Grants Manager

SHORT TERM MANAGEMENT POSITIONMUST BE AVAILABE FOR AN IMMEDIATE START

Position:Grants Manager

Reports to:Head of Grants and Compliance

Location: London

Salary: £42,000 per annum

Contract: Ends 30th September 2015

Hours: 37.5 hours

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 22 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. The IRC also has offices in Brussels and Geneva.

IRC-UK comprises approximately 70 staff across five departments.

THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMES TEAM

The International Programmes Team (IPT) leads the International Rescue Committee’s engagement with European donors. By closely working with the regional and country offices, it acts as the intermediary between major European statutory donors, field offices and the New York headquarters. IPT coordinates the reporting and accounting of grants and offers its financial and management expertise to field offices. IPT team members are also contributing to project design, negotiating with partners and are responsible for proposal development and compliance issues. With a deep understanding of the programmatic requirements of the various regions the IRC works in, and shifting donor strategies, the IPT is well placed to advocate on key issues on behalf of the IRC and was responsible for raising over $150 million in the 2013/2014 financial year. The IPT has forged good working relationships across the sector and is regularly called on by the IRC to offer advice and to assist with strategic planning.

The Purpose of the Role

The International Programmes Team’s key objective is to enable the organisation to increase and improve the quantity and quality of support to beneficiaries by ensuring sustained programme funding.

The Grants and Compliance Team ensure:

• The successful implementation of IRC European donor contractual requirements and reporting, ensuring compliance, accurate information and good quality narratives on programme
• Provide support to country field offices in relation to quality reporting and donor requirements during programme implementation
• Manage outputs
• Ensure good and professional working relationships with European donors.

The Grants Manager will be responsible for directly managing the Regional Grants Officers (RGOs) and Regional Grants Assistants (RGAs) covering Africa as well as any temporary staff as directed by the Head of Grants and Compliance. The Grants Manager will work in conjunction with the Grants Manager – Frameworks and, where necessary, the Head of Grants and Compliance, to manage work load over the entire Grants and Compliance Team. A key function of this role will be to take on day to day staff and team management to enable the Head of Grants and Compliance to focus on longer term policy development.

Scope and Authority

Authority:

This position has authority over five direct reports plus any temporary staff as assigned. The role also shares a wider responsibility with the Grants Manager- Frameworks, who manages the non-regional staff, for managing workload across the Grants and Compliance Team.

Responsibility for Resources:

This position has no direct budget to manage but is likely to input into any budget decisions made by the Head of Grants and Compliance.

Key Working Relationships

• Report to the Head of Compliance & Grants
• Works in close coordination with the Grants Manager – Frameworks, to manage the workload of the Grants and Compliance Team
• Manages a team of RGOs and RGAs
• Works as part of the wider International Programmes Team.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Line Management duties (60%)

• Line manage the majority of the geographically focused RGO/RGA team (currently five posts) with responsibility for:
• Conduct bi-weekly 1:1s with staff in the team, mid-term and annual performance appraisals.
• Provide support and mentoring to team members as required, working closely with the Head of Grants and Compliance and Grants Manager – Frameworks- on team resource and workload management
• Recruit and manage temporary staff providing cover for the RGO/RGA team, in consultation, where necessary with the Head of Grants and Compliance, who is the budget holder.
• Day to day personnel administration (sick leave and holiday authorisation etc.) Approval of holidays in peak seasons or for periods of a week or more in consultation with the Grants Manager – Frameworks and where necessary the Head of Grants and Compliance in order to ensure that cover is taken into account across the whole team.
• Support team to develop and deliver a training plan for country teams/units within their portfolio to feed into wider IPT planning.
• Undertake a management role within the Grants and Compliance Team, to manage workload.
• Have oversight of the development of team workload management and monitoring tools, in consultation with the Head of Grants and Compliance
• Lead and motivate staff to ensure high performance.

Department and Quality Management (30%)

• Ensure the delivery of high-quality and compliant reporting, and budget realignments – as required act as an additional resource to the team in the delivery of reporting etc.
• Ensure donor compliance, including eligibility requirements, and quality control for donor submissions.
• Act as a point of referral for the team on compliance and other technical issues, referring if necessary to the Head of Grants and Compliance
• Contribute to internal discussions and development on compliance policies, processes and guidance issued to Country Offices/Technical Units, as well for organisation-wide initiatives.
• Manage special projects as directed.

Communication External and Internal (10%)

• Represent the IRC at donor meetings and conferences, presenting the work of the organisation.
• Ensure effective communication across the Grants and Compliance Team, support RGOs and RGAs in developing and sharing learning across the team.
• Play an active leadership role in the global IRC network, with a particular emphasis on maintaining effective partnerships between IRC-UK, IRC. Inc and all regional offices;
• Promote and facilitate cross department collaboration, ensuring regular liaison between IRC- UK Finance Department, External Relations, Advocacy and IPT.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Degree preferably in a subject related to IRC’s work (International Relations, Refugee or Migration Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy), or equivalent
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of European institutional donors and their requirements
• Good understanding of humanitarian aid and development programming
• Ability to build good working relationships and work effectively with programme and field staff from a distance
• Organized self starter and able to manage competing priorities and identify strategic and critical issues
• Excellent analytical, negotiation and problem solving skills
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation and IT skills
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as effectively as part of a team

Experience:

• Substantial experience of grant management and compliance in relation to European institutional donors
• Ability and experience of supporting, leading and managing a team and working effectively under pressure in a complex organisation
• Experience in developing countries, preferably in the context of an NGO or International Organisation (UN or major donor or similar)

Desirable:

• Experience of working in a global organisation, with complex reporting relationships
• French

HOW TO APPLY:

To Apply

To apply, please send your CV (two page max) and cover letter (two page max) outlining the reasons for your interest in the post and why you believe yourself to be suitable.

Please send to: applications@rescue-uk.org

The closing date is: 10am Tuesday 14 July 2015

Interviews are planned for Wednesday 15 July. IRC-UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability