Grants and Partnership Specialist

Donor relations & Fundraising

Overview

Support effective management of grants and partnerships within the country programme.

You have:

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in grants management, partnership management, consortium coordination, or programme development within an INGO environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with institutional donors such as ECHO, EU, DANIDA, SIDA, and UNHCR.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance, grants management processes, and project cycle management.
• Proven experience in proposal development and donor reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, including report writing and editing.
• Bachelor's degree in Developmental studies, Political science, international relations or other relevant field of study.
• Knowledge of other local languages an asset.

Contract

This is a DRC - National contract. More about DRC - National contracts.

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Grants and Partnership Specialist for our operations in our Addis Ababa Country Office.

Instruction for applicants: All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV in English. Please ensure that your CV does not exceed three pages. Applications with CVs longer than the specified limit may not be considered.

Overall purpose of the role

The Grants and Partnerships Specialist support the effective management of grants, partnerships, and consortium engagements within the country programme. Under the supervision of the Grants and Partnerships Manager, the role contributes to high-quality grant management, donor compliance, consortium coordination, partner engagement, and proposal development across the programme portfolio.

The Specialist plays a key role in managing partnership processes and supporting relationships with international NGO partners, particularly within consortium structures and sub-grant management arrangements. The role ensures effective coordination between programme, MEAL, finance, supply chain, and support teams to maintain compliance with donor and organizational requirements while strengthening collaboration and communication with partners.

The position also contributes to reporting quality, grants tracking, and institutional knowledge management, while supporting programme development and partnership capacity strengthening initiatives.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Grants Management:

• Support the overall management of grants throughout the project cycle in compliance with donor and organizational requirements.
• Ensure project teams understand donor regulations, contractual obligations, reporting timelines, visibility requirements, and grants management processes through regular guidance and follow-up.
• Draft, review, and support the processing of project agreements, sub-agreements, teaming agreements, memoranda of understanding, amendments, no-cost extensions, and other contractual documentation.
• Coordinate donor reporting processes with PDQM, programme, field, MEAL, and finance teams to ensure timely submission of high-quality reports in line with donor and organizational standards.
• Track reporting schedules, project milestones, amendments, compliance actions, and key deliverables across the grants portfolio through updated grants trackers and rolling action plans.
• Support project kick-off, monitoring, review, and close-out meetings and ensure agreed action points are documented, tracked, and followed up.

• Partnerships and Consortium Management

• Support the management of partnerships with international NGOs in line with organizational partnership standards and donor requirements.

• Coordinate partnership processes including partner mapping, assessments, due diligence, onboarding, agreement development, and close-out.
• Support the management and coordination of consortium arrangements, including communication, information sharing, work planning, and follow-up with consortium members.
• Serve as a focal point for operational coordination and communication with consortium and implementing partners on grants-related matters.
• Facilitate timely review and processing of sub-grant agreements, partnership amendments, and partner documentation.
• Coordinate partner meetings, review sessions, and joint planning discussions to strengthen collaboration and delivery.
• Monitor partner compliance with donor regulations, contractual obligations, visibility requirements, and reporting standards.
• Support partner capacity strengthening initiatives through guidance, tools, training, and follow-up actions.

Proposal Development and Fundraising

• Support the development of high-quality concept notes and proposals in collaboration with the Grants and Partnerships Manager, PDQM, technical, programme, finance, and support teams.
• Compile and review proposal packages, including narratives, budgets, work plans, annexes, and supporting documentation prior to internal and HQ submission.
• Monitor donor opportunities, funding calls, and partnership opportunities relevant to the country programme portfolio.
• Support donor mapping exercises and maintain updated funding opportunity trackers aligned with country programme priorities and strategic objectives.
• Support proposal submission processes through donor platforms and ensure timely follow-up on submission requirements and compliance processes.
• Contribute to grants pipeline tracking and support internal planning related to upcoming funding opportunities.
• Participate in donor meetings, partnership discussions, and engagement processes as delegated by the Grants and Partnerships Manager.

Coordination and External Engagement

• Support coordination with donors, consortium partners, UN agencies, INGOs, local NGOs, and government stakeholders as required.
• Prepare presentations, briefing notes, meeting minutes, and other communication materials related to grants and partnerships.
• Represent the department in coordination meetings and technical discussions when delegated by the line manager.
• Document, circulate, and follow up on minutes and action points from consortium meetings

Documentation, Learning, and Knowledge Management

• Manage grants and partnership information within Dynamics and SharePoint systems, ensuring project information, milestones, instalments, and related documentation are accurately maintained and accessible for audit and compliance purposes.
• Contribute to strengthening project cycle management practices, internal systems, tools, trackers, and standard operating procedures related to grants and partnerships management.
• Lead PMM/BFU meetings, document, circulate, and follow up on action points
• Support staff induction and refresher training on donor compliance, grants management tools, and partnership processes.
• Support the development of lessons learned and knowledge products related to grants and partnerships management.

Other

Any other duties assigned by the line manager relevant to the role.

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in grants management, partnership management, consortium coordination, or programme development within an INGO environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with institutional donors such as ECHO, EU, DANIDA, SIDA, and UNHCR.
• Experience supporting or managing consortium arrangements and partnerships with national and international NGOs.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance, grants management processes, and project cycle management.
• Proven experience in proposal development and donor reporting.
• Strong coordination, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, including report writing and editing.
• Strong computer literacy, including Microsoft Office applications and grants management systems.

• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and coordinate across multiple teams.

  EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• Bachelor’s degree in Developmental studies, Political science, international relations and other relevant field of study.

LANGUAGE: (indicate Fluency level)

• English (proficient in both writing and speaking)
• Knowledge of other local languages an asset

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ 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: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 1 year

Contract Type: National Contract

Band: G2 – Non-Management

Designation of Duty Station: Addis Ababa Ethiopia Country Office.

Start date: 05th June 2026

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National employees

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than three pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered

Please ensure that your CV does not exceed three pages. Applications with CVs longer than the specified limit may not be considered.

Closing date for applications: June 05, 2026

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap. Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status, or other protected characteristics

We strongly encourage female candidates to apply for the position!

We encourage only qualified Ethiopian Nations to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 8 hours ago - Updated 8 hours ago - Source: drc.ngo