Programmes Relationship Officer

Summary

Join Mary's Meals as a Programmes Relationship Officer for a 12-month fixed-term contract and provide operational and administrative support to their programs in various countries. You will build relationships with local partners, understand their programs, and support continuous improvement. Responsibilities include coordinating key processes like budgeting, reporting, and financial transfers. You will work with colleagues to support capacity building and share knowledge across the Mary's Meals network. The role involves working in a fast-paced environment and may include travel. This position offers flexible working arrangements and various benefits.

Requirements

• Able to work cohesively and build strong relationships with people of various nationalities, cultures, beliefs and backgrounds
• Sensitively manage stakeholder expectations and confidently navigate difficult conversations to maintain alignment and trust across teams
• Strong organisational and project coordination skills, with a proactive, resourceful, motivated approach to work
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines
• Strong Microsoft Office skills – particularly MS Excel
• Excellent verbal communication, report writing and presentation skills
• Degree qualified in a relevant subject or relevant experience in a similar role

Responsibilities

• Provide effective operational and administrative support to Mary’s Meals’ programmes in a number of countries and contexts where they are implemented in partnership with local organisations
• Foster effective and trust-based relationships and be a key contact for the programme partners in your portfolio
• Develop a deep understanding of these programmes, enabling you to proactively support continuous improvement and strengthening, and be responsible for coordinating key processes related to reporting and implementation
• Work closely with colleagues in the Programmes team to coordinate capacity building activities, supporting our partners to deliver effective, efficient and high-impact school feeding programmes
• Work with a range of teams across the wider Mary’s Meals network, sharing knowledge and information about programme partner activities
• Play a role in planning and supporting programme expansions
• Ensuring programmes are delivered in line with agreed plans/budgets and partners are aligned to Mary’s Meals’ School Feeding Approach as well as our vision, mission and values
• Coordinating key processes such as budgeting, reporting, food ordering and financial transfers across teams, ensuring accuracy and adherence to set schedules and deadlines
• Working with partner organisations in preparing and monitoring annual programme budgets and strategies
• Supporting partners in strengthening their capacity, internal systems, governance, and risk management
• Ensuring other teams within Mary’s Meals have the information they require about programme partner activities in order to carry out their roles successfully
• Exploring and assessing new partnership opportunities and reviewing existing partner programmes, as required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience of developing and reviewing budgets and reporting against strategies would be beneficial
• Competency in French and/or other relevant language would be beneficial

Benefits

• 34 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time working patterns) including bank holidays, increasing by 1 day each completed calendar year, to a maximum of 39 days (+ option to buy another week)
• Flexible working
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life assurance
• Medical insurance for candidates located in Kenya, Liberia, Malawi and Zambia
• Pension - depending on the location of the candidate. For international candidates - any pension contribution paid as part of salary will be subject to normal statutory deductions/ taxation