Projects and Funding Officer

Background on IMPACT INITIATIVES

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization manages several initiatives, which includes i) the REACH Initiative aimed at facilitating the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts, ii) the PANDA Initiative aimed at directly supporting key aid actors in improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy of their programmes, and iii) the AGORA Initiative aimed at promoting localised and multi-sectoral aid action in support of the recovery and stabilisation of crisis-affected communities.

The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED and the two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a Projects and Funding Officer to oversee our project development and grant management activities for Moldova.

Position: Projects and Funding Officer

Contract duration: 6 months, with potential renewal

Location: Chișinău

Starting Date: ASAP

Country profile

IMPACT has been active in Moldova since late February 2022, following the escalation of conflict in neighbouring Ukraine. IMPACT’s work has primarily been to facilitate the emergency response efforts in support of the more than 700,000 refugees that entered Moldova in the months following. Today, more than 100,000 refugees remain in the country. Alongside the pressures felt due to the Ukraine conflict, Moldovan society continues to grapple with several other interconnected challenges. These economic uncertainty, energy security, government reform and climate change. The humanitarian response is therefore shifting towards a medium to long term outlook that addresses the vulnerabilities of refugee population alongside those of the Moldovan host population in a holistic manner. IMPACT Moldova scope has likewise expanded to conduct research that covers the spectrum of humanitarian and development needs in the country, in order to provide timely data and analysis to a variety of partners and other relevant stakeholders.

As the Moldova Country Strategy is developed, workstreams will be elaborated into two areas that cover A) Provision of protection and basic needs to vulnerable communities, which will continue to support refugee response in Moldova and providing research insights that lead to enhanced support to Moldovan communities in need; and B) Support to local communities to enhance resilience and preparedness, which aims to support strengthened local community governance and accountability, improved socio-economic outcomes, better access to public services, and enhanced disaster risk awareness and preparedness.

FUNCTIONS

Under the management of the country coordinator (CC) for Moldova, the Projects and Funding Officer (PFO) is responsible to support the identification, development and management of grants in the region. The ideal candidate would be eager to work within a dynamic and motivated team and will have a clear focus on project development as a tool to improve the efficacy of the humanitarian and development response in the region. The priorities will be determined together with the CC.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The PDO’s responsibilities include the following:

1. SUPPORT TO Positioning and Fundraising

All of the below tasks are in support of the CC, and involvement may vary according to the profile, seniority and context.

Context Analysis

• Support to analysing the related countries socio-economic situation, (donor) trends, funding trends, needs and gaps
• Regularly conduct stakeholder analysis, who does what and where
• Alert the Country Coordinator (CC) of gaps and emerging needs in order to trigger donor discussions/assessments in a timely manner

Strategy development and Fundraising

• Contribute to the development of a mission programme strategy in alignment with IMPACT global strategy and road map through engagement with external actors, context monitoring, and relevant focal points
• Based on the IMPACT strategy, support the identification of funding opportunities and donors to ensure funding continuity as well as support the diversification of IMPACT’s donor portfolio through tracking funding opportunities, also potentially engaging with donors and donor working groups.
• In line with IMPACT strategy and expertise, contribute to partners mapping, to support identifying potential relevant international and/or local partners (academia, think tanks, national and international NGOs, private sector partners, etc.)

External relations

• Support the overall cooperation with IMPACT’s sister organisation ACTED (hosting IMPACT in its field of operations) in relation to project development and grants management ensuring communication is regular and timely and synergies are sought and built.
• Contribute to establishing, maintaining and improving active and regular working relationships with donors and, where relevant, act as point of contact for all formal/informal donor communication
• Establish, maintain and improve active and regular working relationships with IMPACT partners, NGOs, UN agencies, relevant working groups, consortia and academia in relation to project implementation and proposal development.
• Maintain an up to date directory of donors, international and local NGOs, other partners and stakeholders
• Ensure fundraising activities are appropriately tracked in the Funding Tracker (or similar tool), which is updated on a regular basis to log in latest negotiations and proposal possibilities with donors.

