Senior Manager, Global Partnerships (Maternity Cover)

Summary

The Senior Manager, Global Partnerships is responsible for ensuring quality grant management, implementation and compliance for Right To Play (RTP)’s portfolio of grants with the LEGO Foundation. You will lead the coordination of grant management, relationship management and stewardship for this strategic partnership with LEGO Foundation.

Description

Organization: Right To Play International          

Work Location: London, UK or Toronto, Canada

Authorized to Work in: UK or Canada (Eligible to work legally without requiring sponsorship or work permit)

Work Arrangement: A combination of in-office and remote-working in accordance with Right To Play’s work arrangement and the operational needs of the department

Target Hiring Range: GBP 51,000 – 56,000 / CAD 85,000 – 90,000 per annum (dependent on successful candidate’s work location)

Target Start Date: November 2022

Contract Duration: 6-9 months fixed term contract, full-time

Closing Date: Open until position is filled

BACKGROUND:

Right To Play is a global organisation that protects, educates and empowers children to rise above adversity using play. By harnessing play, one of the most powerful and fundamental forces in a child’s life, we helped 2.3 million children last year to stay in school and out of work, to prevent life-threatening diseases like HIV and malaria and to stay safe from exploitation and abuse. We are the only global development organization focused exclusively on using play to transform the lives of children and youth impacted by poverty, war, disease and inequality.

Established in 2000, Right To Play reaches children through experiential programming in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. These programs are supported by our headquarters in Toronto, Canada; London, UK and eight national offices across Europe (Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK) and North America (Canada, US).

With a shared passion for our mission, our Culture Code guides how we act and interact based on five core pillars:

• Accept Everyone – Be intentional about inclusion
• Make Things Happen – Seek opportunities to lead and innovate
• Display Courage – Act with integrity
• Demonstrate Care – Look after yourself and one another
• Be Playful – Have fun at work

Please visit our website to learn more about who we are and what we do, and watch this video to find out about the five pillars of our Culture Code.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Manager, Global Partnerships is responsible for ensuring quality grant management, implementation and compliance for Right To Play (RTP)’s portfolio of grants with the LEGO Foundation. You will lead the coordination of grant management, relationship management and stewardship for this strategic partnership with LEGO Foundation.

Reporting to the Global Director, Institutional Partnerships, you will manage and mentor our Global Partnerships Officer and collaborate closely with the broader Global Partnerships team, Global Program Unit, Program Finance, Communications and Country Offices. 

The position will require up to 20% of time travelling internationally. _______________________________________________________________

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Job Responsibility #1: Grant Management and Donor Compliance (55% of Time):

• Provide overall grant management and stewardship for a portfolio of complex, high value, multi-country grants funded by the LEGO Foundation.
• Ensure oversight of grant agreement negotiations and compliance with donor agreements, including direct support to Country and Global staff
• Lead coordination, development and submission of planning documents, narrative and financial reports submitted to a high standard and in a timely manner. This can include in-country support for report writing as needed.
• Coordinate program planning and implementation oversight for projects in portfolio in collaboration with Country Senior Management Teams, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), Program Finance, and the Global Program Development teams.
• Support the coordination and development of program and project communication/stewardship materials.
• Based on the identification of needs, coordinate, and participate in planning and support visits to relevant countries and ensure the promotion of best practices and lessons learnt by documenting successes and areas of improvement.

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Job Responsibility #2: Partnership Development, Management and Stewardship (20% of Time):

• Support and coordinate organizational efforts to further develop and grow RTP’s partnership with the LEGO Foundation
• Cultivate and directly manage key relationships with LEGO Foundation staff and provide support to the Global Director Institutional Partnerships, Global Program Development Director and CEO to enable them to successfully steward key LEGO Foundation relationships.
• Maintain regular, high standards of communication with LEGO Foundation focal points, creating a strong positive image of the organization and its work.
• Represent RTP at events, roundtables, conferences and meetings that can support relationships with the LEGO Foundation, and other existing funders or implementing partners.

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Job Responsibility #3: Proposal Development (10% of Time):

• Lead the coordination and development of technical proposals and concept papers, including building and managing a proposal development team, engaging appropriate team members and specialists.
• Ensuring that the proposal development process adheres to sound project management principles and obtains necessary sign-off from leaders within the organization.
• Ensure a smooth transition from proposal development to program implementation and helps facilitate positive relationships and strong communications with donors, partners and country offices.
• Support the writing and review of major funding proposals and budgets, ensuring that the products submitted achieve a standard of excellence and are compatible with both internal and donor policies.

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Job Responsibility #4: Team Leadership and Management (10% of Time):

• Supervise, mentor, and support Global Partnerships Officer in their work focused on grant management and donor compliance of projects at RTP funded by the LEGO Foundation
• Work with the Global Partnerships Officer to set and achieve appropriate professional development goals

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Job Responsibility #5: Other Duties as Assigned (5% of Time)

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (Must have):

EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field (e.g. International Development, Public Policy/Administration, etc.)

EXPERIENCE:

• 5 years’ professional experience in grant management, program management, compliance and donor management in an INGO, particularly with grants and programs focused on education
• 5 years’ experience working with major institutional donors, foundations and multilateral organizations
• Experience working in cross-functional teams and matrix environments
• Proven track record of developing alliances and partnerships

COMPETENCIES/PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Great interpersonal and relationship building skills to build trust-based and collaborative relationships internally and externally with sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, social and political issues
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Willingness and ability to travel (sometimes on a short notice)

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Good understanding of grant management cycle, logical frameworks, budget monitoring, proposal and report submission
• Solid knowledge of international development, education and humanitarian programming and policy
• Excellent planning, project management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities under tight deadlines
• Strong representation skills and ability to develop relationships with INGO, multilateral and government agencies
• Outstanding influencing, negotiation, coaching, diplomacy and engagement skills
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral), public relations and report writing skills

LANGUAGES:    

• Fluency in spoken and written English

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS (An Asset):

• Fluency in spoken and written French
• Experience working in a range of cultural contexts and developing countries
• Experience working for a donor

WHO YOU ARE:

You are a highly collaborative relationship builder with a passion for humanitarian work and programming. You enjoy new challenges and learning on the job: if you don’t know how to do something, you’re quick and keen to learn! You have been involved in donor management, grant management and compliance monitoring and enjoy supporting country teams in delivering on our collective commitments to our donors. Your attention to detail is great and you have very high standards as it relates to quality of writing. You have a positive, follow-through mindset and a playful attitude. 

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

The opportunity to work with a passionate, innovative and collaborative team where you have the ability to make things happen. You will gain experience working for a globally recognized organization with a healthy culture premised on our Culture Code (accept everyone, make things happen, display courage, demonstrate care and be playful). In addition, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package including flexible work policy (e.g. work from home and flex hours), 25 days annual leave per year, up to 5 personal learning & development days per year, and Summer/Winter hours.

EMPLOYEE VACCINE POLICY:

To protect the health and safety of our employees and the communities we serve, Right To Play requires all employees and volunteers based in Canada to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The successful candidate will be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

ACCOMMODATION:

Should you require any form of accommodation during the recruitment process, kindly contact the People & Culture team by email at [email protected]

To learn more about who we are and what we do, please visit our website at www.righttoplay.com.