Challenge Fund Manager

Title: Challenge Fund Manager

Title: Գրանտային ծրագրերի ղեկավար

Reports to: Project Director

Location: Yerevan, Armenia

Travel: 25-50% covering 11 Marzes

Contract Type: Fixed Term, Full-time

Duration: 12 months, including 3 months of probation period, with the possibility of extension

Start Date: December 2022 (anticipated start date)

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for a Challenge Fund Manager to be based in Yerevan, Armenia. NEF is a non-profit international development organization that has supported livelihoods recovery and community-based economic development in the Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to improve livelihoods and local governance among conflict and crisis-affected groups, while maintaining neutrality and ensuring inclusiveness in our approach. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF currently has operations in ten countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. Our programs are organized around three pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Challenge Fund Manager is a key member of the Near East Foundation team in Yerevan, Armenia. This position will provide technical leadership for the STRIVE for a better future: communities and civil society resilience in Armenia programme. STRIVE aims to improve the resilience, sustainability, accountability, and capacity for innovation of Armenian civil society organisations (CSOs), enabling them to play a pivotal role in raising awareness, deepening democracy, and serving constituencies in Armenia, especially vulnerable populations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Challenge Fund Manager is responsible for overall cohesiveness of the STRIVE project’s challenge fund facilities (including: design, outreach, sub-grants, technical assistance, and monitoring) and ensuring inclusivity and accountability of the sub-grant projects.

The position has the following specific responsibilities:

• Challenge Fund management: (1) Ensuring cohesion between STRIVE grant-making facilities in coordination with NEF’s team and partners; (2) Supporting and following up with sub-grantees to ensure compliancewith the EU’s best practices on Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP); (3) Assessing and coordinating capacity building support required by sub-grantees – e.g., financial management, monitoring and evaluation, and communications and visibility; (4) Overseeing Field Officers’ coaching and support to sub-grantees.
• Inclusion: Overseeing and ensuring inclusiveness and diversity across STRIVE sub-grant projects.
• Do No Harm, conflict sensitivity, and accountability towards affected populations: (1) Assessing the “do no harm” approach of sub-grantee projects to mitigate or manage any negative impacts; (2) Ensuring regular engagement of and feedback from sub-grantees.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful Challenge Fund Manager must be a self-directed individual with the following qualifications:

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences (e.g., political science, public administration, public affairs, civic engagement), media studies, or related discipline;
• At least 5 years’ experience in the non-profit/development or CSO sector
• An understanding of the structure, constraints and functioning of CSOs, especially in Armenia;
• Experience providing capacity building related for grants management;
• Experience designing and overseeing sub-grant schemes, including setting up and providing guidance to selection committees for competitive grant processes;
• Fluency in Armenian;
• Working proficiency in English.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Experience with digital curriculum development and delivering hybrid remote/in-person training;
• Experience in supporting local and national Armenian CSOs or informal civic groups;
• Experience in promoting principles of diversity and inclusion;
• Experience in programming that prioritises participation and leadership of women, youth, people with disabilities, and other disempowered groups;
• Experience in EU regulations.

Position Criteria:

• Effective interpersonal and oral communication skills;
• Excellent written communication skills;
• Able to work effectively as part of a team;
• Complete assignments independently and/or collaboratively, meeting project deadlines;
• Take instructions and criticism constructively;
• Exercise problem-solving skills;
• Interact with project stakeholders in a professional and pleasant manner.