IRC Afghanistan’s Grants Coordinator is responsible for the oversight and management for the Grants and Partnership Unit. The Grants Coordinator reports directly to the Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator. IRC’s Grants Unit are growing and is composed of nine team members. The position directly manages two deputy grants coordinators, and one partnership manager. The role is based in Kabul with periodic travel to the field – where security permits. Key in the country and HQ relationships are with the program technical leads, Deputy Director of Finance, Award Management Unit, and donors. The Grants Coordinator provides strategic guidance and support to the country office on issues of program development, grants/sub-grants management and compliance, and donor relations. S/he leads proposal development processes and supports variety of aspects of projects cycle management, including information management, problem analysis, evidence-based program design, negotiation with donors and partners, grant and sub- grant monitoring and modifications, reporting, and grant closure.
Responsibilities
1. Program Design & Proposal Development (approx 40% of time)
• Support the Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator and technical leads in comprehensive business development and develop funding proposals, appropriate to the context and aligned with the country-level Strategic Action Plan.
• Lead proposal development initiatives, providing overall coordination function between HQ IRC’s global technical advisors, partners, finance, operations, HR, and program focal points to ensure smooth and timely proposal development processes.
• Serve as team lead for all proposals, working with and /or overseeing other key roles (e.g. regional support team, consultants) when needed and as resources are available to support them.
• Ensure proposals are tracked with standard IRC tracking tools (e.g. OTIS, Internal tracker)
• In collaboration with MEAL Coordinator, utilize needs assessments contextual analysis results to inform project design
• Monitor major donor trends (policies, strategic directions, etc.) and funding opportunities through regular research and monitoring of information on relevant websites and/or other sources.
• Support program growth aligned with strategic priorities through liaising and collaborating with respective technical units in program design, researching context, gaps, needs assessments, and viable new funding opportunities.
• Ensure the identification, appraisal, and mapping of partners is carried out in a constructively and consistently, and that strategic partners are appropriately engaged in pre-positioning and proposals development processes.
• Interpreting donor solicitations and donor-specific rules and regulations to ensure a responsive and compliant proposal design
• Support proposal budget develop and ensure responsiveness and that it matches the technical narrative.
• Consolidate written inputs into a cohesive proposal narrative; write non-technical sections such as the management and past performance sections.
• Edit full technical proposal and budget narrative for coherence, length, uniformity, and responsiveness to the solicitation.
• Submit proposals
2. Grants Management and Compliance (approx 40% of time)
• Review and negotiate donor contracts and agreements
• Review any request for extension and amendments in coordination with the Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator
• Review and maintain a tracker for IRC and partners payments and expenditure per each grant
• Manage and provide overall oversight of the grants portfolio and regularly update the grants tracker for dissemination internally and to Awards Management Unit
• Ensure open, timely and accurate information flow within the Grants Unit and between the Unit and relevant departments
• Ensure the submission of timely and high-quality reports (including narrative, financial and MEAL) to donors, including the development and update of regular funding and reporting trackers and schedules for dissemination to relevant staff
• Maintain strong over sign of the portfolio and pipeline, including grant opening and closing dates to ensure timely submission of all related deliverables
• Provide technical guidance on IRC and donor regulations to ensure compliance within operations, program implementation and reporting
• Raise compliance issues proactively with program staff and the Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator, DDP and DDO for timely action and keep senior management informed of any projected inabilities to meet contractual obligations, reports submission and of spend rates/signification budget variances. Deputise for the Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator in regular project progress Review Meetings where needed.
• Mange and/or support all agreements reviews, revisions, amendments, and budget realignments, and including relevant approvals
• Coordinate closely with finance teams and review project spending plans and financial health to ensure effective spending amendments, and closeout activities
• In coordination with Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator, conduct project lessons learned meeting during project closeout phase
• Mange and/or support negotiation of partner sub award agreements in coordination with the Partnerships Manager, Award Management Unit and Compliance Unit
• Lead regular partner project review meetings in coordination with staff from relevant departments (Program, Finance, Supply chain, MEAL, Client Responsiveness and Safeguarding)
• Support the Partnerships Manger and Grants staff in review and feedback on partner project inputs
3. Team Management (approx. 20% of time)
• Develop a capacity building plan for the grants staff members, and conduct regular learning sessions
• Review key reports prepared by Grants staff and provide guidance and on-job capacity strengthening as needed to ensure deliverables are met in a timely and high- quality fashion
• Ensure strategic action plan commitments and milestones owned by and/ or relating to the grants team as key contributors are delivered/supported
• Supervise Grants, Partnerships and Communications staff, ensuring quality outputs and effective performance management
• Maintain a spirit of openness, transparency, accountability, and mutual support in the Grants Unit
Key Working Relationships
The Grants Coordinator reports to the Senior Grants and Accountability Coordinator and directly supervises 3 staff (international and national) in a team of 9 people.
Qualifications
• At least five (5) years of international work experience in relief or development program, including playing significant role in, or leading, proposal and donor submissions for institutional donors
• Prior grants management experience and familiarity with USG (USAID/BHA, BPRM) European (INTPA, ECHO, German (PATRIP, GFFO, GIZ), UN (UNICEF, OCHA), and FCDO.
• Master’s degree, in international relations, international development or related failed preferred
• Familiarity with international standards for key program areas (Sphere standards health, WASH, protection and gender-based violence)
• Familiarity with accountability mechanisms and cross-cutting themes such as gender, age and disability will be in advantage
• Familiarity with international IRC system and process is an advantage
• Excellent written English skills and budgeting using MS Excel
Personal Specifications
• Excellent organization skills and ability to determine priorities and meet multiple deadlines
• Detail-oriented with good multi-tasking abilities and communication skills, both oral and written
• Able to work well both within a team and independently, in a challenging and fast-moving multicultural environment
• Ability to work unstable security environment and abide with the security policies
• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual
• Ability to work both independently and as of a team
This is an unaccompanied position.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employee, considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, region, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
How to apply
https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/22962?c=rescue