Grants Coordinator

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC worked in Haiti from 2010 through 2016, initially launching an emergency response to the earthquake and later delivering child protection, water and sanitation, health, women’s protection and empowerment, and economic recovery programs in Port-au-Prince and beyond. Even with the closure of its country office in 2016, the IRC has continued to provide operational, technical, and financial support to a small number of Haitian NGO partners, including in response to the 2021 earthquake. Haiti was identified as one of 20 countries at greatest risk of a major new—or significantly worsened—humanitarian crisis over the year ahead in IRC’s 2023 and 2024 Emergency Watchlist given its political instability, gang violence, rising food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks that could drive rapid escalation of the humanitarian crisis. In early 2023, IRC re-opened its Haiti operations and scaled up its emergency response with a fully partner-led response in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities. The focus has been on neighborhoods highly affected by gang violence as well as limited access to healthcare and services for survivors of violence and/or cholera hotspot issues. IRC is also engaging with partners in the Artibonite and Ouest Departments to service unmet needs in those areas.

The IRC Emergency Humanitarian Access Unit (EHAU) led the initial emergency responses and support establishing a country program that can be fully transitioned under the Latin American (LATAM) region.

Scope of work

The Grants Coordinator is responsible for the timely and effective management of a multi-donor grant portfolio. This position manages all functions of the grants unit at IRC Haiti inclusive of proposal development, reporting, donor compliance, and other administration.

The Grants Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP) The position will work closely with the MEAL Coordinator, Partnerships Coordinator, finance department, and program sector leads.

Responsibilities

Proposal Development

• In collaboration with the DDP and HQ colleagues, proactively identify new funding opportunities by monitoring and analyzing donor strategies and funding trends.

• Support the DDP and program sector leads in the development of new program design.

• Prepare for and lead Go/No Go meetings for funding opportunities as required.

• Assist in ensuring that Go/No Go discussions and program design are consistent with the SAP partnership ambition and program approach.

• In coordination with the Partnerships Coordinator, proactively engage partners in program development efforts.

• Ensure robust and effective representation and resourcing of IRC’s partnership strategy, approach, and management in donor proposals and reports.

• Oversee the development of all concept notes and proposals, acting as or delegating responsibility to lead writer or editor. Develop efficient process management tools for proposal development.

• Outline and communicate clear roles responsibilities and timelines for each department. Facilitate effective cross-departmental coordination.

• Thoroughly review all proposal documents to ensure coherence throughout narratives, logframes, and budgets.

• Act as focal point with HQ during proposal review, editing, and submission.

• Ensure all proposal outputs are accurate, complete, of high quality, and submitted on time.

Grants Management

• Act as focal point for communications with HQ on all grants administration functions.

• Review donor agreements and coordinate their review and signature with relevant HQ offices. Coordinate the approval of pre-award spending as required.

• Coordinate with the Partnership Lead to obtain any necessary donor approvals relating to partnerships.

• Lead and/or support all project revisions, amendments, and budget realignments.

• Serve as the country program expert on the facilitation of Project Cycle Meetings (PCM), including project design, opening, implementation, closing, and learning meetings.

• Actively promote full partner participation in program delivery in the context of PCM.

• Maintain and disseminate a regularly updated grants tracker.

• Ensure all departmental communication with IRC colleagues and donors is constructive, clear, and organized.

• Maintain a well-organized and comprehensive information management and grants filing system.

• Ensure IRC’s internal Opportunity Tracking Information System (OTIS) is updated and maintained throughout the awards lifecycle

• Participate in due diligence processes and collaborative partnership risk management as appropriate.

• Strengthen the capacity of IRC and partner staff in grants management functions by facilitating trainings and providing targeted support as required.

Partnerships

• Champion a culture of effective and respectful partnerships. Promote partner-led programming in line with IRC’s “why not partner?” and “partner as equals” approach.

• Ensure that partnership considerations are incorporated into proposal development and that local partners are actively engaged response design and program delivery.

• Actively contribute to the relevant sections of Partner Capacity Analysis (PCA) and the subsequent development of partner support plans.

• Manage the implementation of action items in the grants management sections of partner support plans.

• Lead and/or support collaborative project and budget design with partners.

• Ensure each proposal defines IRC’s emergency approach based on how we can best support, reinforce and complement local actors.

• Review and provide feedback on partner technical tools, reports, and data as required. Collaborate with partners on recommended adaptations or process improvements.

• Actively participate in the Partnership Working Group (PWG)

Donor Compliance

• Provide programs and operations teams with routine technical guidance to ensure that all grants are implemented in compliance with IRC and donor regulations.

• Coordinate with HQ on specialized compliance matters as required.

• Proactively raise potential compliance issues to senior management; work closely with HQ compliance colleagues to resolve any related concerns.

• Disseminate existing resources on donor compliance, liaise with regional counterparts for the development and updating of compliance cheat sheets for all grants.

• In coordination with the DDP and Advocacy Coordinator, assist in ensuring appropriate and effective IRC and donor visibility in program sites and materials.

Reporting

• Oversee the development and delivery of all internal and external reports in collaboration with the programs, finance, and MEAL departments.

• Maintain a comprehensive reports tracker and regularly communicate with all relevant team members about upcoming deadlines and specific report requirements.

• Lead the production of high-quality and well-written reports that meet donor and IRC requirements.

• Thoroughly review and confirm that all reports and supplementary documents are complete and accurate.

• Coordinate HQ and technical unit reviews and approvals prior to donor submission.

• Ensure strict compliance with internal and donor deadlines.

Departmental Leadership and Staff Management

• Oversee recruitment of new staff as required. Ensure comprehensive onboarding and training for new hires.

• Lead the grants unit and provide professional development opportunities for staff as needed.

• Ensure clear delineation of roles and responsibilities and logical portfolio allocation for all team members.

• Coordinate performance management within the department and ensure a culture of high performance through staff engagement and accountability.

Other

• Other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor to further IRC programs.

Job Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in relevant field and applicable experience in nonprofit governance, administration, grants management, including Partnership Management.

Work Experience: Minimum of six years of experience in humanitarian grants management in a multi-donor, multi-sector working environment.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Demonstrated experience in an inter-departmental coordination role and the ability to communicate with and balance the priorities of a range of stakeholders.

• Extensive experience leading the development of large multi-sector funding proposals.

• Advanced skills in donor report drafting and compilation, including the coordination of inputs and development of complex documents across different departments.

• In-depth knowledge of institutional donor compliance is required. Knowledge of BHA, ECHO, and Sida requirements is a particular advantage.

• Exceptional English and French writing and editing skills required. Able to draft and edit detailed documents for donor submission with minimal oversight.

• Previous experience in a conflict-affected or protracted crisis setting is preferred.

• Exceptional advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously.

• Excellent MS Office skills.

• Self-motivated, honest, and highly responsible.

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Language Skills: Fluency in English and French are required.

Working Environment: IRC’s office in Port-au-Prince with local travel to partner project sites as security and access permit.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.