Grants Coordinator at International Rescue Committee

Full Time Tanzania March 8, 2024 Coordinator

Job Overview

Grants Coordinator at International Rescue Committee

IRC – International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Dar es Salaam

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees delivers lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The IRC has been present in Tanzania since 1993 and initially focused its response on meeting the needs of refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the initial influx, IRC Tanzania has continued to tirelessly serve the needs of both refugees and host communities. In 2023, the IRC Tanzania is working in 2 refugee camps with a population of about 247,000 people (about half the population of Wyoming) as well as support the host community around these refugee camps. Our work focuses on Protection (including GBV, Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection and Protection and Rule of Law), Governance, Education and Health (including mental health and sexual reproductive health). The IRC operations in Tanzania are funded by a range of high profile institutional and voluntary donors, including governments, international organizations, corporations, and foundations.

Overview/Summary:

The Grants Coordinator supports the IRC Tanzania country program to achieve high quality programming and service delivery. The main objectives of this position are to support and coordinate program design, proposal development, grants management (including compliance requirements and reporting), internal and external communication, and partnership processes and procedures.

This is a vital senior position at the heart of the Tanzania Country Program, the position touches every aspect of our work; from strategy and program design to external relations; from fundraising to program and grant management and communications. The Grants Coordinator will lead the Grants Team and will directly and/or technically supervise this team. The Grants Team is a growing team, currently a staff of three, with the potential to grow according to need and the size of portfolio.

The Grant Coordinator will work closely with Technical Program Coordinators, M&E staff, and Field Leadership as well as with in-country support units and relevant HQ regional colleagues (including Technical Advisors, Regional Program & Awards Support (RPAS) Team) in the delivery of their functions. The Grants Co. is a member of the Country Management Team (CMT) and actively participates in the country program’s strategic planning processes as well as ensuring the strategic priorities of the country program are front and center in business development. The Grants Coordinator will work with the Country Management team to set funding priorities and targets, build relationships with donors and develop proposals to meet and measure progress against these to ensure IRC Tanzania secures the resources to achieve its strategic goals.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP), the Grants Coordinator is also accountable for high quality strategic internal and external communications coordinated by the grants team and supported by staff throughout the program.

Major Responsibilities:

Business Development

In coordination with the DDP, review the Business Development Strategy closely aligned to the Tanzania Country Programme Strategy; lead in the realization of the Business Development Strategy and cultivate donor relationships nationally and for specific target regions.
Lead the development of proposals for submission to donors in coordination with the DDP, Field Coordinators, Technical leads and the Finance and Operations teams to coordinate the development of quality funding proposals and new projects that align to the country Strategic Action Plan (SAP).
Contribute to budget development/management in coordination with Finance through budget review to ensure that budget aligns to the proposed intervention and the correct costs are included.
Liaise with HQ grants teams and sectoral technical teams in NY, London, or Berlin, to ensure proposals meet internal standards and are donor compliant.
Ensure that the IRC systems for handling proposal development with management, programs, finance and operations departments is understood and respected, and results in timely and quality submissions.
Conduct visits to field sites to work directly with program and grants staff to provide support, assist in the development of proposals and to regularly visit IRC program activities.
Track upcoming opportunities by priority sector, coordinate, and support Go-no-Go decision processes for pipeline opportunities.

Grants Management & Compliance

Ensure that grants are implemented in compliance with IRC and relevant donor regulations, including maintenance of updated grant files and coordinate modifications to any agreements or projects (i.e., extensions, indicator changes, budget realignments), as necessary.
Hold a broad and deep understanding of the IRC’s policies and of the terms and conditions across the grant portfolio and ensure that IRC regulations and procedures are developed and maintained by the Grants unit’s team members.
Act as focal point in facilitating donor report reviews and approvals by technical advisors and other relevant persons at HQ (including maintaining internal files and grant tracking systems) and maintain proper records of all Grants and sub-grants.
Work with the Grants Team to ensure that reports to donors are submitted on time; that reports are coherent and accurate (proposal, interim or final report)
In coordination with DDP, Field Coordinator / Project leads and the Grants team, roll out and support the implementation Project Cycle Meetings (PCM) from Opening/implementation and Closeout.
Monitor and support the use of internal grants management and planning tools amongst program teams to ensure accurate tracking of implementation and timely alerts to potential challenges/obstacles.
Serve as the first point of contact for Grant and Compliance related questions that arise in-country; Offer advice to Grant Team members and other IRC TZ staff (senior management, finance, procurement, etc.) on resolving compliance issues.
Flag unresolved compliance / implementation issues to senior management and to HQ (IRC Inc., IRC Germany, and IRC UK) for further advice and support; act as focal point in all communications with IRC’s Regional Program Support Team (RPST)
Work with the Grants team to ensure that the IRC TZ grants information management and filing system is respected and all donor contractual documents, reports, key correspondence etc. are appropriately filed in up-to-date and consistent soft libraries.
Train and support program staff on donor compliance, report writing, project and budget monitoring, record keeping, and Grants management.

