Programme Grants and Reporting Manager

About the role: This is a one-year, unaccompanied role based in Taloqan, Afghanistan.

This is a grade 3 position with a pro rata salary from €41,108 to €45,676.

You will report to the Programme Director to support proposal development and grant reporting for the country portfolio. You will work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team, Programme Managers and other team members as required.

We would like you to start on the 1st August 2024.

Your purpose: This role contributes to ensuring quality programming through effective grant management including programme development, proposal writing and grant management processes, ensuring compliance to internal and donor requirements and supporting and building team capacity on the same. This role supports the continued growth of the country programme grants portfolio and effective management of the overall grant cycle. You will be responsible for maintaining up-to-date records for each grant both in the in-country grant filing system and online Grant Management System (GMS), and will work in close collaboration with the MEAL team and Programme Managers (PMs) to produce high quality donor reporting and ensure strong compliance with donor requirements.

This role will work in collaboration with the Programme Director, Programme Managers, MEAL team, Finance team and the Desk Officer to produce high quality donor reports and proposals. You will support the development of funding proposals, verifying that they are in line with donor and call guidelines. You will represent Concern in proposal development meetings with partners under the Programme Director’s guidance.

You will be responsible for:

Programme Development, Funding and External Communications (40%)

• In collaboration with the Country Director and Programme Director, research donor intelligence in order to understand their mission, policies, strategies, procedures and priorities, and actively identify and keep abreast of funding opportunities, key donor priorities, funding trends, and approaches to support programme growth in line with Concern Afghanistan’s Strategic Plan. Update the current donor and stakeholder profile in country: their priorities for investment, potential calls.
• In collaboration with the Country Director and Programme Director, research potential partner organisations in-country to identify opportunities for potential collaboration in programme design and areas of synergy in programming to strengthen Concern’s programming and reach in Afghanistan.
• Working closely with the Programme Director, Desk Officer, Technical Advisors, Programme Managers, and partner organisations, support the development of cohesive, quality programme designs to address needs in Afghanistan in line with Concern Afghanistan’s Strategic Plan, including conducting research into programmatic approaches and innovations.
• Lead the drafting of concept notes and proposals to ensure high quality content and formatting, including liaising with the Desk Officer, Technical Advisors, Programme Managers and partner organisations for inputs and ensuring comments are taken on board, in close collaboration with the Programme Director.
• Working closely with the Finance team, Programme Managers, and Operations team, support the development of project budgets for submission to donors.
• Working closely with Programme Managers, the MEAL team, and the Desk Officer, develop communication briefs, position papers, press releases, and website and social media posts to present Concern’s work in Afghanistan and document approaches and success stories for sharing with the public, external agencies, and donors.

Reporting and Grants Compliance (40%)

• Oversee Concern Afghanistan’s grants portfolio, keeping respective managers and colleagues informed and updated on donor policies and compliance requirements.
• Maintain the country grants matrix: update and share regularly with the Country Management Team (CMT) and Desk Officer.
• Support the update of donor and partner due diligence and agreements documents.
• Support the organization of kick off, close out meetings for all grants, and support the drafting of all related documents (minutes, best practices, etc).
• Ensure timely submission of reports and that financial and narrative reports are accurate, coherent and meet donor guidelines and requirements.
• Liaising with the Country Director and Programme Director, contribute to the Country Programme Annual Report and/or compile internal/external updates/reports as requested.
• Participate in project review meetings to keep abreast of progress against contractual deliverables including outputs, outcomes and deliverables.
• Organize grant review meetings with the CMT, involving programme and programme support teams, to review progress against each grant and agree on follow up action.
• Support communication with donors on any anticipated or unanticipated changes during the lifetime of a project.
• Coordinate with Programme Managers to complete documents for donors and clusters (4Ws, monitoring tables, etc.)
• Ensure quality external and donor reporting and internal monthly and annual reports, including coordinating, editing, formatting and writing as needed.
• Liaising with the Programme Managers, Operations Director, and Finance team, assist in ensuring strict compliance with donor and internal programme and finance/logistics guidelines. Actively support managers on this, including coordination training/orientation sessions as necessary to the project team and partners.
• Keep up to date with relevant donor regulations and provide proposal development teams and Programme Managers with correct proposal and reporting templates, and guidance on donor policies and compliance requirements.

Knowledge and Information Management (20%)

• Maintain folders on GMS, Shared Drive and Sharepoint, of key organisational information required for proposals, and of all prior proposals submitted, for staff induction, learning, and future reference purposes (in coordination with HQ Desk Officer).
• Support version control of documents and filing of final reports and proposals, learning documents, survey reports and data, using the shared data space in country.
• Coordinate responses to cluster requests in collaboration with Programme Managers and participate in cluster meetings and dissemination of key points on a needs basis.
• Help promote a culture of shared learning across all programme locations and with colleagues in the region including participating in organising quarterly programme meetings.
• In coordination with the Programme Director and Programme Managers, ensure the collection and proactive use of project participant case studies, photos, field reports and other information to demonstrate effectively to different audiences the achievements (and challenges) of programmes implemented.
• With support of relevant project teams, review materials to ensure quality and adherence to the Concern Code of Conduct and other guidelines, and liaise with Country Director, Programme Director, Programme Managers and Desk Officer for correct level sign off.

Other

• In coordination with the Country Director and Programme Director, represent Concern at donor, consortia and other meetings as required/requested. Document and share information arising with Country Director, Programme Director, Programme Managers and relevant colleagues.
• Adhere fully to the commitments and rules of Concern’s Programme Participant Protection Policy and Code of Conduct (P4 and CofC), and ensure that any abuses or suspected abuses are reported and or dealt with as appropriate.
• In liaison with the Programme Director, provide report writing and grant management support and training to local partners.
• Any other tasks agreed with the Line Manager.

Your skills and experience will include:

ESSENTIAL

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Fluent in English, including strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to interact productively with partners and stakeholders (donors, technical departments, etc)
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in international development, international politics, or related discipline
• At least three years of overseas experience with an NGO, UN agency or donor
• At least two years of experience working on grant proposals and report or grant compliance
• Experience working with UN donors, BHA/USAID, ECHO/EU and/or Irish Aid
• Demonstrated ability to write high quality reports and proposals
• Significant experience of proposal development and familiarity with proposal and reporting formats, including budget management and participatory planning, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning methods
• Strong understanding of budget development and financial reporting
• Good team player and able to adapt to different cultures
• Demonstrated ability to meet strict deadlines and manage a heavy work flow
• Experience working in a high pressured, results focused and dynamic environment
• Good self-awareness and stress management skills
• Good organisational, planning, and time management skills
• Strong computer skills, particularly Microsoft office and internet

DESIRABLE

• Attended training courses in quality standards such as SPHERE, HAP, Red Cross Code of Conduct, Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) etc.
• Experience working in an insecure and volatile environment
• Knowledge and familiarity with food security, agriculture, climate resilience, natural resources management, disaster risk reduction, gender equality, WASH, health and nutrition, and primary education programming
• Previous experience working in Afghanistan

Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:

• Confident with strong communication, networking and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work in an insecure environment
• Very high attention to detail and excellent writing skills
• Cultural and political sensitivity
• Must be flexible and willing to adapt to a fluid situation
• Willingness to learn
• Able to take initiative and work independently
• Willing to travel frequently