FRANCE – MIDDLE EAST DESK ASSISTANT: PROGRAMS AND GRANTS (H/F) – PARIS/CLICHY At Solidarités International

Desired start date: December 20^th 2021

Duration of the mission: 6 months

Location: Solidarités International HQ (Clichy)

ABOUT THE MISSION

SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL is a French humanitarian organization which provides aid and assistance to victims of war or natural disaster. For almost 40 years the association has focused on meeting three vital needs – water, food and shelter – by carrying out emergency programs followed by longer-term reconstruction projects. Whilst fully respecting the assisted populations’ customs and culture, SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL’s programs are implemented through the joint expertise of over 2,000 employees. Solidarités International is currently present in Africa (Central African Republic, Cameroun, South Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo), in Asia (Bangladesh, Myanmar), in Haiti, and in the Middle-East (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen).

The internship will take place within the Middle-East Desk, as part of the direction of operations (30 persons – also including 4 geographical desks and a technical department). The Middle East Desk is in charge of following the missions in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen and is comprised of: a Desk Manager, a Program Manager, a Project Development and Accountability Manager, a Logistics Manager, a Supply Manager, two Finance Managers and a Regional Access and Security Advisor. The Middle East Desk Assistant for Programs and Grants will work under the joint supervision of the Program Manager and the Project Development and Accountability Manager, and will take part in regular weekly and monthly meetings.

ABOUT THE JOB

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNSHIP:

• Assist in program and grants management functions including the planning, review and submissions of proposals and reports, and the regular updating of trackers and other follow-up tools;
• Ensure proper filing, archiving and centralization of program and grants documentation;
• Understand the different programs and areas of expertise of Solidarités International;
• Understand the humanitarian and geopolitical context of the concerned areas;
• Master the tools related to project cycle management;
• Master the internal SI procedures and those of the main humanitarian aid donors;
• Facilitate communication between the Desk, relevant headquarters department, field, and donors.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Grants Management

• Assist with the planning, review, and submission of project proposals, modification requests and reports, contributing to the submission of quality proposals and reports to donors;
• Assist with the regular updating of trackers and other follow-up tools at mission and HQ level, including grants, reporting and donor relations follow-ups and upcoming deadlines tracker, contributing to deadlines monitoring and timely submissions to donors;
• Assist with the collection, management, and dissemination of grants management information and tools including donor guidelines and templates, contributing to compliant development and implementation of projects.

2. Programs

• Contribute to the geopolitical, humanitarian and news monitoring on countries of the desk through a weekly context review;
• Participate to Programs meetings
• Assist with the review of initial area and needs assessment, with the elaboration of Logic of Intervention for the strategic programs of each mission
• Assist with the planning, collection, review of program sheets, maps and activity forms
• Assist with the review of all programmatic follow-up documents (monthly progress update, technical design, Standard Operating Procedures)

3. Internal Reporting, Communication, and Archiving

• Facilitate communication with the other departments at headquarters (Management, Human Resources, Logistics, Finance, Communications);
• Pre-departure briefing of support expatriates;
• Take minutes of desk meetings (internal communication tool on current events in missions, programs and countries of intervention).
• Provide translation support;
• Assist with the preparation of communication tools including Solidarités International’s annual report, website, and country dashboards;
• Ensure proper filing, archiving and centralization of program and grants documentation;
• Facilitate communication between missions and HQ on program and grants related matters.

4. OUTCOMES OF THE INTERNSHIP:

• Discover how a NGO Headquarters works;
• Understand the relationships between the Field and Headquarters;
• Put project cycle management into practice;
• Understand the relationships between the different humanitarian actors;
• Develop knowledge of humanitarian donors’ requirements;
• Develop program and grants management related knowledge and skills;
• Discover the functioning of a mission and its specific constraints;
• Discover the various working positions in the field.

YOUR PROFILE

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (for instance international development, humanitarian action, international relations, political science, project management, business or financial management, WaSH or agronomy studies);
• Excellent written and spoken English and French;
• Strong attention to detail, and excellent analytical, writing and synthesis skills;
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office, and especially of Excel, Word, and online research tools;
• Proactive and critical mind;
• Ability to organize and plan effectively;
• Interpersonal skills and diplomacy;
• Ability to work under stress;
• Genuine commitment to the principles and work of SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL.

SI WILL OFFER YOU

• If a foreigner, the intern must have a French “titre de séjour étudiant”
• This internship requires an internship agreement with a university.
• This internship is a fulltime position only.
• The allowance is calculated in proportion to the actual hours of attendance over the month (on average, 154 hours a month – 22 days, 7 hours per day)
• 50% of transport costs (Navigo Pass) covered by SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL
• 60% of the monthly cost of tickets restaurant (value: 8.9€ per working day).
• 2 days of paid leaves per months