Grants Officer

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 50 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Background

The Ukraine crisis could become the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in decades. More than 5.3 million people have fled across borders to seek safety in the 1st month since the escalation of conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and over 6.5 million people are reported to be displaced. Reports indicate that almost all arrivals in Poland are women and children, including those who are unaccompanied and separated, as well as older persons.

Between February 7-23, 2022, an IRC team undertook a scoping mission covering Poland and Ukraine to better understand the context, humanitarian and civil society landscape, and anticipated service gaps in the event of an escalation of conflict in Ukraine and consequent displacement into neighboring Poland. As of February 24th, the IRC has pivoted to emergency response and has identified partner agencies in Ukraine and Poland to facilitate immediate assistance that can be used where it is most needed. Simultaneously, the IRC has established operations across Ukraine and Poland offering a robust humanitarian response to complement partner response services either in breadth or scale.

Poland is hosting the largest number of refugees from Ukraine; more than 1.5 mil. have registered for Temporary Protection (70% females and 40% children)1. In the second year of the crisis, more refugees are expected in Poland as the frontlines change and Russia intensifies attacks. The new arrivals are expected to be more vulnerable with increased protection concerns and basic needs. As the needs continue to evolve, the IRC proactively adapts its programming to the context to ensure efficient delivery of assistance. The IRC Poland currently provides Protection, cash, education, and livelihood support to the affected population in Poland.

Job Overview

The Grants Officer will play a vital role in providing grant management, administrative, business development, and reporting support across the IRC Poland portfolio. Working as part of the Grants and Partnerships Team, and cooperating closely with technical program team, monitoring and evaluation (MEAL), finance team, and logistics, the Grants Officer will ensure quality support to both pre- and post-award grants and partnership functions. The position reports to the Grants Manager and is based in Warsaw, with occasional trips to other regions/cities for project monitoring or donor visits.

Grants Management:

· Utilize grant/project management tools (grants snapshots, grants tracker, etc.) to ensure accurate tracking of opportunities, reporting, and programmatic adjustments throughout the project life cycle.

· Maintain an up-to-date, comprehensive database of donor guidelines relevant to the program portfolio, providing support to local partners.

· Collaborate with the Grants and Partnerships Team to closely monitor grants and partnerships results and spending, raising concerns in a timely manner.

· Proactively support other grants management processes across the portfolio in collaboration with other departments.

· Assist in maintaining and updating the IRC’s Opportunity Tracking & Implementation System (OTIS).

· Manage and update online information management and filing systems, ensuring all relevant documentation and key communications are appropriately filed for IRC and partner grants.

· Ensure IRC colleagues have access to relevant records and information.

Project Cycle Management (PCM):

· Develop and maintain the schedule for PCM meetings per IRC standards.

· Act as the country program focal point for PCM guidance.

· Organize, prepare, and independently facilitate relevant PCM meetings, write meeting notes, and follow up on action points with relevant departments.

· Conduct training for relevant staff and partners on proposal development, PCM, and reporting.

Reporting:

· Support the timely coordination, writing, revision, and dissemination of high-quality reports to donors, including partner reports.

· Assist the Grants Manager in ensuring information on all donor communications, changes in regulations, and meetings or events are disseminated as needed.

· Work with communications and MEAL staff to collect lessons learned from IRC work and draft case studies from programs.

Proposal Development and Fundraising:

· Conduct research and gather information for proposal design and business development.

· Support the coordination of the proposal development process, including writing and reviewing relevant sections and working with other departments.

· Track all donor engagement, new opportunities, pipeline, and submissions.

· Assist in the development of external communication tools for donor visits/meetings on IRC Poland and IRC Poland programs.

· Identify and support the development of new public and private sector fundraising opportunities and initiatives.

Coordination and Communication:

· Ensure proper review of donor-facing materials, including proposals and reports, by HQ, technical advisors, MEAL, DDP/CD, etc.

· Notify country program staff or partnerships of any changes to awards, including proposal approvals, amendment approvals, D1 updates, or key donor needs.

· Align written publications and internal planning files with IRC branding guidelines.

· Support the coordination of donor meetings and prepare ad-hoc updates for donors, especially those related to critical context shifts.

Donor and IRC Compliance:

· Provide guidance on donor regulations during both proposal development and award start-up.

· Create and maintain a compliance cheat sheet accessible to all staff with key award considerations based on the agreement.

· Support responses to compliance queries, coordinating with the Grants Manager and HQ regional grants team as needed for complex cases.

Qualifications

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Mandatory:

· BA degree or equivalent in International Development or Affairs, Humanities, Finance, Business or related field; Advanced degree a plus – or equivalent work experience

· Minimum of 2 years’ experience in assisting and/or managing activities/projects within the I/NGO environment in Poland

· Highly organized, close attention to detail, and ability to effectively prioritize tasks in a fluid environment

· Ability to work well independently but also coordinate with other teams

· Willingness to travel frequently to field offices and partner locations

· Professional fluency in spoken and written English and Polish; able to communicate concisely.

· Strong computer skills, particularly Microsoft Office Package

· Experience with humanitarian organizations would be an asset.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Grants Manager

Position directly co-supervises: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts: the position regularly corresponds and attends meetings with external and internal audiences, thus a strong ability to communicate and maintain positive working relationships is highly desirable for this positon.

Internal: Technical Coordinators, Grants and Partnerships Team staff, Finance team, Supply Chain team, and others.

External: Partner staff.

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, 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.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.