Lead specialist – Partnerships & external relations

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About CDRI:

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programs, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

Position

This position will be based at the CDRI secretariat in New Delhi, India, as a full-time staff with a Fixed Term Contract of three (3) years, renewable for an additional three (3) years. 

The position is open to candidates from CDRI member countries. For candidates demonstrating considerable international experience, an international salary and benefits package will be offered. 

Candidates will have to demonstrate considerable experience in at least 5 countries across two UN geographic regions (from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern America, and Oceania) to meet the criteria for international staff.

Objective of the position

Lead Specialist Partnerships & External Relations is responsible for stewarding Coalition’s Members and Strategic Partners portfolio, which currently has 46 Members and will be expected to grow by at least 25% during the strategic period (2023-2026). 

Lead Specialist plays a critical role in identifying areas of collaboration and leveraging resources to build engagements with the Member Countries and Organizations and expand the scope and impact of the Coalition’s Strategic Work Plan. 

The portfolio includes Member Countries, International Organizations, MDBs, the Private Sector, Academic Institutions, and think tanks and Philanthropies. The role will lead efforts to steward existing and new members to support in the achievement of Strategic Outcomes of the Strategic Work Plan. 

CDRI is looking for an experienced professional for the position of Lead Specialist –Partnerships & External Relations to work under the supervision of the Director- Partnerships, Governance, and Resource Mobilisation on the following deliverables, but not limited to: 

• Steward and cultivate relationships with the existing and prospective Members of the Coalition. 
• Develop Partnership Engagement and Relationship Management Framework in line with the CDRI Strategic Work Plan (2023-26). 
• Develop joint work plans/areas of cooperation, formalize agreements and MoUs, make talking points, respond to inquiries, and perform other related activities. 
• Design, build, and maintain systems and processes that will facilitate relationship management and engagement with a broad range of members, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Identify relevant national and international forums and platforms for strengthening CDRI’s engagement and expanding the Coalition’s membership.  
• Coordinate closely with the key ministries, government agencies, development partners, private sector, and other relevant stakeholders concerning disaster resilient infrastructure activities and maintain up-to-date information on their activities and programs. 
• Coordinate across teams to gather up-to-date programmatic input and facilitate the implementation of Joint Work Plans, cooperation agreements, and frameworks in alignment with organizational priorities from a partnerships and external relations lens. 
• Oversee timelines and deliverables for members and streamline processes in collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure the timely delivery of the commitments. 
• Build and maintain Coalition’s member database to record and track all existing and prospective Member’s portfolios.
• Craft impactful content to support members stay connected to our mission and impact.
• Conduct thorough research and analysis to identify potential funding opportunities and stay updated on industry trends and best practices. Identify and pursue new funding opportunities and ways to expand the donor base. 
• Assist with other duties as assigned.

Skills set 

• Demonstrated strategic, technical, and intellectual skills in the substantive area.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of key donors, their priorities, and areas of interest, as well as adapting content and approaches of resource mobilization activities to their requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in managing multilateral decision-making processes.
• Understanding of more advanced aspects of resource mobilization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines.
• Experience in establishing partnerships and networks with partners.
• Demonstrated leadership, facilitation, and coordination skills and ability to manage the technical team.
• Proven ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.
• Experience working in an international organization.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a proven ability to be flexible in demanding situations.
• Analytical and strategic planning skills and the ability to handle multiple priorities.
• The ability to present information and concepts clearly, both verbally and on paper.
• Proven ability to draw inputs from multiple disciplines and synthesize them to address specific problems.
• Experience in drafting knowledge products such as books, articles, research papers, toolkits, guides, policy papers and notes, baseline studies, and/or comparative studies.
• Familiarity with international frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
• Strong interpersonal written and oral communication skills.
• Past track record/Ability to deliver timely and quality products independently.
• Computer proficiency, especially related to professional office software packages (Microsoft Office)

Key competencies 

1. Technical and Analytical Skill
2. Meticulous 
3. Timeliness 
4. Analytical & Problem Solving
5. Delivering Results
6. Dependability 
7. Managing people & process 
8. Innovation & Resourcefulness
9. Engaging & Partnering (Interpersonal / Teamwork)
10. Stakeholder Management 
11. Working Collaboratively 
12. Appreciate and encourage different culture context
13. Leadership
14. Ability to see Big Picture
15. Decision Making
16. Inspires motivates & empowers others
17. Team Management
18. Communication
19. Willingness to listen and express dissenting views. 
20. Ability to clearly convey ideas and information.

Qualifications:

Master’s degree in international relations, public relations, international cooperation for development, communication, social science, journalism, political science, or related fields is preferred.

Experience:

Minimum 10 years of overall experience with at least 4 years of leadership experience at the national or international level, including experience within the international development system on resource mobilization and partnership development.

Minimum 3 years of experience as a staff or consultant in an international organization. Familiarity with fundraising for development programming is preferred. Specific experience in disaster risk reduction will be given additional weightage.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English, both oral and written.
• Proficiency in International (UN) languages other than English will be an asset.

How to Apply: 

If you have experience working in a similar capacity and want to make an active and lasting contribution to a global initiative spearheaded by India, please apply through the online application form only on or before the last date: https://app.cdri.world/career/public/.

CDRI will start evaluating the applications 10 days after the advertisement. The application process will remain open until the position is filled.

CDRI is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with strict confidence.

CDRI has ZERO Tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and gender / racial discrimination. Any selection, therefore, will be subject to satisfactory reference and background checks.