Grants Manager in North East Syria

About DCA in Syria

DCA has been providing life-saving support to conflict-affected communities in North-East Syria since 2015, focusing on short term provision of emergency support activities as well as medium to longer-term early recovery and livelihoods. DCA’s programmatic sectors include Early Recovery (emergency and seasonal MPCA, distribution of NFIs and shelter tents, Shelter rehabilitation of private housing and socio-economic facilities and infrastructure), Food Security and Livelihoods (including cash assistance through C4F, C4W, CfP, vocational trainings and livelihoods), Protection (including activities MH-PSS) and Humanitarian Mine Action (survey, clearance and explosive ordnance risk education).

Overall Description of the role

DCA is looking for a self-motivated, highly organised and proactive professional, with good interpersonal and communication skills to join the programme in North-East Syriaas Grants Manager under the direct management of the Country Director. The role will contribute to achieving high quality programming by ensuring effective grants management including compliance, reporting, proposal development, and internal and external communication with donors, staff, partners and other stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a robust grants management structure.
• Maintain overview and maintenance of all grants, donor requirements, rules and regulations, and internal and external deadlines.
• Lead the development of donor concept notes, proposals and reports for DCA’s Humanitarian Response and Mine Action (HMA) programmes, as well as ensuring donor compliance and quality control, in coordination with the Head of Programme (HoP) and Operations Manager (OM) for HMA.
• Lead to the development and revision of funding proposals, budgets, and donor reports in coordination with the HoP, OM and Head of Support Services (HoSS).
• Develop systems and processes to ensure continuous improvement of the internal grant management systems.
• Contribute to project cycle management procedures including cross-cutting programme elements and MEAL structures.
• Ensure capacity-building of the DCA’s grants management team which might be expanded in the near future, and the Project Coordinators (PC).

Grants Management and Coordination

• Overall responsibility for management of the full grants portfolio (currently worth USD 9.5 million) in coordination with HoP and OM. This includes the whole grants life cycle, from grant design, selection, start up, implementation through to grant closure, ensuring compliance with internal DCA procedures and donor regulations
• Overall responsibility for archiving relevant grant documents on PDD, DCAs grants management system
• Monthly support to the HoP to regularly review progress made by Programme Coordinators (PCs) against the agreed work plans for each individual project implemented. This will involve coordinating the monthly inputs of the PCs and the Support department into the Project Management Tools, to facilitate the review process
• Follow-up on issues when escalated by PC and support staff throughout the grants cycle on contractual, operational and reporting matters, drawing on expertise from the HoP and HoSS
• Coordination with relevant grants and finance focal points in HQ, especially for external donor communication and reporting purposes, depending on the projects

Programme Development and Reporting

• Lead the preparation of high-quality narrative reports to donors in a timely fashion, after gathering relevant input from the PCs and all other relevant staff in country office
• Ensure that all compliance requirements are met.
• Maintain communications with external donors and stakeholders in NES, related to grants management and donor communication, as and when relevant
• Support the development of a Fundraising Strategy and Donor mapping process, in collaboration with the HoP, CD and relevant HQ focal point
• Work closely with the PCs and MEAL team to review project specific lessons learned as well as lesson learned from the overall programme and incorporate these in future programming, as appropriate, in collaboration with the HoP and OM
• Support the HoP and OM in the design of future programmes
• Any other relevant tasks and responsibilities as delegated by the CD

People Management

• No staff management responsibility for the time being, however, DCA might expand the grants management team in the near future by hiring a Grants Officer

Required Qualifications and competencies

• Master’s degree from an accredited academic institution in relevant field (International Relations, Political Science, Humanitarian and Development Assistance, Sociology or any other related field)
• Minimum 3 years relevant sector experience
• Professional proficiency in English is required
• Prior grants management experience and familiarity with European (ECHO, EU IcSP, MEFA – CDCS, CoS, GFFO, GIZ, Danida) and US (BHA/USAID) donor regulations, procedures and requirements
• Experience of donor relations and grants management (e.g. with institutional humanitarian and development donors)
• Good understanding of donor rules and regulations
• Good understanding of project cycle management
• Proven skills and experience in report and proposal development and working with multiple donors
• Previous knowledge of the context in NES is desirable
• Previous knowledge of Humanitarian Mine Action sector is desirable
• Proven ability and willingness to work and live in diverse, challenging and potentially unstable environments/emergency settings.

What we offer:

• 12 months contract with the possibility of extension
• A very competitive salary package
• 30 days of paid annual leave
• A generous R&R allowance
• Insurance as per industry standards
• An interesting and challenging experience addressing humanitarian needs
• Skilled colleagues and comprehensive HQ support
• A positive and caring work environment

For further information regarding DCA, please visit our website at: www.noedhjaelp.dk.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion or ethnic affiliation are encouraged to apply for the vacancy. DCA conducts an anti-terror check as part of the recruitment process. It is a prerequisite that you can pass this check and maintain this status throughout your employment with us. Everyone applying for a job with DCA must be ready to comply with our Staff Policy on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment and our Child Safeguarding Policy.