Grants Manager

Job Description

BACKGROUND:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity, and hope to millions uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

In 2007, the IRC began providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable and crisis-affected people in Jordan in response to an influx of Iraqi refugees and the strain on host communities. Following the eruption of the Syrian war in 2011, hundreds of thousands of refugees crossed into Jordan. The ongoing insecurity in Syria and the growing needs of refugees have strained Jordan’s resources and infrastructure and exacerbated pre-existing issues like water scarcity and high unemployment.

As resources become more limited, refugees and host communities have fewer economic opportunities and become more vulnerable. The IRC’s new strategy for Jordan shows our commitment to improving the safety, health, education, and economic well-being of people affected by conflict, in camp-based (Za’atari, and Azraq camps) refugees and urban-based refugees, and in coordination with the humanitarian community and the Government of Jordan.

JOB OVERVIEW

IRC Jordan’s Grants Manager will provide grant management and business development (BD) support as part of the Grants Team in the Programs Department, reporting to the Grants Coordinator. Based in Amman with periodic travel to IRC Jordan’s field offices, the Grants Manager will work closely with Program, Finance, Operations, Partnerships and MEAL staff to ensure quality management of the assigned portfolio of awards (public and private) as per donor’s guidelines and requirements and IRC’s policies and procedures. The Grants Manager is expected to coordinate with the Senior Grants Manager on joint tasks, and to work closely with the Grants Coordinator to ensure the awards are managed throughout the project cycle in line with donor agreements and IRC’s processes; all amendments to the contracts are carefully prepared, processed and submitted; reports are written, reviewed and edited to ensure quality and accuracy, and are afterwards submitted in compliance with donor requirements on a timely basis; and will work with the Partnerships Team to ensure that grant-specific requirements are met by partners. The Grants Manager will support the Grants Coordinator in BD tasks when requested. The Grants Manager will coordinate with IRC’s Awards Management Unit (AMU), especially the Regional Program and Awards Support (RPAS) team, and the Business Development Advisors, when required.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Award Management & Coordination (60%)

· Act as a focal point for the assigned grants portfolio. This includes coordinating and collaborating with colleagues in Jordan including Programs, Finance, Partnerships, MEAL, Communications and Advocacy, and Supply Chain, as well as colleagues at regional office (RO) and HQ colleagues in AMU and External Relations.

· Ensure appropriate award management throughout the Project Cycle, including:

o Supporting in reviews of donor agreements and communicating donor requirements prior to signing the award and coordinating the signatures required at the country-level with the Senior Management Team (authorized staff with Power of Attorney).

o Maintaining knowledge of grant agreement language and regulations, serving as a knowledge resource on assigned donors and advancing questions where needed.

o Coordinating any required agreement amendments including on programmatic commitments (amending logframes, workplans, proposal narratives) and financial commitments (budget revisions/realignments, requests for approvals above threshold limits, etc.).

o Ensuring that all the grant phases are tracked and approved in IRC’s tracking system, OTIS.

· Submit high quality donor reports, narrative and financial, on a timely basis according to IRC and donor regulations and in line with IRC Jordan Report Writing SOPs. Review and edit and highlight any non-compliance/underachievement and other potential risks to the Program Managers and Coordinators. Ensure all required documents are included, complete, correct and approved by the respective Program Coordinator/s and country management. Liaise with the AMU team on the reports that are directly submitted at RO or HQ levels.

· Consistently review and advise on compliance requirements for respective donors to ensure all departments follow accordingly. Ensure sharing of compliance requirements as per the Project Cycle Meetings (PCM), especially at the Project Opening and Project Closing Meetings. Log Compliance questions and recommended actions in the Compliance Trackers within Project Dashboards. Raise compliance issues proactively with the Grants Coordinator and the grants focal points at AMU and respond to the Jordan team enquiries in a timely manner.

· Keep the Grants Coordinator informed of any projected inability to meet contractual obligations, report submission, and spending rates and significant budget variances. Support the program budget holders in monitoring a balanced spending rate in line with donor rules and requirements and advise them on the spending plans are as per the Budget Management SOPs. Be able to proactively mitigate risks through proposing remedial solutions in consensus with Programs Coordinators, Programs Managers and Senior Programs Coordinator, as well as with MEAL, Partnerships, Finance, Supply Chain and other departments, where necessary.

