Scope of work:

The IRC Kenya Sn Grants Coordinator will report to and work with the Deputy Director for Grants and Accountability (DDGA) for the Kenya country program to maintain quality grants coordination. Reporting to the DDGA, this position will work closely with all departments and staff including senior program coordinators, partnerships, MEAL, technical coordinators, finance, and operations on compliance, donor relations, business development, and reporting. The Sn Grants Coordinator sitting in Nairobi will supervise a team of Grants Managers and Officers located in different locations.

The IRC Kenya Sn Grants Coordinator will additionally liaise with the East Africa Regional office in Nairobi, as well as IRC Headquarters colleagues in NY, Germany, and the UK.  

Major Responsibilities:

Program Design & Proposal Development (approx 40% of the time)

• Support the DDGA to cultivate donor relationships in Kenya and the Region.
• Track upcoming opportunities by priority sectors in the country program
• Support the development and management of the BD strategy for Kenya.
• Support the DDGA and technical leads in comprehensive business development and develop funding proposals, appropriate to the context and aligned with the country-level Strategic Action Plan.
• Lead proposal development initiatives, providing overall coordination function between HQ IRC’s global technical advisors, partners, finance, operations, HR, and program focal points to ensure smooth and timely proposal development processes.
• Serve as team lead for all proposals, working with and /or overseeing other key roles (e.g. regional support team, consultants) when needed and as resources are available to support them.
• Ensure proposals are tracked with standard IRC tracking tools (e.g. OTIS, Internal tracker)
• In collaboration with the MEAL Coordinator, utilize needs assessments and contextual analysis results to inform project design.
• Monitor major donor trends (policies, strategic directions, etc.) and funding opportunities through regular research and monitoring of information on relevant websites and/or other sources.
• Support program growth aligned with strategic priorities through liaising and collaborating with respective technical units in program design, researching context, gaps, needs assessments, and viable new funding opportunities.
• Ensure the identification, appraisal, and mapping of partners is carried out constructively and consistently, and that strategic partners are appropriately engaged in pre-positioning and proposal development processes.
• Interpreting donor solicitations and donor-specific rules and regulations to ensure a responsive and compliant proposal design.
• Support proposal budget development and ensure responsiveness and that it matches the technical narrative.
• Consolidate written inputs into a cohesive proposal narrative; write non-technical sections such as the management and past performance sections.
• Edit the full technical proposal and budget narrative for coherence, length, uniformity, and responsiveness to the solicitation.
• Ensure timely submission of quality proposals.

Grants Management and Compliance (approx 40% of the time)

• Review and negotiate donor contracts and agreements.
• Review any request for extension and amendments in coordination with the DDGA and maintain a tracker for IRC and partners’ payments and expenditures per each grant.
• Manage and provide overall oversight of the grants portfolio and regularly update the grants tracker for dissemination internally and to the Awards Management Unit
• Ensure open, timely, and accurate information flow within the Grants Unit and between the Unit and relevant departments.
• Ensure the submission of timely and high-quality reports (including narrative, financial, and MEAL) to donors, including the development and update of regular funding and reporting trackers and schedules for dissemination to relevant staff.
• Maintain strong oversight of the portfolio and pipeline, including grant opening and closing dates to ensure timely submission of all related deliverables.
• Provide technical guidance on IRC and donor regulations to ensure compliance within operations, program implementation, and reporting.
• Raise compliance issues proactively with program staff and the DDGA, DDP, DDF, and DDO for timely action and keep senior management informed of any projected inabilities to meet contractual obligations, reports submission, and spend rates/signification budget variances.
• Manage and/or support all agreements reviews, revisions, amendments, and budget realignments, including relevant approvals.
• Leads the Grants Unit to coordinate closely with finance teams and review project spending plans and financial health to ensure effective spending amendments and closeout activities.
• In coordination with DDGA, conduct project lessons learned meetings during the project closeout phase.

Human Resources Management, capacity building, and development (approx. 20% of the time)

• Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Make sure the Grants team works as one even if sitting in different locations and covering different field locations.
• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least bi-weekly.
• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning to strengthen technical capacity, exchange knowledge within the team, and provide guidance on career paths.
• In coordination with HR colleagues, promote and monitor staff care, well-being, and self-care. Approve and manage all time, attendance, and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. Offer leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s country and Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.
• Develop a detailed capacity-building plan for the grants department with regular training (minimum quarterly). As part of a succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train, and develop the capability and capacity of national staff to successfully transition roles and responsibilities, by the end of the assignment.
• Identify top-performing national staff and prioritize these staff for capacity building and mentoring investment.
• Build the capacity of key program staff in grants management including reporting, compliance, proposal development, compliance, etc. through regular training.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Work with HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies.

Partnerships

• IRC Kenya has committed in its SAP to spend 8% of funding through local partners by FY2024. The grants unit facilitates this process by:
• Contributing to the achievement of goals related to the SAP partnership ambition including the identification and onboarding of Strategic Partners
• Embody and model IRC values related to partnerships (partner as equals, partner first) and facilitate this approach in the implementation of IRC programs
• Support the development and maintenance of strategic partnerships.
• Support negotiation of partner sub-award agreements in coordination with the Partnerships Coordinator, Award Management Unit, and Compliance Unit

Representation and Advocacy

• In coordination with the DDP/DDGA, actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders including local communities, donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors. Liaise with county and national governments, donors, NGOs, and other operational partners in Kenya via attendance at meetings, consultations, and other forums.
• In coordination with the DDP/ Senior Coordinator for Program delivery, assist in organizing donor visits by supporting staff in the smooth design and running of field visits.

Country Program Management

• Actively participate in and contribute to strategy discussions, including SAP revision processes
• Stay updated on new IRC priorities, policies, or process updates and ensure Grants & Partnerships and MEAL units are informed of any changes.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree – international studies/development or similar OR Bachelor’s Degree with significant grants management experience and superior writing skills.
• At least 7 years of demonstrated field-based experience with humanitarian grants management, possibly including experience working with sub-grantee partners to build their capacity to access and account for resources. 5 years of this experience should be working in relief and development contexts.
• Excellent writing skills and experience in writing proposals/concept notes.
• Strong understanding and knowledge of USAID, PRM, FCDO, UNHCR, UNICEF, SIDA, SV, EU, ECHO, and private donor rules and regulations.
• Proven competency with program design, M&E, proposal writing (including logical frameworks), and building budgets.
• Excellent management and coordination skills.
• Solid ability to provide team building, coaching, and development for staff as well as encourage cross-functional collaboration and cooperation.
• Ability to work independently while being a strong team player.
• Excellent relationship-building, interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively represent IRC at forums and with donors.
• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• High attention to detail and excellent time management skills
• Excellent leadership and management skills including coaching, mentoring, and managing teams.
• Politically astute, with well-developed diplomatic and negotiating skills.
• Superior oral and written communication skills, with the ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and persuasively with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Extensive representation and fundraising success, including prior experience with European, US, and other international and private donors.
• Established capacity to deal with ambiguity in stressful situations.
• Strong commitment to IRC’s vision, mission, and core values.
• Proven ability to design and lead training engagements with staff and partners to enhance skills and adapt to changing program demands.
• Professional fluency in spoken and written English.
• Familiarity with Kiswahili is an advantage.
• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 
• Familiarity with file-sharing systems such as SharePoint is desirable.

How To Apply

Click Here To Apply