Grants Manager

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC seeks to be an operational and inspiring leader in matters of resettlement, asylum, and integration, demonstrating its credibility and expertise as a leading service provider, partner and advocate across the arc of the global displacement crisis.

Across Europe, the IRC delivers programs that address acute humanitarian needs of asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants who are newly arrived, stranded or in transit, and programs that address their longer-term integration needs.

In response to the increased number of people on the move from 2015, the IRC began responding in the Balkans to assist vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants through local partners/CSOs. Since the conflict in Ukraine started and consequent displacement into neighboring countries from February 2022, the programs are established to address the most pressing needs of people on the move across the South-east Europe. IRC continues to use its voice and expertise to increase safe and legal pathways, ensure protection and improve the quality of resettlement, asylum and integration services. The programs are implemented in close partnership with local non-governmental organizations and governmental institutions.

SCOPE OF WORK

 The Grants Manager is a full-time position, based in IRC Balkans Office, Belgrade. The Grants Manager provides day-to-day oversight of core donor reporting, information management and grants management capacity-building efforts, and ensures timely and effective implementation of grants and partnerships for IRC Balkans and Southeast Europe (Ukrainian neighboring countries). The Grants Manager also provides key support to the Head of Office and the regional team in the development of high-quality funding proposals, programmatic and budgetary monitoring, compliance with donor and internal IRC rules and regulations and other key functions as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

 The grants manager shall:

Program Design & Proposal Development: 

• Provide support in developing and compiling quality donor proposals and budgets in close collaboration with the Head of Office, program and finance staff and technical advisors, ensuring that IRC’s Strategic Planning goals are incorporated.
• Assists on needs assessments and data collection as necessary to feed into project design.
• Liaise regularly & work very closely with program, operations and finance staff to coordinate program planning. 
• Monitor major donor trends (policies, strategic directions, etc.) and funding opportunities through regular research and monitoring of information on relevant websites and/or other sources.

• Explore, build and maintain partnerships with CSOs in the Balkans and Southeast Europe.

Reporting & Documentation:

• Stay up to date on all IRC programs in the Balkans and Southeast Europe and through a thorough review of specific program materials, general country context materials and by regular communication with key staff and local partners;  
• Stay up to date with all institutional donor guidelines.
• Manage all external reporting, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements, with support from the program managers/coordinators.  Acquire and disseminate updated information regarding donor formats (proposals and reports) and other donor related information.
• Ensure that draft reports are disseminated for review and feedback by senior management team, relevant technical unit(s), and HQ staff prior to submitting the final report to donor.
• Consolidate monthly internal program reports based on input from sector managers, including tracking progress on program indicators and reporting on key program highlights/issues.
• Draft program and partnership briefing materials and respond to requests for program information from IRC Regional Management, IRC HQ, donors, Government and others.
• Prepare and update IRC Balkans information packets/materials for donors and visitors in close collaboration with the Program Assistant.
• Facilitate documentation of institutional knowledge and past program activities.

Grants Management & Compliance:

• Ensure that subgrant agreement documents, including logframes correspond to the donor agreement.
• Maintain the proposals, grants, report, and assessments/evaluation tracking systems.
• Support the organization and follow-up of grant opening, review and close out meetings. 
• Provide technical guidance and ensure compliance with donor and IRC regulations within program implementation and reporting, including submission of timely modification and extension requests, procurement regulations and requests for waivers/derogations, etc.
• Raise compliance issues with program staff and Head of Office.
• Build grant management capacity of implementing staff and partner organizations by facilitating training, and providing one on one follow up support, in report writing, proposal development and other topics.
• Ensure quality information management through regular maintenance of grant files, reporting calendars, timely submission and updating of internal IRC documentation and other Grant Unit tools.
• Assist the Head of Office in preparing, reviewing, and documenting memoranda of understanding, agreements and agreement modifications for the IRC Balkans program.
• Support the Head of Office in preparation and follow-up of grants operations meetings.

Project Implementation:

• Support project implementation including logistics support and organization of IRC-led activities - trainings, meetings, and workshops for partners, service providers, and stakeholders, in line with donor requirements
• Based on monitoring and feedback mechanisms, support the HoO to strengthen the quality, effectiveness, and responsiveness of program interventions.
• Support HoO to ensure that all of the IRC led activities are documented in line with donor requirements (including drafting and collecting minutes of the meeting, monitoring visit reports, agendas, attendance sheets for the events, creating photo documentation, case studies, etc.)
• Support the HoO in ensuring that meeting action points and agreements are followed-up and actioned upon, including support to coordination and communication among/between IRC, partner, and relevant stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain effective and productive working relationships with key stakeholders and partners in the Balkans and Southeast Europe.
• Report on performance and attend regular team meetings aimed at ensuring activities of the team members are coordinated and performed in timely manner.

 KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

•  The Grants Manager reports directly to the Head of Office.

• Senior Grants Officer, Program and Grants Assistant, and Partnership Officer will directly report to the Grant Manager.