Grants and Partnership Manager

Since the early 1980s Niger has consistently been ranked at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index. Over half the population suffers from chronic food insecurity and one in ten are extremely food insecure. Niger is also a disaster prone country, regularly hit by food crises and vulnerable to flooding, cholera and locust swarms. Access to health care and education for women and girls are very limited. In addition to the vulnerability of a significant proportion of Nigeriens, Niger also hosts refugees from neighboring Mali and Nigeria.

IRC’s vision for Niger is that individuals, households and communities are resilient, self-reliant and able to thrive in a changing context. IRC Niger is present in the regions of Tillabery, Agadez and Diffa with projects in the following areas: Environmental Health (EH) and Non Food Items (NFI) including Emergency – Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), Protection (SGBV, Child Protection, Monitoring Protection and Protection Integration), Education, Nutrition, Health and Livelihoods.

Position overview:

The ideal candidate must have excellent coordination skills, but also the ability to innovate and problem solve effectively, as well as good skills in working with multiple interlocutors across different technical departments. Experience working with major American, European and UN institutional donors is preferred, as well as experience working with partners.

Key responsibilities:

The Grants and Partnership Manager is directly supervised by the Grants Coordinator and will directly supervise and collaborate with two Senior Grants Officers.

Specifically, he/she will be responsible for:

• Coordinate IRC Niger’s overall grant management and donor reporting process through effective internal and external communication channels.

• Ensure effective monitoring of ongoing grants and contracts through Project Cycle Meetings, BvAs, and other grant trackers, working closely with the Grants Coordinator and other colleagues to ensure timely, quality implementation of projects.

• Manage contractual/award processes for budget realignments, change orders, and contract/award revisions and amendments for ongoing grants.

• Proactively raise potential compliance issues and keep the Grants Coordinator informed of any anticipated inability to meet contractual obligations.

• Maintain thorough understanding of donor policies, regulations and procedures and build this knowledge among program and operations colleagues.

• Edit, review and improve the quality of donor reports, including ensuring timely HQ and donor submission.

• Maintain digital files of final versions of donor reports or other key award documents (on the internal server and on OTIS);

• Support the Grants Coordinator and other colleagues (Finance, Program, etc.) in the management of donor communications and meetings with donors.

• Oversee, facilitate and coordinate all aspects of partner management and implementation using the IRC’s PEERS (partnership) system, from partner identification to project completion (vetting process, project development, contract signing, project monitoring and implementation, etc.), in close collaboration with the Program, Finance and Operations departments.

• Support the Grants Coordinator in monitoring the contractual aspects of partnerships and ensure that specific project requirements are reflected and followed in partnership agreements.

• Support the Grants Coordinator in managing communications with international and local partners.

• Respond to ad hoc requests from national and local authorities and IRC partners in Niger.

• Supervise and delegate grants work among two Senior Grants Officer and provide professional support to them as needed.

Key working relationships:

• The position reports to: Grants Coordinator

• The position directly supervises: Two (2) Senior Grants Officers

• Indirect Reports: N/A

• Other internal and/or external contacts:

o Internal: Grants and M&E Department, Program/Technical Coordinators, Human Resources Department, Supply Chain Department, Finance Department, and Deputy Directors of Finance, Programs and Operations

o External: N/A

Job requirements:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in international relations, international development, humanitarian project management, or related field.

• Minimum two years’ experience in a similar position in a humanitarian or development organization.

• Good knowledge of the humanitarian project management cycle and the logical framework concept.

• Good knowledge of procedures and practices with major European institutional donors

• Experience in managing external communications with donors and partners

• Familiarity with donor rules and regulations of the main American (USAID, BHA BPRM, CDC), European (FCDO, AFD, ECHO, Europe Aid, Swiss Cooperation, Sida), and United Nations (UNHCR, UNICEF, OCHA IOM) donors

• Fluency in oral and written French required and English is essential

• Excellent report writing skills

• Excellent oral comprehension and communication skills in French and English.

• Very good command of Word and Excel.

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks to meet multiple deadlines.

• Proactivity, dynamism, and autonomy in completing tasks.

• Strong attention to detail, format, presentation, and readability of documents.

• Ability to work as a team in a multicultural office.

• Ability to adapt, as well as accept and prioritize new tasks, according to the most urgent needs of a constantly changing environment.

• Genuine interest in humanitarian projects and programs in Nutrition, Reproductive Health, Protection, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, Education, and Rapid Response Mechanisms to population movements.

Work environment:

This position is unaccompanied, and accommodation will be on a shared basis.

IRC is an organization committed to compliance with non-discrimination in employment laws. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

IRC and IRC employees must adhere to the values and principles contained in the IRC WAY (standards for professional conduct). These are Integrity, Equality, Accountability and Service. In keeping with these values, IRC operates and enforces policies on protecting beneficiaries from exploitation and abuse, child protection, workplace harassment, and retaliation.

Standards of professional conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.