Grants Manager Venezuela Caracas – Nationals Only At Norwegian Refugee Council

Duty station: Caracas, Venezuela.

Please note fluency in both English and Spanish is required for this position. Candidates who do not command either of the languages will not be able to be considered.

1. Background/Context

NRC has delivered humanitarian and protection assistance to vulnerable populations in Latin America for the past two decades. NRC has been active in Venezuela since 2005 and in 2019 became an independent country office in light of the deteriorating humanitarian crisis. NRC is one of the largest NGOs operating in Venezuela.

NRC has teams in Venezuela in the areas of education, information, counselling, and legal assistance (ICLA), protection from violence (PfV), livelihoods and food security (LFS), and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). NRC provides services and assistance to vulnerable Hard-to-Reach (H2R) populations affected by the crisis in Venezuela. In addition to direct implementation and capacity building of local communities, NRC also plays a critical role in coordination at multiple levels. NRC Venezuela is lead of various consortia with other national and internation NGOs and has plans to strengthen partnerships with local actors.

NRC is currently implementing six projects in the country, leading one consortium, and developing a second one. NRC is also developing its local partnership strategy to start and continue to work more closely with local organizations.

1. Generic Responsibilities

The Grants Manager will contribute to achieving quality programming by leading effective grants management processes across Venezuela operations. The Grants Manager is responsible for ensuring donor compliance of the portfolio, lead on development of high quality and timely donor reports and other external products, support project revision processes and grant agreement negotiations. The Grants Manager will support the fundraising strategy by providing insight on funding trends, leading on proposal development processes, and supporting donor engagement as delegated by the Head of Programme. The Grants Manager will be accountable for the completion of key mandatory activities under NRC’s Project Cycle Management (PCM) framework and will contribute to supporting a culture of accountability and high performance, will provide capacity building opportunities to the programme and support staff on relevant topics (PCM framework, donor reporting and proposal development, etc.). S/He will lead on organization assessments of partners and draft partner agreements and MoUs in coordination with the Head of Programme and Head of Support.

The Grants Manager will provide technical support to implementing team.

The following is a brief description of the role:

• Line management responsibilities for directly reporting staff. This includes the performance management process; setting clear goals aligned to country strategy and priorities, and to follow up and support staff’s achievement. Furthermore, responsible for key processes as workforce planning, recruitment, staff induction and development and Duty of Care.
• Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, tools, handbooks, and guidelines.
• Develop and maintain an overview of all grants, donor requirements, rules and regulations, and deadlines, including filing of grant documents.
• Contribute to the development of the Country Office fundraising and business development strategy in support to the Head of Programme and Country Director.
• Lead the process of developing concept notes, proposals, and reports in close collaboration with programme and support teams across the country and area offices to ensure timely and high-quality submission.
• Support budget-holders ensure donor compliance and quality control across the project portfolio.
• Responsible to set up and continuously improve internal grant management systems and processes by documenting, analysing, and sharing learning from proposal and reporting processes.
• Provide an internal helpdesk on donor compliance and project cycle management (PCM) framework.
• Represent NRC with relevant partners, donors, and other external stakeholders, as delegated by the Head of Programme.
• Facilitate PCM activities, including inclusion of cross-cutting programme elements and M&E structures throughout all stages of the PCM.

1. Specific Responsibilities

• Support the Head of Programme to identify local partners, assess their capacity and develop internal tools related to partnership.
• Accountable for the update of the grant’s tracker, keeping the teams informed about priorities, and tracking the deliverables as per the established deadlines.
• Responsible to ensure consistency between budget and other proposal documents, as well as compatibility with donor compliance requirements.
• Assess and foster the inclusion of partnerships into proposals in a strategic manner.
• Responsible for coordinating review donor contracts, flag any points that might challenge NRC’s procedures, and support contract negotiations.
• Supervise the drafting of donor reports ensuring consistency between narrative and financial reports and that they meet quality standards.
• Work on improving Grants Management processes across the operation, notably by developing the Grants Management SOP and organizing Grants Workshops and trainings.
• Together with the Head of Programme update the donor mapping and fundraising strategy to foster more strategic decisions regarding donor prospection.
• Support the Head of Programme to identify new funding opportunities and facilitate Go/No go meeting.
• Contribute to the development of country factsheets and other relevant information pieces for donor visits/meetings.

1. Generic Professional Competencies

• Minimum university level degree.
• Minimum 3 years of experience from a grants management position in a humanitarian/recovery context.
• Experience working with humanitarian and development donor relations and grants management (e.g. with institutional humanitarian and development donors).
• Good understanding of donor rules and regulations Knowledge of institutional donors’ rules, regulations, priorities, and compliance requirements – NMFA, SIDA, BHA, SDC, ECHO etc.
• Proven skills and experience in report and proposal development and working with multiple donors.
• Experience working with implementing partners is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of the NGO operations and the dynamics of the humanitarian sector.
• Experience working in complex environments and with displaced populations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish.

1. Context /Specific Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Knowledge of the context in Latin America is a strong asset.
• Good cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Willingness to travel to area offices and work in difficult environment according to travel requirements.

Find more details about the role HERE.

1. What We Offer

• Type of contract: 24 months.
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC salary scale, terms and conditions
• Duty station: Caracas, Venezuela

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC HERE.

Important information about the application process:

• Internal candidates only: please click on the suitcase icon labelled “I am an employee” to be redirected to NRC’s internal careers site.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We receive many applicants for each vacant position.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organization helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

NRC has been active in Venezuela since 2005. In 2019 we established an independent country office in light of the deteriorating humanitarian crisis.

NRC is one of the largest NGOs in Venezuela, with an annual budget of USD 10 million. Our work includes water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, livelihoods and food security, information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) and protection from violence. In addition to direct implementation and capacity building of local communities, NRC also plays a critical role in coordination at multiple levels.

Venezuela’s protracted economic, social and political crisis has led to a severe humanitarian and protection crisis. Millions of people have fled the country, many others have been internally displaced, and at least 7.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance or protection.

Consecutive years of economic contraction, sociopolitical tensions, informal dollarisation and hyperinflation mean most families are unable to afford food. Long-term state underfunding of facilities and neglect of public infrastructures affect electricity and water distribution. At least 1.5 million children are out of school. Lack of documentation – birth certificates and identity cards – concerns 50 per cent of Venezuelans, hindering people’s ability to access basic rights and services. Venezuela has also seen an increase of violence due to the extended presence of irregular groups. Venezuelans on the move are furthermore at higher risk of exploitation and abuse.

• Learn more about NRC HERE and NRC Venezuela HERE.

Internal candidates are encouraged to apply, and we are also open to external applicants who can show a commitment to NRC and being part of a challenging, but important mission to make a difference.

NRC might review applications before the advertised deadline, therefore interested candidates are encouraged to apply early.

Please note fluency in both English and Spanish is required for this position. Candidates who do not command either of the languages will not be able to be considered.