Senior Regional Grants Manager - PlayMatters job at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

About the Organization

The International Rescue Committee is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. The International Rescue Committee provides vital support to Ugandans who are rebuilding from decades of war while hosting a growing influx of refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (www.rescue.org) is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict development services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC is currently working in over 40 countries around the world, addressing both the immediate and lifesaving needs of conflict affected people in emergencies and the reconstruction needs of post-conflict societies.

The IRC began programming in northern Uganda in 1998 in response to mass displacement and devastation wrought by rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2002, the IRC expanded to the remote, conflict-affected region of Karamoja and in 2011, began working with refugees in Kampala. Monitoring the influx of South Sudanese refugees at the end of 2015, the IRC began scaling up its response to refugees arriving in the West Nile region. By promoting durable solutions that deliver on the interdependent aims of saving lives, strengthening institutions, and supporting social cohesion, the IRC in Uganda is laying the building blocks for long-term stability and development –bringing people from harm to home. The IRC currently works in 9 districts in Uganda, including Kitgum, Lamwo, Kyegegwa, Moroto, Amudat, Yumbe, Arua, Kasese and Kampala.

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC reaches over a million children annually with education and child protection programs in 25 countries around the world.

PlayMatters is a US $100M investment, led by the IRC, which aims to reimagine childhood for 800,000 children across Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania through play-based learning. PlayMatters is inspired by LEGO Foundation’s call to challenge the status quo and offer children the quality education they deserve. PlayMatters is being delivered by a diverse consortium with a track record of thinking and delivering differently. We bring three distinct characteristics:

1. OUTCOMES. Everything we do is fueled by the social, emotional, cognitive, physical, creative and resilience outcomes we seek. We know learning happens when children are at the center and teachers, parents and the system surrounding them embrace children’s agency and have not only skills and resources, but the motivation to drive change.

2. RESEARCH AND LEARNING. Effective delivery requires both rigor and a big heart. With LEGO Foundation, PlayMatters will generate scientific evidence that can transform our understanding of play and learning for refugees in East Africa and around the world.
3. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP. The LEGO Foundation Humanitarian Initiative offers an opportunity to deliver and comes with the responsibility to lead. Our consortium’s members have a record of mobilizing others.

More information on PlayMatters can be found here: https://www.playmatters.org

Job Overview/Scope of Work:
The Senior Regional Grants Manager - PlayMatters is responsible for leading compliance, effective grants management for the PlayMatters consortium, supporting the high-quality programming and service delivery. The main objectives of this position are to support and coordinate program implementation, grants management (including legal, monitoring, and reporting compliance requirements), internal and external communication, and IRC partnership processes and procedures.
The Senior Regional Grants Manager - PlayMatters will work closely with HQ, regional and country-level staff across technical, financial and project management departments to support in compliant delivery of the program. They will support the Regional Senior Management Team (SMT) to achieve PlayMatters’ strategic goals by setting and monitoring financial and programmatic goals, identifying, and notifying of any risks, and supporting productive relationship management with the donor and consortium partners.

Explore all Self-paced online Certificate Courses

Duties and Responsibilities

Grant Management

Ensure that the award is well-administered and implemented in compliance with relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures (e.g., legal expectations, IRC PEERS policy, etc.). Maintain a broad and deep understanding of donor policies, regulations, and procedures and provide relevant guidance to consortium.
Support internal reporting with programs and finance teams, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements. Manage reporting timelines and processes for consortium, including developing and communicating timelines, providing reporting support/follow-up when needed, coordinating internal reviews and partner responses/revisions, and escalating major issues to Regional SMT.
Support development, review, and amendment of partnership, service, and collaboration agreements/amendments.
Support the development sand review of annual project planning documents, including budgets, workplans, technical narratives and milestones, and targets. Support Senior Regional Project & Partnerships Coordinator to obtain donor and partner approval of annual deliverables.
Support preparations for audits in collaboration with finance, AMU and OGC departments.
Work with the Senior Regional Project & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters to manage all aspects of internal and consortium-wide quarterly progress review meetings to enable regular, structured reviews of award performance.
Support overall financial management of project. Provide detailed support to budgeting exercises.
Lead knowledge management of project, including keeping hard and soft copy grant files up to date (both internal and external drives).
Support the Senior Project & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters to advise consortium on all external branding and intellectual property matters. Help with the negotiation and approvals for use of external content, ensuring compliance with relevant use terms and conditions.
Lead routine technical monitoring and evaluation of consortium partners and IRC country programs, including coordinating timelines, travel, and expectations of RPT and consortium teams. Lead documentation and communication of achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and changes needed.

Staff Management & Capacity Building

Lead building of consortium’s capacity in grants, compliance, and partnership skills. Includes on-boarding of new staff, routine re-fresher trainings, as well as development of unique trainings for dynamic needs identified as the project evolves.
Build capacity of RPT to utilize effective partnership approaches and consortium grants management tools.
Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between programming staff and operational support staff in execution of project.

Other Duties:

Proactively identify Grant management risks throughout the consortium and creatively develop solutions in collaboration with Senior Regional Project & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters.
Support Senior Regional Project & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters to develop relevant communications materials, updates, and presentations for donors, senior leadership, or other external bodies (e.g., local stakeholders) in collaboration with the Communications and Technical Departments.
Support drafting or review donor communications, such as responding to requests for information, and assist with coordinating donor visits.
Lead quarterly updating of consortium organograms, including RPT organogram.
Support RPT to liaise with relevant IRC HQ-based functions, including Communications, Finance, Fundraising and Award Management.
Support relationship building with potential partners (both formal and informal), in collaboration with relevant Technical Department staff.
Perform other duties as required by the Senior Regional Project & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters.

Qualification, Experiences and Competencies

Master’s degree or equivalent in , Project Management ,Business Administration, international Relations, Development studies , Economic, or another relevant subject.
At least 5-7 years of experience in program and grants management, and communications at an international NGO or similar organization.
Positive, helpful attitude and willingness to learn new skills is essential. Must be excellent coordinator and great teammate; this role collaborates across department and ability to influence colleagues, often without line management.
Exceptional organizational skills; experience with establishment and implementation of grants management software and tools.
Superb professional writing and editorial skills.

Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment, within and across departments/functions and develop positive relationships with locally and remote based staff.
Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills.
Flexibility and adaptability to adjust plans for the realities of working across multiple time zones and cultural contexts.
Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, file sharing and database software.
Ability and willingness to travel (up to 25%).
Experience providing supportive and respectful staff management and capacity-building.
Ability to accurately develop and review budgets is highly preferred.
Experience working in conflict and crisis settings and knowledge of humanitarian programming is preferred.
Knowledge of the East Africa context, with direct experience working in Ethiopia, Tanzania and/or Uganda preferred .
Consortium management experience is a plus.
Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance.
Understanding of IRC grants systems and policies (e.g., OTIS and PEERS, etc.) and experience implementing grants in an IRC country program is a plus but not required.