ECHO Partnerships Specialist - Vacancy

Position: ECHO Partnerships Specialist – CDI

Start of function: March 2024

Location: Brussels

Reports to: EU Partnerships Director

World Vision (WV) is a global Christian relief, development, and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty, violence, disaster, and injustice. World Vision has over 33,000 staff in nearly 100 countries. World Vision collaborates with others in pursuit of positively impacting the most vulnerable children, their families, and communities around the world.

As part of its global ambition and focus on fragile contexts, World Vision has engaged in a strategy towards the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). This strategy looks at building relationships and common understanding, positioning World Vision as a global and European humanitarian actor (including through increased ECHO expertise within the organisation), as well as enhancing quality and volume of grants.

The ECHO Partnerships Specialist will contribute to the optimal functioning of WV EU Representation (EUREP) and to the achievement of the WV-ECHO Strategy in general, and some of its pillars in particular.

Tasks needed

1. Support implementation of World Vision’s  Strategy for EU humanitarian funding:

• As a core member of an ECHO Center of Excellence and of the EUREP Partnerships team, contribute actively to EUREP’s facilitation and drive role in the implementation of the Strategy.
• Take initiatives and direct responsibilities over some of the Strategy’s pillars.

2) Support engagement and grant acquisition on all humanitarian-related aspects:

• Provide strategic drive to build relationships with ECHO at all levels to position for funding.
• Facilitate processes among WV offices for improved collaboration, cross learning, exchanges and trouble shooting.
• Support and advice during engagement process and proposal development to ensure applications meet WV quality standards and comply with ECHO rules and regulations.
• Support the development of a robust pipeline of ECHO actions with a particular focus on coordinating HIP proposals and learning processes.
• Where prioritised, assist WV offices in reviewing proposals to ensure compliance with ECHO technical requirements and guidelines.
• Identify and grow new business opportunities relevant for WV aspirations..
• Mentor the Junior ECHO Officer (trainee).

3) Support WV’s engagement with ECHO and other relevant EU institutions:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with EU officials in Brussels on humanitarian and fragile context matters. Support WV offices’ relationship-building with ECHO field staff at regional and country levels.
• Gather intelligence on EU humanitarian affairs, analyse funding trends, internal grant acquisition and lessons learned processes.
• Facilitate and coordinate WV’s contributions to ECHO evaluations and policies.

4) Knowledge Management and capacity-building:

• Designs, drive and manage the knowledge management and capacity-building pillar of the WV-ECHO Strategy.
• Lead on the development and update of capacity-building tools and briefings on ECHO and other relevant EU humanitarian-related issues.
• Design and deliver training sessions to relevant internal audiences.
• Ensure help-desk functions about ECHO rules and regulations and analyse changes.
• Facilitate compliance-related reporting to ECHO and advocate to ECHO on compliance and policy changes.

5) External relations with INGO peers and other humanitarian actors:

• Take an active role in VOICE, in particular the Humanitarian Partnership Watch Group.
• Attend formal networks or external civil society groups and build a strong informal networks of peers and relevant stakeholders.

Skills needed

• Good knowledge of EU humanitarian aid and ECHO in particular.
• Experience in ECHO grant acquisition, management and grant compliance procedures in the field and/or HQ.
• Demonstrate at least 7 years of relevant working experience at national or international level in supporting development programmes/project operations.
• Coordination, interpersonal, negotiation and representational skills, allowing to bring together different stakeholders to achieve the envisioned objectives and ability to steer such processes.
• Significant experience in training, capacity-building, and mentoring; able to manage team members or eager to learn and grow management skills.
• Budgetary, financial management skills, experience in MEAL tools and/or expertise in the humanitarian aid sector is a plus.
• Master's Degree in a relevant field.
• Strong written and spoken communication in English. Spanish and/or French is an asset.
• Ability to travel occasionally.
• Subscribes to the Vision and Mission of World Vision. Recognises him/herself in the core values of World Vision.
• EU citizenship or a valid working permit for Belgium is required.

We offer

We offer a full-time permanent contract and a competitive salary package to start as soon as possible, and a work environment where good team spirit, collaboration and personal development are held high.

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter outlining how you match the job description to Cecile_Pichon@wvi.org and EULO-info@wvi.org with the subject line “First Name + Last Name – ECHO Partnerships Specialist” by 9th February 2024.

Due to limited resources, we will unfortunately not be able to reply to individual queries. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.