Grants Manager - Beirut

Job Description

Based in Beirut, with some travel to other regions where IRC projects are implemented, this position will be a critical part of the grants team. Reporting to the Grants Coordinator, this position will work closely with seven programmatic sector leads, finance, and operations on compliance, donor regulations, reporting, and business development. In addition, this role will work alongside the Partnership unit to ensure that IRC’s local partners are effectively engaged at each stage of the award cycle in alignment with the IRC’s partnership strategy.

Major Responsibilities:

Award Management:

- Manage a portfolio of multi-sectoral projects and ensure that IRC awards in Lebanon are well-administered and implemented in compliance with the relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures. - Take the lead on internal and external reporting with programs and finance, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements. Maintain close collaboration with all relevant departments in preparation of donor reports. - Liaise closely with Finance colleagues to monitor expenditure against forecast plans and lead on spending plan revision and/or budget realignment as required. - Maintain responsive and clear communications with donor focal points on ongoing projects within portfolio. - Work closely with Partnership colleagues to ensure forward planning and preparation for donor report writing, adherence with IRC regional and headquarters requirements and timelines, and timely submission of sub-grantee reports. - Ensure quality information management related to grants by overseeing the regular maintenance of reporting calendars and updating of internal IRC documentation and Grants team tools and processes. - Participate in weekly and monthly grant monitoring meetings to ensure awards are implemented in compliance with the IRC and relevant donor regulations and to ensure strong financial management, proper operational openings and closings of grants, and monitoring and evaluation of programmatic progress. Support the follow-up on action points from meetings.

New Business Development:

- Work with the Grants Coordinator and Senior Grants Manager to support proposal development processes for new opportunities, including preparation of information for a go/no go decision, coordination of inputs from program coordinators, Partnerships and Monitoring and Evaluation colleagues, and ensuring online documentation of all stages of the process, including IRC’s OTIS pipeline award management system. - Assist in compiling and editing budgets and ensure communication and coordination between all departments (finance, programs, and operations) in drafting and development of budgets according to both IRC and donor regulations.

Compliance and Knowledge Management****:

- Maintain a broad and deep understanding of donor policies, regulations, and procedures and build this knowledge among grants team members. - Proactively identify compliance risks throughout the portfolio and advise programs, operations, finance and senior management on necessary actions. Assist program technical leads and operations staff with understanding the reporting and other compliance requirements on their grants.

Qualifications

Work Experience:

- At least three years prior professional experience in a similar post (preferably NGO or UN agency). - Demonstrated successful experience developing projects for public and private donors. - Demonstrable understanding of project planning and management cycles, including planning and budget development processes. - Experience managing awards from a variety of donors, including European and US public donors.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

- Very strong verbal, writing and editing skills. - Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite. - Excellent time and process management competencies and strong organization. - Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements. - Ability to work well under unstable security, administrative, and programmatic pressures. - Demonstrated ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels.

Language Skills: Excellent written and spoken English.

Preferred experience & skills:

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as, an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications. - Experience of education, health, livelihoods and/or protection programming in Lebanon. - Strong organizational and time-management skills; proven ability to prioritize and deliver on time. - Strong analytic problem-solving skills. - Ability to work both independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional global team structure. - Ability to manage and work through change in a proactive and positive manner.

Working Environment: Standard office working environment (with possible remote working arrangements).