BACKGROUND:
The region known as the North of Central America (sometimes referred to as the Northern Triangle), comprised of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, continues to see high levels of violence, migration and instability. Homicide rates are among the highest ever recorded in the region and are as deadly as many contemporary armed conflicts such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Disappearances, forced recruitment into gangs, and the sexual exploitation of women and girls also form part of the pattern of violence. The overwhelming majority of survivors of sexual violence are between the ages of 10 and 19 years. The scale and severity of the epidemic of violence has caused people to flee their homes and seek international protection in record numbers. According to IDMC 712,000 people were displaced last year due to high levels of violence and targeted threats, and instability.
As part of a needs assessment conducted in 2017, the IRC found that families and individuals affected by violence and displacement were unaware of and unable to access quality support services and meet their basic needs. Even where services were available, the lack of knowledge about and fear of seeking help was widespread, and many weren’t seeking services at all, rather fleeing internally and increasingly externally. In response, the IRC is implementing an integrated protection serving individuals and families who are highly vulnerable including those internally displaced, returned asylum seekers and refugees, women, girls, youth, members of the LGBTQ community and others who have been victimized due to targeted, threatened and generalized violence in the region.
Scope of work
Based in El Salvador, with frequent travel to Honduras and Guatemala, this position will be overall responsible for the business development and grants unit. Reporting to the Country Director, she/he will work closely with sector heads, finance and operations on compliance, donor regulations and reporting.
Length of Assignment: 2 years
Languages: Fluency in both Spanish & English
CVs must be submitted in English.
Responsibilities
Positioning and Capture Planning:
Develop and lead Northern Central America program growth strategy by leading the development and implementation of the positioning and capture planning strategy.
•Research and analyze donor priorities and meet with donors and partner agencies gather information on to funding opportunities in line with the IRC’s strategic objectives. Build capture plans in preparation for upcoming funding opportunities including the identification of staffing needs.
•Design and lead positioning efforts for the IRC in the region.
•In coordination with regional leadership, meet with donors, UN agencies and NGOs to explore potential partnerships and to build relations, in line with the IRC’s priorities in the region.
Proposal and New Business Development:
•Coordinate proposal development working with program staff and ensuring accurate review at the HQ level, gathering input from technical coordinators, technical advisors, Measurement staff, and the Regional Unit.
•Act as the point person for leading responses to business development opportunities, including setting calendars for project development and approval. With the Country Director, ensure that the calendars are followed. Be the lead writer/coordinator/editor for all concept notes and proposals, as needed.
•Develop budgets, budget narratives, concept notes, proposals, and supporting documents; ensure accurate proposal development procedures are followed. Ensure communication between all departments (finance, programs, and operations) in drafting of budgets.
•Assist senior management in donor liaison and act as focal point with donors in-country for the proposal development process as needed, as well as programs and projects in use of the OTIS (Opportunity Tracking Information System) database.
Grants Management and Administration:
•Review donor agreements and coordinate their review with the relevant IRC HQ office. Coordinate and support the team to acquire DOAs prior to grant signatures, as needed.
•Ensure that all IRC grants or contracts in El Salvador are well-administered (including maintenance of comprehensive grant files) and implemented in compliance with the relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures.
•Acquire compliance guidance from HQ as needed.
•Work with operations department in ensuring that relevant donor procurement rules are followed for all grants.
•Ensure the submission of high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements; that reports are coherent and accurate (quarterly, interim or final reports); and that the internal reporting tracker and OTIS reporting info are up to date.
•Act as focal point for communications with HQ grants administration and compliance functions in New York and London.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
•Provide leadership to use the IRC data to position
•Play a leadership role in the design and running of monthly grant monitoring meetings to ensure that grants are implemented in compliance with the IRC and donor regulations, to ensure strong financial management, to ensure the accurate operational openings and closings of grants, and to ensure monitoring and evaluation of programmatic progress. Support the follow-up to action points from these meetings.
•Work closely with the Country Director to develop and maintain program monitoring and evaluation tracking tools to ensure all sector indicators report monthly progress. Identify and share gaps with Coordinators.
•Monitor and support the use of management tools such as Budget vs. Actual (BVA) for the accurate monitoring and the successful implementation of programs and early warning in case of obstacles or challenges.
•Contribute to the implementation of the Project Cycle Meetings (PCM) initiative across all grants.
•Contribute to the development of strong data collection and monitoring & evaluation plans within each proposal, including well-designed log-frames and indicators, and ensure that project indicators are regularly and systematically monitored and reported on.
•As needed, assist field staff in monitoring implementation of activities under grants and contracts.
Other:
•Build grant management capacity of field staff by facilitating trainings, and providing one-on-one follow-up support in report writing, proposal development, budget management, indicator tracking, IRC-specific tools, and other topics as/if needed.
•Conduct monitoring visits to field locations, security protocols permitting.
•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.
•Ensure OTIS, Shared Drive and Hard Copy data is up to date for all assigned new proposals and grants. Secure all OTIS approvals for the assigned new proposals prior to submission to the donor.
•Act as custodian of documentation of institutional knowledge and program activities in coordination with the sector supervisors and coordinators.