· Support the Project Leads and other relevant staff in facilitating the PCM, especially the Project Implementation Meetings, as well as filling in and applying Project Dashboards in line with the PCM guidelines.

· Compile and respond to information requests from IRC’s regional AMU and ER teams. Prepare updates for the bi-weekly grants meetings with the pre- and post-award management advisory teams at the AMU.

· Ensure all relevant grants documents as well as the important correspondence are filed appropriately on IRC’s online system, Box.

· Support the Grants Coordinator and coordinate with the Senior Grants Manager in tracking the spending on Technical Unit lines for the respective portfolio, in close collaboration with the Finance team.

· Prepare any requested information or reports on the managed portfolio, as requested by the Grants Coordinator or the SMT.

· Ensure regular updates for the respective portfolio in the relevant tools, including the grants tracker (open, closed, pipeline grants, reporting calendar, quarterly workplans), and Project Dashboards (grant summary, donor liaison and compliance tracker).

Business Development (BD) (20%)

· Support the Grants Coordinator in preparation of high-quality proposals and budgets in line with the Jordan Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and Jordan Business Development Strategy, while including input from key collaborators (finance, operations, programs, partners, etc.) in liaison with the BD Advisors or Regional Support Manager in adherence with the internal and external timelines and requirements.

· When requested, contribute to all aspects of the proposal development process – including compiling and editing proposal narratives, logframes, workplans, drafting of required annexes, etc.

Staff/Talent Management & Performance (10%)

· Supervise the Grants Officer, provide ongoing mentorship and guidance with the support of the Grants Coordinator.

· Ensure assignment of a proper workload in line with the Officer’s Job Description and the needs of the country program, and model work-life balance.

· Adhere to and act by the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicate through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

External Relationships (10%)

· Be the focal point for the donors based in-country for the assigned portfolio of grants, ensuring regular, diplomatic and timely communication, flagging requests for amendments to the contracts and challenges in meeting contractual obligations and providing responses to any requests or questions. Coordinate IRC Jordan’s responses/justifications in response to donor requests, questions or feedback.

· Report back to the Grants Coordinator and the SMT any issues, requests, meetings, etc., as they arise in communication with the donor focal points in-country. Communicate any requests of the SMT back to the donor focal point.

· In collaboration with the Grants Coordinator (and/or SMT), support in cultivating strong relationships with potential donors to build IRC’s visibility as the partner of choice in Jordan.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Position Reports to Grants Coordinator Position directly supervises: Grants Officer (1)

Key Internal Contacts: Senior Grants Manager; Program Senior Officers, Managers and Coordinators; MEAL Manager, MEAL Officers and Accountability Team, Partnerships, Supply Chain, HR and Finance departments (especially Senior Finance Officers). IRC’s Awards Management Unit, especially the Regional Program and Awards Support (RPAS) team and the Business Development Advisors.

Qualifications

JOB REQUIREMENTS

· University degree required in social sciences. Master’s degree a plus.

· At least 4 years of professional work experience with a humanitarian or development organization/s or relevant working experience in other sectors with proven transferable skills.

· Excellent time management, prioritization, and planning. Highly organized to complete multiple demands and meet deadlines simultaneously.

· Strong interpersonal, coordination and team-working skills.

· Highly motivated and fast learner with ability to work and lead tasks independently while collaborating with other teams.

· Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with strong experience of editing narrative reports or proposals. Ability to lead meetings and present in front of other colleagues.

· Strong analytical skills.

· Experience writing proposals and concept notes for funding preferred.

· Proven competency with program design and proposal writing (including logical frameworks).

· Proven competency in budget development and management; including strong Excel skills.

· Proven knowledge of donors in the humanitarian and development landscape, such as USAID/PRM, ECHO, UNFPA, UNHCR, SIDA, SDC, GAC, and other donor rules and regulations.

· Highly advanced skills in Microsoft Office package (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) essential. Familiarity with internet research and common software applications, with ability to support in the use of file sharing and editing software and willingness to learn new software fast.

Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:

· Promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible, and able to handle pressure with professional grace.

· Ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate, and manage human resources.

· Demonstrated strong interpersonal and intercultural communication with success working both within a team and independently.

· Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to handle multiple priorities and deadlines.

· Be trained on and implement the IRC’s People Manager Standards in all their staff management responsibilities.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, 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 Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants based on 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