Donor Relations and Communication

Develop a coordinated internal and external communications plan that incorporates donor visibility requirements; strategic external relations objectives; supports advocacy and influencing aims; and engages staff and strengthens the profile of the country program.
Coordinate the preparation of materials such as brochures, concept notes and newsletters that will contribute to the attainment of business development objectives.
Support the development of external communication tools as relevant for donor visits/meetings on IRC Tanzania as a whole and IRC Tanzania programs.
Lead in in country communications with donors regarding pipeline and active grants management.
Maintain excellent relationships internally within IRC and externally with IRC’s existing partners.
Ensure regular reporting for the NGO Registrar is complete, in partnership with the External Liaison.
Undertake other tasks as requested by the Deputy of Programs, the immediate supervisor.
Sub-award and Partnerships Management
Support SMT in development of Partnership Strategy at country level and as part of the SAP process
Ensure quality sub-award management in compliance with the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS), including sub-award start-up, sub-award implementation monitoring, management and accountability, and appropriate sub-award close-out.
Participate in partner scoping during pre-award stages and management of partners during proposal development (coordinating on teaming agreements, communication on requested technical and budget inputs, etc.).
Coordinate and review sub-award partner vetting and capacity results, sub-award agreements and modifications prepared by the Grants team.
Review and advise on all partner agreements (including log frame, budget, spending and workplan); ensure NY/London review of partner agreements and provide recommendations and concerns to the senior management and regional support.
Work with the Grants team to track sub-award partner deliverables and ensure that partners’ contractual reports are reviewed, and feedback is provided.
Work with the Grants team to organize sub-award opening, review and closing meetings with partners, as well as program and compliance/ finance monitoring visits to ensure that partners’ program implementation is on track and in compliance with IRC and donor rules and regulations.
Maintain proper records of all award and sub-award documents.
Staff Management and Capacity Building
Supervise Grants Team and provide on-the-job training and guidance donor compliance, program reporting, proposal development, sub-awards and partnerships management and communication.
Participate in recruiting, training and mentoring of Grants staff.
Ensure that staff have regular performance evaluations and receive ongoing feedback.
Build capacity of grants and other country program staff in key donor compliance and project management principles, tools and approaches and ensure that these new skills are utilized on the job.
Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between programming staff and operational support staff.
Job Requirements
Post graduate qualification/degree in relevant discipline including international relations, preferred.
At least five to seven years of experience in grants management and resource mobilization, working in humanitarian or development programs; regional experience preferred.
Knowledge of donor regulations and priorities, including UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, FCDO, USAID European Commission, ECHO and others.
Experience in team management and capacity building
An excellent coordinator and team player; this role collaborates across department and must be able to influence colleagues, often without line management.
Superb organization skills: the postholder will need to multi-task and independently manage elevated risk and high-pressure priorities affecting program sustainability.
Previous experience working with international non-governmental organizations in grant management, particularly with European and US public donors.
Previous successful experience developing projects and funding proposals to donors. Strong proposal writing and budgeting skills, IT proficiency, excellent communication and writing skills, good interpersonal skills, ability to work in a team setting, ability and willingness to travel to remote areas, and ability to prioritize high volumes of work to meet tight deadlines.
Consortium management experience is a plus.
International experience within Africa is a plus.
High degree of planning and ability to meet tight deadlines or manage emergency situations, strong written communication skills, including in reports, proposals, and formal and informal correspondence.
A strong understanding of communications approaches including working with the media, social media, and creative areas (Film, photo, content gathering),
Excellent English written and verbal communications and fluency in Kiswahili an added advantage.
Working Environment
Security level yellow – The situation in most of the country is calm. Some parts of Kigoma experience insecurity-highway banditry.
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Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.

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