Consortium Coordinator – Early Recovery At Danish Refugee Council

Overall Purpose
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Save the Children International (SCI) and Mercy Corps (MC) established a Durable Solutions Consortium project ftitled “Building Resilience and supporting solutions to displacement in Central Darfur funded by SIDA and SDC. The purpose of the programme is to build resilience and support displaced populations in addressing their priority needs, reducing aid dependency, supporting early recovery and paving pathways to durable solutions for IDPs in Darfur. The area-based approach will mean that communities are targeted based on need rather than status (fostering social cohesion, a key component of future solutions for IDPs) and benefit from the project’s interventions – including refugees, returnees, nomads and hosting communities. To work towards durable solutions for IDPs, all stakeholder groups’ needs and vulnerabilities must be considered and accounted for in the project’s implementation. Community engagement and mobilization is key to the approach, ensuring participation of all relevant stakeholder groups.

DRC is therefore recruiting a Consortium Coordinator to support and oversee the successful management of the SIDA and SDC funded Consortium. The Consortium Coordinator will be recruited and hosted by DRC Sudan as lead of the consortium. However, he/she will be accountable to the Consortium Steering Committee composed of Country Directors of the three consortium member organizations.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning, Oversight, and Leadership:
Act as a part of the Consortium Steering Committee (SC) responsible to present the critical analysis and information and recommendations on strategic, operational and financial matters and support in decision making by DRC management and SC

• Work with and supervise the overall project implementation across all consortium members, to ensure the technical and geographical coherence of the project
• Supervise the overall management of the project financial resources, with the support of concerned departments of consortium lead and partners
• Under the strategic guidance of consortium lead and SC, participate in meetings with donor to share project progress updates and support in decision making on various programmatic and operational issues of concern

Coordination & Performance Management

• Support partners in the overall implementation and delivery of SIDA/SDC funded consortium project. This includes coordinating consortium partners and monitoring programme activities to ensure full compliance with project targets, deadlines and other commitments, including donor compliance requirements.
• Serve as primary focal point between all consortium agencies; and also engage with the protection cluster plus other relevant sub clusters and the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (REDSS)
• Lead on the harmonization of tools among all consortium partners to ensure best practices are applied and common standards are set across the consortium
• Lead on setting up and facilitate the meetings of any technical working groups that are relevant to the consortium.
• Ensure that core functions (internal and external coordination, financial oversight and compliance; M&E, donor liaison, communication activities and reporting, etc.) are carried out in a timely and effective manner.
• Ensure the steering committee is abreast of all project related issues and opportunities, from programmatic operation issues and strategic perspectives; ensuring consortium partners are kept abreast of programme implementation progress, any challenges that need to be flagged and opportunities that arise.
• Ensure the establishment and coordination of different Technical Working Groups based on the Consortium Structure.
• Coordinate all meetings among consortium working groups (Steering Committee, Project Management, Technical, Advocacy, and MEAL); document and share key discussions points and decision making.
• Track activity implementation and indicator progress, plus budget follow up – flagging anomalies/variations for corrective actions.
• Ensure ‘lessons learnt’ through the consortium are well documented and followed upon by relevant focal points, supporting coordination between the key consortium partners on specific joint initiatives as deemed relevant

Grants Management & Reporting

• Maintain a broad and deep understanding of SIDA and SDC policies, regulations, and procedures, ensure that the grant is well-administered and implemented in compliance with donor regulations and DRC procedures.
• Maintain a proactive relationship with the donor, ensuring requests and reports are responded to in a quality/timely manner.
• Maintain responsive and clear communications with donor on grant management issues, and with consortium partner focal points on ongoing project interventions.
• Proactively identify compliance risks throughout the portfolio and advise partner agencies & DRC senior management on necessary actions. Assist program technical leads and operations staff with understanding the reporting and other compliance requirements for the project.
• Take the lead on internal and external reporting with partners, programs and finance teams, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and DRC requirements. Maintain close collaboration with all relevant departments in preparation of donor reports and donor visits.
• Ensure quality information management related to grants by overseeing the regular maintenance of reporting calendars, and updating of internal DRC documentation and Grants team tools and processes.
• Lead project monitoring meetings in close coordination with partners to ensure that the grants are implemented in compliance with the DRC and relevant donor regulations and to ensure strong financial management, proper operational openings and closings of grants.
• Conduct field monitoring visits to project locations to observe and understand the progress of project implementation, security protocols permitting.
• Responsible for organizing donor visit schedules when requested – ensuring adequate visibility and with branding materials on project sites.
• Present regular briefings and documentation on programme progress to the Head of Programme/ Country Director to ensure that the Steering Committee is informed of and consulted on critical issues and report to the Steering Committee regularly
• Ensure documentation and information exchange/management system is in place for the grant implementation.

Partnerships Management

• Facilitate and coordinate different aspects of sub-award life cycle management, including vetting, project and agreement/amendment development, monitoring through to close-out coordinating with the partnership team and different DRC departments
• Draft partners’ sub-agreement with close coordination and review of HQ compliance, DRC internal departments and partners
• In close collaboration with finance and grants, accountable for timely review and disbursement of financial instalments pending satisfactory review of works progress and financial reports by the finance and programme teams respectively.
• Monitor the timely submission of accurate financial and activity reports from partners
• Ensure that comprehensive electronic and physical files for partnerships are maintained.
• Ensure smooth communication and collaboration between all the partners, in line with DRC partnerships’ principles, skills and approaches

Experience and technical competencies

• Masters degree or higher education in International law, Social sciences, Humanitarian studies, Development studies or equivalent work experience;
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in working in grants &/or leading projects within consortia, with an (I)NGO or partner network
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in leadership in early recovery and/or durable solutions programming
• Demonstrable understanding of project planning and management cycles.
• Strong communication and representation skills, including fluent verbal and written English – with the ability to organize and lead meetings with various stakeholders
• Demonstrable experience in managing donor grants and grant processes, with specific experience and knowledge of SDC and SIDA regulations and requirements;
• Strong organizational and documentation skills with the ability to effectively manage multiple competing deliverables on varying timelines
• Excellent communication, negotiation and problem-solving capacities; with the ability to work flexibly within a team as well as in a leadership position
• Ability to manage stress, multi-task and take decisions;
• Excellent computer skills, particularly in Word and Excel.
• Demonstrated experience with support services and associated compliance, including in finance management, MEAL and advocacy/communications depts.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

About you
In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Conditions
Contract: Twenty months’ contract with possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance. Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for International staff. This position is graded at N.M. F

Start Date: Immediate

Duty Station: Gedaref

Reports to: Head of Programme