorities and requirements and DRC’s programme handbook guidelines. The Coordinator will organizing design meetings with partners, ensuring that partners are engaged and informed throughout the proposal development process.
• Ensure that kick-off, grant review meetings and close-out meetings are held in a regular and timely manner to monitor project implementation and spending, ensure donor compliance, and identify and apply lessons learned
• Support the partnership team to implement grants management processes including modification requests/no-cost extensions for partners
• Support the GM and HoP as needed in the coordination of donor visits in collaboration with the Venezuela team

Resource Mobilization

• Maintain up-to-date information on donor strategies, priorities, and funding opportunities related to localization
• Support the HOP in the development of an overall localization strategy for the country, with a focus on donor engagement

Capacity Building

• Undertake capacity development assessments for partners’ programme and operations staff on grants, project cycle management processes, technical support, and operational processes.
• Plan capacity development programmes and support the delivery of capacity development activities. Track progress against capacity development targets.
• Provide capacity building to the DRC team, as relevant.

Donor Compliance, Reporting and Record Keeping

• Oversee internal and external partner reporting, ensuring high-quality and timely reports meeting donor and DRC requirements

Ensure the accuracy of the partners’ portion of the relevant Grants trackers and ensure key information such as budget flexibility, audit/evaluation deadlines, and other requirements are captured and communicated to partners

Experiencias y competencias:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience with an I/NGO
• At least 3 years of proven experience in partnership management and capacity building of local civil society organizations
• Understanding of best practices and strategies in partnership programming
• Experience in training facilitation and inputting to training content.
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, representation, negotiation, and diplomacy skills
• Comfortable in a multicultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well
• Adequate grant management (program and budget) skills
• In-depth understanding of the civil society operating environment in Venezuela, and adequate knowledge on legal and financial risks associated with partnership modality
• Experience in implementing projects through local partners and providing direct technical support to local organizations
• Experience in writing high quality proposals for large donors, such as, EU donors, ECHO, SDC, GFFO and UN agencies
• Knowledge of donor rules and regulations with a focus on ECHO, SDC and country-based pooled funds (Venezuela Humanitarian Fund)
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize large workloads, to consistently meet deadlines and adapt in a complex and challenging work environment
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently both independently and in teams

Educació n :

• University degree in law, political science, international development, economics or another relevant field

Languages:

• Full professional proficiency in English and Spanish is required.

We offer:

• The opportunity to be part of one of the best NGOs worldwide.
• Access to over 1,000 free online trainings and certifications.
• Contract duration: subject to budget availability.
• Salary: Band G / Non-management. National contract.
• HCM insurance fully covered by the organization.

DRC Core Competencies:

• Achieving Excellence: Focus on achieving results and ensuring efficient processes.
• Collaboration: Engage relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the Initiative: Take ownership and initiative while seeking innovation.
• Communicating: Listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating Integrity: Act in accordance with DRC's vision and values.

Application Process: All applicants must upload a cover letter (max. 1 page) and an updated CV (max. 2 pages, without attachments) in English or Spanish, on the DRC employment platform. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Application Deadline: Sunday, october 04 at 11:59 pm Local Time. Please note that applications will be reviewed continuously, and interviews will be scheduled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. DRC reserves the right to close the vacancy before the deadline once a suitable candidate is identified.

Start Date: October 2026 

Note:

• We reserve the right to close the position before the stated application deadline.
• The position is subject to project approval and availability of funds.
• Due to the urgent nature of this hiring, DRC is not obligated to send rejection notices to candidates who are not selected in the process.