Grants Coordinator

IRC started its operations in Lebanon in 2012 in response to the Syrian crisis and it is currently operating along with its partners in six sectors (Protection and Rule of Law, Women Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection, Economic Recovery and Development, Education, and Early Childhood Development) across Lebanon through a diverse portfolio of funding.

Scope of Work

The Grants Coordinator (GC) is a key position in the country program and reports to the Senior Program Quality Coordinator (SPQA). The position supports and coordinates business development, program design, grants management (including compliance requirements and reporting), budget management and financial planning, and internal and external communication processes and procedures related to the below detailed key responsibilities. The position line manages 1 Senior Grants Manager and 2 Grants Managers.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development

• Assist CD, Deputy Director of Programs and SPQC in donor liaison and communication as requested and maintain donor engagement tracking tools and BD strategy.

• Support opportunity identification. Perform monitoring, research and analysis into donor strategies and share with program staff.

• Interpret donor solicitations and donor-specific rules and regulations to ensure responsive and compliant proposal design.

• Update and maintain an efficient system for proposal development – with clear responsibilities outlined for management, programs, finance and operations departments – that yields timely, high quality submissions.

• In collaboration with program leads, be the lead writer/coordinator/editor for all concept notes and proposals and ensure quality and timely submissions.

• Ensure that all proposals comply with the IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework, IRC’s proposal development processes and donor requirements.

• Collaborate with Partnerships Department to ensure preparation of budgets, workplans, and other deliverables when partner organizations are included in proposal development efforts and to ensure partnership approaches are articulated effectively and partners design inputs included in the proposals.

• Liaise with HQ offices (Award Management Unit and Technical Units) and technical advisors to ensure proposals meet internal standards and are donor compliant.

• Organize and as needed lead program design meetings based on IRC PDM guidance. Work with the program and operations teams to support the development of new projects and the preparation of superior-quality proposals.

Grants Management and Compliance

• Ensure that all IRC grants or contracts in Lebanon are well-administered (including maintenance of comprehensive grant files) and implemented in compliance with the relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures.

• Provide technical guidance on IRC and donor regulations to ensure compliance within operations, program implementation, and reporting. Raise compliance issues proactively with program staff and the senior staff in relevant departments. Work closely with HQ compliance staff to resolve issues related to donor rules and regulations. Regularly update donor compliance information and grants tracking sheet.

• Oversee all internal and external reporting in collaboration with the programs and finance departments, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements.

• Retain oversight on overall progress towards target and project spending and on mitigation measures taken by the team. (Programs and support teams). Keep the DDP, senior management, regional team and technical units at HQ offices informed of projected inabilities to meet contractual obligations, such as report submission, or delayed spend rates/significant budget variances. Be able to proactively mitigate risks by proposing remedial solutions.

• Lead on the organization and follow-up of Project Cycle Meetings (project opening, implementation, closing out meetings and any grant review meetings.

• Coordinate with the partnerships team to obtain information on the status of implementation and any necessary donor approvals relating to partnerships.

• Manage and/or support all agreement reviews, revisions, amendments and budget realignments, including relevant internal approvals.

• Ensure quality information management related to grants by overseeing the regular maintenance of grant files, reporting calendars, and updating of internal IRC documentation and Grant Unit tools. Maintain proper records of all Grants and sub-grants.

• Act as a focal point in facilitating proposal and donor report reviews and approvals by technical advisors and other relevant persons at HQ (including maintaining Opportunity Tracking Information System–OTIS).

Human Resources Management, capacity building and Development

• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.

• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths.

• In coordination with HR colleagues, promote and monitor staff care, well-being and self-care. Approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.

• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. Offer leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s country and Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.

• Develop a detailed capacity building plan for the grants department with regular trainings (minimum quarterly). As part of succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train and develop capability and capacity of a national staff to successfully transition role and responsibilities, by end of assignment.

• Identify top performing national staff and prioritize these staff for capacity building and mentoring investment.

• Build the capacity of key program staff in grants management including reporting, compliance, proposal development, compliance etc. through regular trainings.

• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.

• Work with regional HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies.

Communications & Representation

• Ensure any ad hoc communication requests from donors and/or HQ are developed (case studies, blogs, etc) by program and grants staff as appropriate.

• In collaboration with the Policy, Advocacy and Communications Department, ensure that all donor branding and marking plans are developed and implemented as required

• Ensure routine updates on program information sheets for use in in-country advocacy and business development efforts;

• Support in-country or regional engagement with donors and key stakeholders;

• Support representation in national technical working group meetings, partner meetings as needed.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Senior Program Quality Coordinator

Position directly supervises: 1 Senior Grants Manager, 2 grants managers

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: HQ Grants and Business Development regional team, other IRC programs and support departments.

External: all relevant donors, NGOS, partners, ministries, stakeholders, and government agencies.

Requirements

• University degree in international affairs or related subject; masters degree preferred.

• At least 5 years experience working in relief or development programs .

• Previous successful experience developing projects and writing proposals for public donors

• Knowledge of main donor regulations and priorities, including UN, USAID, PRM, GAC, ECHO, GFFO, and other European donors.

• Strong written and oral communication skills.

• Excellent English written and verbal communications skills.

• Detail oriented, organized, and able to manage competing urgent requests and priorities.

• Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.

Working Environment, Security and Travel: Based in Beirut with occasional travel to the Field Offices in Zahle, Qobayat and Tripoli.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of 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.