Grants Manager Iraq

NRC in Iraq

Since the Government of Iraq declared that combat operations against the Islamic State Group (IS) had ended in 2017, Iraq has been recovering from the significant damage and destruction caused by the armed conflict. Of the more than six million Iraqis who fled their homes since 2014, 4.78 million Iraqis have returned to their area of origin and 1.28 million remain internally displaced. Many Iraqis have returned to areas that lack basic infrastructure, services and livelihood opportunities, or where explosive devices have not been cleared. Other challenges returnees and secondarily displaced people face include the lack of security, community acceptance, housing, property and civil documentation issues as well as critical educational and health service gaps. Throughout this, Iraq continues to host over a quarter of a million Syrian refugees.

The Humanitarian Community calculates that more than 4.1 million Iraqis require assistance in 2021, 2.4 million of them in acute need. With military operations against IS group having ended, the Iraqi government faces new challenges to ensure an inclusive reconstruction and reconciliation that will sustain peace. Since 2010, NRC Iraq has been assisting internally displaced Iraqis, Syrian refugees, returnees, and host communities in Ninewa, Dohuk, Erbil, Kirkuk, Basra, Salahdeen and Anbar Governorates. We focus on assisting the newly displaced, those experiencing protracted displacement in camps, people moving to new areas of Iraq and resettling, and people returning to and living in hard-to-reach places by improving their chance of obtaining a durable solution. NRC runs integrated programmes across Iraq to respond to people in need through our shelter and settlements, education, camp management, legal assistance, livelihoods, cash activities, and partnerships.

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships.

Duties and responsibilities

The purpose of the Grants Manager position is to provide essential grant management support to country program in delivering quality programmes in line with the NRC CO strategy and Plan of Action.

Generic responsibilities:

• Adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures and consideration of NRC global and regional strategies when executing functions related to this role
• Develop and maintain overview of all grants, donor requirements, rules and regulations, and internal and external deadlines, including filing of grant documents (including through the grants database – forthcoming)
• Coordinate the development of donor applications and reports, as well as ensuring donor compliance and quality control
• Be updated on donor priorities, trends (such as interest in cash-based interventions) and track and share relevant calls for proposals
• Document, analyze, and share learning from proposal and reporting process, and compliance with donor rules and regulations
• Contribute to continuously improving internal grant management systems
• Represent with relevant partners and donors as delegated

Specific responsibilities:

Proposal Development

• Responsible for developing/and or reviewing grants proposals in collaboration with Technical Program Advisers. Including:
• Analyzing requests for proposals be updated on donor priorities and track and share relevant calls for proposals.
• Organizing and managing the use of timelines, templates and guidelines for proposals
• Writing or compiling and managing review of proposals
• Packaging proposals for submission.
• Create an evaluation tool to benchmark the quality of proposals and reports, guide future processes, and identify areas for improvement, including current Grants Tracker and donor logbook.
• Support to implement country office fundraising strategy.

Program Reporting and Donor Relations

• Create a template for internal monthly/quarterly reporting by the Project Management Unit to other units within NRC Iraq
• Manages the process of compiling reports (donors and internal reports) in close collaboration with Sector Specialists, Programme and M&E teams, and Finance to ensure accurate, transparent and timely delivery of narrative and financial documents.
• Coordinate and seek input on generic concept notes, briefing notes, SITREPS and programme factsheets to be used in donor meetings and visits.
• Attend donor meetings, upon request by the Head of Programme Support Unit
• Support external donor audits.

Grants Management and Monitoring

• Grants Management Cycle. Responsible for overseeing and ensuring efficiency, quality and smooth running of the entire grants cycle management, harmonising approaches and ensuring adequate feedback is provided for the continued development of grants function
• Working with the HoPS in managing grants, including (re-) allocation and delegation of grants between technical sectors & area offices, and reports to donors and project archive
• Coordinate with the Regional Office on all Country Office Grants
• Establish and improve systems and tools in line with Programme Cycle Manamangement (PCM). Create tools to simplify the processes of proposals and reporting.
• Deliver Project Cycle Management (PCM) trainings and support the use of the NRC PCM framework.
• Accountable for compliance in relation to grant management and project cycle management processes. Including providing an internal help-desk on donor related issues and deliver trainings on donor rules and regulations, as well as proposal and report writing.
• Develop and maintain overview of all grants, donor requirements, rules and regulations, and internal and external deadlines, including filing of grant documents (using the grants database – forthcoming)
• Oversee and review the signature of grants agreements including those for implementing partners.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Project planning: Technical Specialists, Finance, M&E, Head of Programme, Head of Program Support Unit, Head of Support, Area Offices, Country Director
• Implementation: Area Manager, Project Managers, M&E Manager, Head of Operations
• General Donors, local NGOs, governmental bodies, others as delegated. Donor compliance
• Grant Managers/Coordinators in other COs
• Institutional Partnership Advisers

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

Required Professional Competencies:

• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in programme development, management, fundraising and design in the humanitarian sector, preferably with refugee/IDP-related emergencies;
• Relevant experience from the project management in the humanitarian sector
• Experience from working with humanitarian and development donors
• Good understanding of donor rules and regulations
• Skills and experience in report and proposal writing
• Strong communication, coordination and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical skills (data and financial)
• Ability to mediate in high-stress scenarios with competing interest
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Above average computer skills

Required Behavioural Competencies:

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies and the following are essential for this position:

• Planning and delivering results
• Managing resources to optimize results
• Influencing
• Handling insecure environments
• Initiating action and change
• Empowering and building trust

Context/Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of the context in Iraq/ the Middle East preferable
• Knowledge of Arabic considered an asset
• Post Graduate Degree in Social Sciences, Business Administration, Finance and Accounting;
• Previous experience in the compilation of donor proposals and reports;
• Strong analytical skills (data and financial);
• Knowledge of donor rules and regulations;
• Knowledge of the political situation in Iraq
• Proficiency in the use of Word and Excel;
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal;
• Strong communication, coordination and interpersonal skills
• Ability to mediate in high-stress scenarios with competing interest

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• The individual Work- and Professional Development Plan
• The Competency Framework

We Can Offer

• Contract period: 12 months renewable
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions
• Duty station: Erbil, Iraq
• Travel: 30% to area offices