2. Grant management

Proposal Development

• Oversee project proposal conceptualisation (problem statement, logframe), and the development of other fundraising documents (Expressions of Interest, concept notes) in line with IMPACT country strategy and donor requirements and in close collaboration with IMPACT/hosting partner Field and HQ GD and finance
• Liaise with the CC, Research Managers, Operations manager and other relevant departments to ensure proposals are relevant and technically sound, as well as with other internal stakeholders such as Finance for the budget and other budget related documents (e.g. budget narrative)
• Ensure that learning from previous projects (e.g., lessons learnt and best practices) is incorporated into new proposals
• Ensure validation of all proposals before submission to IMPACT HQ GD, and relevant HQ partner’s through partner’s field focal point (where relevant) is sought.
• Ensure follow up tool (such as the fundraising tracker) is correctly up to date.
• Address and coordinate the timely response and submission to all comments by donors on proposals in liaison with relevant staff in country, IMPACT HQ Grants and Finance teams.

Contracting

• In coordination with the CC and IMPACT HQ, review/negotiate proposals and/or contracts with donors, ensuring requirements are clear and understood
• Contribute to due diligence exercises of funding partners in liaison with HQ

Project Implementation and Follow up

• Ensure the timely completion of grant related processes such as Project cards, Monthly Reporting Follow Up (RFU) and Reporting Deadline Tracker
• Ensure timely Kick-off meetings are held involving all project components and focal points
• Ensure the establishment and regular update of project progress, key findings and success stories (including key M&E findings – where relevant)
• Ensure that all contractual obligations are clearly defined and communicated internally in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements, in close coordination with HQ GD and (as relevant) with partner’s PD and finance department
• When any issue is identified in meeting deliverables in the given timeframe and budget, inform relevant staff in country and suggest potential solutions that would meet donor rules
• Ensure ad hoc requests from donors are addressed in liaison with the CC, Programme and support teams
• Implement and oversee the project specific filing system for grant management and ensure it is regularly updated.
• Provide ad-hoc support to project implementation through trouble shooting and eliminating blocking points

Reporting

• Oversee the development of quality project narrative and M&E reports (in support of donors’ requests), reflecting the progress and status of projects in a transparent, timely and professional manner, in liaison with IMPACT HQ GD and finance
• Liaise with Program teams when preparing reports, and with Finance to ensure coherence and alignment between financial and narrative reports by crosschecking the matching of data in the narrative and financial reports
• Oversee the monthly RFU and ensure smooth and regular communication with IMPACT HQ GD
• Where relevant, ensure regular coordination with partner’s Project Development, Finance and other FLAT departments at all stages of project development and implementation, including consultations for donor discussions, participation in project kick off and lessons learnt meetings, and drafting of donor reports or amendment requests

Partnerships

In close liaison with and under the supervision from the CC:

• Contribute to identifying potential partnerships for providing operational and/or technical support for IMPACT programs
• In coordination with HQ GD, facilitate or take part in discussions with implementing partners, including in relation to formalizing contractual modalities (due diligence and outline of contracts)
• Ensure partners have a clear understanding in terms of IMPACT policies, procedures, compliance, programmatic and financial reporting requirements
• Where relevant, review partner reporting regularly and flag any issues in a timely manner to RC, CC, Finance and partner focal points, and suggest potential solutions
• Contribute to due diligence and vetting of partners in close liaison with IMPACT GD and partner’s FLAT departments.
• Where relevant, act as field point of contact for all formal/informal implementing partner communication

3. Monitoring and Evaluation

• Ensure a clear M&E framework for each ongoing project is developed based on project proposals, implementation plans, and donor reporting requirements (including contractual monitoring and evaluation indicators to be tracked as part of activities)
• Ensure M&E policies and procedures are implemented, maintained and tracked for reporting purposes
• Ensure that M&E findings are reflected and their recommendations are incorporated in future concept notes, proposals, donor reports and implementation plans

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar), required;
• Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements, required;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting; required
• Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Office 365, the Adobe package and Trello required;
• Coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including ability to manage large workloads, effectively meet deadlines, through an excellent ability to multi-task and prioritise in complex environment;
• A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently;
• Past experience in field work is desirable;
• Solution-oriented, flexible, and open-minded, including ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment required
• A sense of curiosity, the drive to improve the humanitarian sector, and ability to see the big picture.
• Fluency in English required;
• Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment

Compensation And Benefits

• For this position, salary between 2’100 and 2’160 CHF monthly (before income tax), etc as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD and a food allowance of 300 USD NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff.
• Accommodation provided in a guesthouse.
• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered.
• Contribution to the luggage transportation fees.
• Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment.
• Family/compassionate leave when applicable.
• Predeparture induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’ HQ in Geneva + one week pre-International training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training.
• MPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fee.