Grants Coordinator – Whole of Syria At International Rescue Committee

Scope of work:

The Grants Coordinator will work with the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP) for the Syria country programme to maintain quality grants coordination. Reporting to the DDP, this position works with all departments and staff including program coordinators, finance, operations, compliance, donor relations, business development and reporting. Supervise a team of Sn Managers/managers and Officers.

The IRC Syria Grants Coordinator will additionally collaborate closely with the Middle East Regional office in Amman, as well as IRC Headquarters colleagues in NY, Germany and the UK.

Major Responsibilities:

Grants Management and Compliance

• Own the grants’ unit in the submission of high-quality, timely program reports according to regulations. Ensure all required documents are included, complete, accurate and approved by the respective focal points in Country Management, Programs, Finance, Partnership, and Headquarters.
• 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 staff in relevant departments. Work closely with HQ compliance staff to resolve issues related to donor rules and regulations.
• Lead and/or support all agreement reviews, revisions, amendments and budget realignments, including relevant internal approvals.
• Keep the DDP, senior management, regional team and technical units at HQ offices informed of projected inabilities to meet contractual obligations, such as report submission, or delayed spend rates/significant budget variances. Be able to proactively mitigate risks by proposing remedial solutions.
• Lead on the organization and follow-up of Project Cycle Meetings (grant opening meetings, monthly grant review meetings, and grant closeout meetings) in collaboration with the Deputy Directors, HR Lead, Finance Controller, and program and partnership staff.
• Ensure quality information management related to grants by being responsible for the regular maintenance of grant files, reporting calendars, and updating of internal IRC documentation and Grant Unit tools. Maintain proper records of all Grants and sub-grants.
• Act as focal point in facilitating proposal and donor report reviews and approvals by technical advisors and other relevant persons at HQ (including maintaining Opportunity Tracking Information System—OTIS).
• Coordinate with the partnerships team to obtain information on status of implementation and any vital donor approvals relating to partnerships.
• Serve as member of the Partnership Working Group, sharing responsibility for delivering the functions of the PWG.
• Assist senior management in donor engagement and communication as requested.

Proposal Development

• With leadership from DDP, coordinate the proposal development process by creating proposal calendars, following up with all relevant staff members to receive timely inputs, consolidating inputs, ensuring coherence with proposed budgets, and submitting to technical advisors for review.
• Organize and as needed lead program design meetings. Work with the program and operations teams to support the development of new projects and the preparation of superior quality proposals.
• Assist the DDP to align new proposals to the country Strategy Action Plan (SAP100), including the SAP partnership strategy.
• Proactively engage partners in program development efforts.
• Collaborate closely with HQ offices (Award Management Unit and Technical Units) to ensure proposals meet internal standards and are donor compliant.

Fundraising & Transparency

• In coordination with DDP, nurture donor relationships in the Region.
• Supervise upcoming opportunities by priority sector
• Support the development and management of the BD strategy for NW Syria

Human Resources Management and Development

• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including presenting clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.

· Make sure the Grants team work as one even if sitting in different locations and covering different Syria hubs grants in certain cases

• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least bi-weekly.
• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths.
• Working with HR colleagues, promote and supervise staff care, well-being and self-care. Approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. Offer leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s country and Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.
• Develop a detailed capacity building plan for the grants department with regular trainings (minimum quarterly). As part of succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train and develop capability and capacity of a national staff to successfully transition role and responsibilities, by end of assignment.
• Identify top performing national staff and prioritize these staffs for capacity building and mentoring investment.
• Build the capacity of key program staff in grants management including reporting, compliance, proposal development, compliance etc. through regular trainings.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable team member to successfully perform in their positions.
• Work with regional HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: Deputy Director of Programs

Position directly supervises: Sn Grants Managers

Other Internal:

Country Director, Finance Unit, Deputy Director of Operations, Senior Programme Coordinators, Area Coordinators, Technical Coordinators, Partnership Unit, Regional Office staff and IRC colleagues in London, New York, and Germany.

External:

International and National NGOs

Donor Agencies

UN Agencies

Job Requirements:

Education

Advanced degree – international studies/development or similar OR Bachelor’s Degree with significant grants management experience and superior writing skills.

Work Experience

At least 6 years of demonstrated field-based experience with humanitarian grants management, possibly including experience working with sub-grantee partners to build their capacity to access and account for resources. Experience working in relief and development contexts a plus.

Demonstrated Technical Skills

• Excellent writing skills and experience in writing proposals/concept notes.
• Strong understanding and knowledge of USAID, PRM, FCDO, UNHCR, UNICEF, SIDA, SV, EU/ECHO
• Shown competency with program design, M&E, proposal writing (including logical frameworks) and building budgets.
• Excellent management and coordination skills.
• Proven ability to provide team-building, coaching, and development for staff as well as encourage cross-functional collaboration and agreement.
• Superior understanding of the challenges facing partner organizations in access to and management of sub-grants, incorporating robust capacity-building in all sub-award programs.
• Ability to work independently while being a strong great teammate.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication skills and the ability to effectively represent IRC at forums and with donors.

Proven Managerial/Leadership Competencies

• Excellent leadership and management skills including coaching, mentoring and developing teams
• Politically astute, with well-developed supportive and negotiating skills.
• Superior oral and written communication skills, with ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and persuasively with senior internal and external partners.
• Extensive representation and fundraising success, including prior experience with European, US and international donors.
• Established capacity to deal with ambiguity in stressful situations.
• Strong commitment to the organization vision, mission and core values.
• Consistent record to design and lead training engagements with staff and partners to enhance skills and adapt to changing program demands

Languages

• Professional fluency in spoken and written English.
• Familiarity with Arabic is an advantage.

Computer/Other Tech Requirements

• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Familiarity with file sharing systems such as SharePoint desirable.

Ability to Travel

• Up to 30% throughout region and to HQ and other regions for workshops, conferences or other meetings.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.