Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

The Role:

Oxfam GB In Syria is looking for Partnership Coordinator

TEAM PURPOSE: To support conflict affected populations access to appropriate and equitable assistance that meets humanitarian needs and provides opportunities for increased resilience.

JOB PURPOSE: The Partnership Coordinator will provide overall leadership and technical oversight to partnership processes within Oxfam’s Syria programme, particularly in relation to strengthening and managing relationships with partner organisations. The Partnership Coordinator will be responsible for supporting three hub teams in Damascus, Aleppo and Deir-ez-Zor in the effective scoping and building of (new) partnerships, managing and maintaining partnerships and providing support to joint programming and advocacy initiatives. The role will work with hub teams to institutionalize partnership ways of working and processes, and review and revise partnerships as relevant for the country programme. The Partnership Coordinator will support institutional development of civil society actors, through capacity sharing initiatives, technical support and network / alliance building. In doing so, the role supports civil society actors and Oxfam teams to implement effective and locally-led humanitarian assistance and, where needed, the professionalization of aid led by local actors. In line with Oxfam’s partnership principles, all team members are expected to foster an appropriate working culture build on Oxfam’s values, respectful and cognisant of power imbalances internally and between Oxfam, our partners and the communities we serve.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Technical, Leadership, People and Resource management)

Partnership Management:

• Explore local actors’ existing responses, roles, capacities and interest to partner with INGOs.
• Support partner mapping and scoping at hub-level, including identifying potential value added of parties (including Oxfam)
• Liaise with Area Manager(s) and Syria CO leadership to identify local actors aligned with Oxfam’s work, mission and (programmatic) priorities in Syria.
• Support or lead the setting-up of partnership building conversations with potential partners.
• Explore ways to extend (informal) partnership relations to diversify Oxfam in Syria’s partnership portfolio by building on previous Oxfam in Syria engagement with less formalised organisations, including non-registered and women/youth-led local groups and charities.
• Lead and coordinate with different departments on partnership assessment processes and tasks (due diligence, capacity assessments) and provide guidance to involved Oxfam in Syria staff.
• Ensure appropriate documentation of a transparent partnership assessment process.
• Support financial and other colleagues on documentation, contracting and compliance of legal partner contracts, conditions and amendments.
• Ensure that partner organisations receive adequate support on finance, logistics, HR, reporting, communications and other organisational requirements.
• Based on Oxfam’s partnership principles, set up a monitoring agreement with each partner, with a dual emphasis on compliance and risk management for funds and goods, as well as a monitoring plan to measure the impact of capacity strengthening agreements/actions on organisational capacity and ability to implement good quality programmes
• Support partner-led advocacy, influencing and communication activities, in collaboration with the advocacy and policy leads in the Syria programme.
• In collaboration with each partner, develop clear action plans for capacity strengthening of partners outlining necessary resources and including the required type of support (training, coaching, development of policy / tools, field trips, shadowing, exchange visits, Oxfam staff seconded into partner etc.), to overcome capacity gaps, if any.
• Coordinate with relevant senior staff to plan for appropriate technical support and mentoring, including in the fields of finance, procurement, MEAL and HR.
• Regularly review partnership relations, milestones and ways of working to shape and evaluate the health of the relationship through open dialogue and the monitoring of progress.

Strengthen internal partnership ways of working:

• Ensure country and hub teams are familiar with Oxfam’s partnership principles and policies, including commitments to the Charter for Change, Grand Bargain etc.
• Provide coaching to Oxfam in Syria staff on equitable partnering, principles and behaviours.
• Facilitate cross-hub learning on partnership lessons learned and good practices.
• Enable and facilitate meaningful participation and engagement of partner staff in the full project cycle and Oxfam in Syria’s programmatic planning processes.
• In collaboration with the DCD-P, Advisors and Ams, implement the Oxfam in Syria partnership strategy (2026-2031) and ensure socialisation amongst Oxfam in Syria teams.

Other:

• Represent the Syria programme in partnership- and localisation-focused coordination meetings where and when relevant.
• Encourage and enable civil society actors to meaningfully engage in formal coordination activities and cluster meetings.
• Ensure the work of, and leadership by, local actors is visible and promoted in media and donor visits.
• Support in regular and joint learning exercises with partners in various stages of the partnership, and promote learning across
• Capture partnership-related lessons learned and good practices, and promote learning across countries and by creating spaces for sharing, innovation and peer-to-peer learning within the Oxfam confederation and, where appropriate, with external networks and allies.

What we are looking for: 

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam's mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also be / have:

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES

ESSENTIAL

• Self-Awareness
• Relationship building
• Strategic Thinking and Judgment

In addition:

• Graduate qualification in relevant field related to humanitarian and/or development programming and strategies.
• 3-5+ years of relevant experience in a local, national or international NGO.
• Experience and proven ability of working with national and/or local partner organisations, and an understanding of the challenges they face.
• Firm commitment and belief in the principle of working with partners on humanitarian and early recovery needs.
• A proven understanding of humanitarian principles and the ability to put them into practice.
• Ability to build strong, credible relationships with international and local NGOs, government entities and communities.
• Excellent leadership and people skills with the ability to work with a wide range of different stakeholders, with varying levels of ability and understanding of humanitarian work.
• Ability to work with others to develop vision into strategy and concrete longer-term plans, and to communicate and influence.
• Excellent personal communication skills, in writing and verbal communication (Arabic and English).
• Flexible in style, with the ability to think of creative and pragmatic solutions to complex problems and adjusting to constantly changing situations while maintaining focus on delivery and goals.
• Ability to travel around Syria, including for overnight stays.

DESIRABLE

• Knowledge of the sectors in which Oxfam works in Syria.
• Knowledge of and demonstrated commitment to Oxfam’s values, mission and work, including feminist approach to humanitarian responses and Oxfam’s partnership principles.
• Experience working as part of the humanitarian response in Syria would be advantageous.

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.