Regional Grants Advisor - East Africa

  BACKGROUND Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. The International Rescue Committee UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its headquarters in New York and London. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. Through over 20 regional offices in cities across the United States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become self-sufficient. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable. IRC-UK Our European headquarters, IRC-UK, were established in London in 1997 to support the organisation’s global activities and particularly to diversify its donor base and be able to better advocate with European policy-makers on behalf of the people we serve. Since its establishment IRC-UK has grown rapidly and is now acknowledged for its high quality project management, technical expertise in governance and rights and economic recovery, and innovative thinking on early recovery and gender based violence. IRC-UK comprises approximately 120 staff. The IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Stockholm and Geneva. The Awards Management Unit (AMU) Established in January 2016, the Awards Management Unit (AMU) is a global unit with the responsibility for identifying, securing, and managing all funding from statutory/government donors. The unit is organized into five pillars: Strategic Partnerships, Programme and Grant Support, Compliance and Policy, Programme Development, and Training. The AMU is a bridge between donors and the field: providing expert technical advice to the field, while maintaining portfolio-level visibility to ensure consistency and compliance, and manage risk. This unit ensures that donor compliance policies and procedures are implemented consistently, and supports all staff working across the grants management cycle for all restricted funding from global government sources. Key Working Relationships Reports to the Regional Grants Director for East Africa. Works closely with all East Africa Regional Program Support Team (RPST) members as well as with the Program Development Team, and across all pillars within AMU; the Crisis Response, Recovery and Development Department (CRRD); and Global Partnerships and Philanthropy (GPP). This position manages an Assistant also based in London. The Purpose of the Role The Regional Grants Advisor (RGA) plays a vital role within a regional team that supports a specific region. The RGA focuses primarily on the successful implementation of donor award requirements and reporting, ensuring basic compliance, accurate financial information and good quality narratives on programme outputs. The RGA must also build and ensure good and professional working relationships with donors.  RGAs will work closely with the Regional Grants Directors to strengthen the capacity of field offices to manage, implement and report on awards. RGAs will also represent IRC to policy makers, donors and other audiences. Based in London, the Regional Grants Advisor works under the supervision of a Regional Grants Director. The RGA may oversee a Regional Grants Assistant. Travel to country offices is a critical aspect to the job function. The Regional Grants Adviser must be willing to travel to East Africa country offices for up to a maximum of 35% of time as budget and needs allow. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES Key Responsibilities Awards Management (50%) Manage the designated European awards portfolio for East Africa Review and provide substantive feedback on reports; consulting with and ensuring input from relevant technical and financial staff Support budget realignments and grant/contract amendments/modifications Maintain day-to-day communication with donors Monitor projects to ensure progress against objectives and compliance with donor guidelines In coordination with the compliance team, guide country offices in managing partnerships with local or international partners, ensuring that IRC’s sub-award management policies are being followed Assist country offices with ad-hoc queries on donor compliance issues. Refer non-routine and high level compliance matters to the RGDs and Compliance team Assist the compliance team in advocating with European donors for manageable and reasonable rules and regulations Ensure lessons learned from finalised projects are fed into the programme development team Stay informed about programmatic issues and security & political developments in the region and how they might affect program implementation Ensure country programmes follow internal IRC policies and procedures (e.g. OTIS, PEERS) Travel to provide additional support to or cover short-term gaps for grants teams in the field. Short-term cover deployments will cover the full range of tasks in country grants staff support, this include proposal development and support on donors not specifically assigned to RGA in HQ function. Travel decisions will be taken after consultation with line manager with due consideration given to regional priorities and workload management Capacity Building and Training (15%) Provide best practice advice related togrant and contract management Develop training materials and carry out training of IRC field staff on  donor rules, as required and in coordination with RGD and AMU Staff In coordination with the RGD, develop and maintain work-processes and checklists for grant implementation and report review, as well as record lessons learned Coordination and Supervision (15%) Maintain a strong relationship with the Regional Vice President and Deputy Regional Director and other regional staff Maintain a strong relationship with the AMU Deputy VP and all AMU pillars to ensure the use of all templates, guidance, policies and procedures established by AMU Maintain a strong relationship with field grants teams offering regular support Liaise with support departments and other teams outside of AMU as needed in order to provide the best support to country offices Supervise where relevant a Grants Assistant in carrying out necessary functions as they relate to country program support and donor liaison Coordinate with the Program Officers in NY and RGAs for information sharing and to establish a coherent program support and backstopping function between headquarters and the field. Other (20%) Support on other regional team assigned tasks as needed, such as support on other awards or phases of an award depending on the needs of the regional team and country offices Assist in roll-out of AMU and CRRD-wide initiatives, as requested Represent IRC externally at country specific meetings, and stakeholder networks Contribute to IRC Europe strategy Other duties as assigned by supervisor Qualifications Essential Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications: Good understanding of humanitarian aid and development programming Ability to work collaboratively as part of a diverse team and manage a varied workload Ability to analyse and synthesise information Solid organizational skills; detail-oriented; ability to multi-task and prioritize tasks, and to learn quickly Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: the ability to successfully and effectively liaise with people within and across departments in a multi-cultural environment Ability to analyse and synthesise information Both a team player and an independent performer in a very fast paced environment A flexible work attitude and a calm manner Ability to work on own initiative Good IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel) Experience: Experience with and a good understanding of European institutional donors and their requirements. Understanding of UN or U.S. donors a plus Experience in working at a distance and supporting field-based staff Experience writing, reviewing and editing narrative and financial reports and excellent attention to detail Desirable: Degree, preferably in a subject related to IRC’s work (International Relations, Refugee or Migration Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy) International work experience in a developing country a plus The deadline for applications is midnight between Tuesday 24th March / Wednesday 25th March 2020 Interviews will take place 13th-16th April 2020  Candidates must have the right to work in the UK. IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination for all applicants and employees. IRC-UK seeks to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious belief, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. IRC-UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including refugees who have the right to work in the UK.