CTWWC Partnership Support Officer PSO

Interested candidates are welcome to apply by sending their CV with email to crsapplicationsmd@crs.org mentioning in the subject line the title of the position “Partnership Support Officer”

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. 

About Changing the Way We Care

In Moldova, CRS and its consortium partner Maestral International, with other partners working in Moldova, are implementing Changing the Way We Care^SM (CTWWC). CTWWC is a global initiative to promote safe, nurturing families for children from residential institutions and children at-risk of family separation.  This work involves coordination among a variety of government and non-government stakeholders at the national and rational levels to advance childcare reform and strengthen families.  CTWWC/MD and its partners use a Collective Impact approach. By its nature, Collective Impact implies cooperation with different organizations, in different relationships.

32organizations acting as traditional subgrantees. A fourth, local subgrantee is being added. Funding relationships with several other organizations are expected by the end of 2022, with the terms of those relationships TBD. In that same timeframe, a new working group is expected to name additional organizations to engage in policy development, potentially with CTWWC funding. Similar additions of working groups will continue through 2023, adding up to eight groups, implying an increasing number of organizations and potential subawards.

Job Summary

The Partnership Support Officer (PSO) contributes significantly to excellent relationships with partners based on clear understanding of mutual roles and responsibilities. In addition, s/he ensures compliance with donor requirements related to subgrantee relationships. This role is critical to CTWWC in its capacity as the Collective’s service provider, to the Collective itself, and therefore to care reform in Moldova.

Roles and Key Responsibilities 

For funded partners, the Partnership Support Officer is responsible for:

• Documentation of scope and budget, and preparation of appropriate award agreements (grants and/or contracts). Tracking of agreement process toward full approval. Regular repetition of this process as the work evolves and amendments are needed.
• Organization of due diligence processes which will be led by the Operations team. This is at start up and is repeated at intervals dictated by the capacity of each organization.
• Registration in CRS and CTWWC systems (Gateway, Insight, Sharepoint) and verification of compliance by the Operations team with USG system requirements (FFATA, TIP Certification, audits)
• Organization of onboarding including by the Operations team on Ops issues, the Accountability Officer on safeguarding compliance, the MEAL Officer on MEAL requirements, branding by the Comms Advisor, and periodic refreshers if/as needed due to staff turnover.
• Collection and verification of:
  • performance reports relative to the DIP and spending.
  • financial reports according to programmatic criteria, to complement review by the Operations team, and resolution of questioned costs.

Basic Qualifications 

• Bachelor's Degree in International Relations, Business Administration or another relevant field.
• Minimum of 2 years work experience supporting organizational relationships/contracts. Experience with an NGO or international organization strongly preferred. Experience with donor grant mechanisms- especially USAID’s- preferred.

Required Languages – English and Romanian

Travel –none or limited within Moldova

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Good relationship management abilities. Ability to work collaboratively and remotely.
• Strong customer service orientation with very good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to make sound judgment and good decisions and provide quality advice.
• Ethical conduct and ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
• Ability to adopt and apply various policies and procedures. Quick leaner.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of USAID regulations, a plus.
• Understanding of financial systems, including budgeting and budget/expense analysis experience preferred.
• Proficient in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS Teams).

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)  

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.  

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

Supervisory Responsibilities: None 

Key Working Relationships:  

Internal: CRS staff based in Moldova (Chief of Party, Colleague Officers, Project Assistant) and the CRS Operations team, global team members engaged in Changing the Way We Care^SM (especially the global Director of Ops/Growth).

External: NGO partner organizations in Moldova, service and goods suppliers.   

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.  

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.  

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer