The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) began operations in Burundi in 1996, amid civil war and widespread instability. From the outset, the organization engaged in life-saving emergency interventions, providing immediate assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons. The sociopolitical and security crisis led to significant population movements.
Today, Burundi hosts more than 130,000 refugees, primarily from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the same time, more than 250,000 Burundians have been forced to flee their country and currently live in exile, mainly in Tanzania, Rwanda, and the DRC. Within Burundi itself, an estimated 100,000 people have also been displaced, largely due to the effects of climate change, such as flooding.
To address these challenges, the IRC has progressively expanded and adapted its programs to meet the growing needs of affected populations. The organization implements integrated interventions focused on emergency humanitarian response, while strengthening community resilience through protection, health, and economic wellbeing and education initiatives. The Burundi country program currently implements 9 projects with an annual operating budget of approximately USD 10 million.
To support the management and growth of its multi-donor grants portfolio, IRC Burundi is seeking a Grants & Partnership Coordinator to ensure efficient and timely grants management, from proposal development through donor compliance and reporting.
Job Overview:
The Grants & Partnership Coordinator is responsible for resource mobilization, proposal development, and coordinating the management of IRC Burundi's grants portfolio. S/he oversees all functions of the Grants & Partnerships unit. S/he works in close collaboration with the Programs department: the MEAL Coordinator, Technical Coordinators, Project Coordinators and Managers, the Senior Operations Coordinator, and the Deputy Director - Finance, and reports to the Deputy Director - Programs.
Major responsibilities
Business and Proposal Development (30%)
- In collaboration with the DDP and headquarters colleagues, proactively identify new funding opportunities by tracking and analyzing donor strategies and funding trends.
- Support effective internal communication and information management processes to ensure relevant stakeholders across the organization can access and use Business Development information, including maintaining an up-to-date opportunity matrix.
- Lead the tracking and analysis of the country program's opportunity pipeline.
- Work with the DDP, national technical coordinators, and regional colleagues to identify international partners and negotiate the IRC's role in proposal consortiums, ensuring a competitive positioning for IRC Burundi that adheres to partnership principles and the organization's strategic direction.
- Support country team staff in developing and maintaining key relationships with donors, partner organizations, and private sector actors, with a view to identifying opportunities, creating shared value, and forming strategic alliances.
- Support the DDP and technical leads in the development of new program designs.
- Prepare and facilitate Go/No Go meetings related to funding opportunities, as needed.
- Ensure that Go/No Go discussions and program design are consistent with the partnership ambition of the Country Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and IRC Burundi's programmatic approach, as well as IRC's Business Development guidance (Business Development Manual).
- Promote and coordinate partner engagement in program development efforts.
- Ensure strong and effective representation and budgeting of IRC's partnership strategy, approach, and management in proposals and reports submitted to donors.
- Oversee the development of all concept notes and proposals, either taking on or delegating the role of lead writer or editor. Develop effective process management tools for proposal development.
- Clearly define and communicate the roles, responsibilities, and timelines of each department. Facilitate effective inter-departmental coordination.
- Thoroughly review all proposal documents to ensure consistency between narratives, logical frameworks, and budgets.
- Serve as the focal point with headquarters during the review, editing, and submission of proposals.
- Ensure that all proposal deliverables are accurate, complete, high-quality, and submitted on time.
Grants and Information Management (15%)
- Coordinate the management of IRC Burundi's grants portfolio.
- Serve as the focal point for communications with headquarters on all grants and partnership administration functions.
- Review donor agreements and coordinate their review and signature with the relevant headquarters offices. Coordinate pre-award expenditure approvals, as applicable.
- Lead and/or support all project revisions, amendments, and budget realignments.
- Coordinate the monitoring and facilitation of Budget vs. Actuals (BvA) reviews to bring teams together and ensure sound financial management.
- Actively promote partners' full participation in program implementation through Project Cycle Meetings (PCM).
- Oversee the preparation, review, and monitoring of sub-grant agreements with partners, in coordination with the Finance and Supply Chain departments.
- Ensure proper grant closeout, including the production of final reports, budget reconciliation, and asset disposition, in line with donor and IRC rules.
- Maintain and circulate a regularly updated grants tracking table.
- Ensure that all departmental communication with IRC colleagues and donors is constructive, clear, and well organized.
- Maintain a well-organized and comprehensive information management and filing system for grants and sub-grants.
- Ensure that the IRC's internal Opportunity Tracking Information System (OTIS) is kept up to date and maintained throughout the grant lifecycle.
- Liaise with the Finance department to monitor spending by donor and promptly flag any risk of budget under- or over-expenditure.
- Build the capacity of IRC and partner staff in grants management by facilitating trainings and providing targeted support as needed.
Partnership Management (15%)
- Actively contribute to the relevant sections of the Partner Capacity Analysis (PCA) and to the development of resulting partner support plans.
- Coordinate the implementation of IRC Burundi's partnership strategy and partnership ambitions, in line with the PEERS (Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System) manual and the Strategic Action Plan.
- Support the Partnerships Manager in facilitating IRC Burundi's Partnership Working Group.
- Promote a partnership approach aligned with PEERS principles.
- Participate in due diligence processes and collaborative partnership risk management, as needed.
- Actively promote partners' full participation in program implementation through Project Cycle Meetings (PCM).
Donor Compliance (15%)
- Provide Programs and Operations teams with day-to-day technical guidance to ensure all grants are implemented in accordance with IRC and donor regulations.
- Coordinate with headquarters on specialized compliance issues, as needed.
- Proactively flag potential compliance issues to senior management; work closely with headquarters compliance colleagues to resolve any related concerns.
- Disseminate existing donor compliance resources and work with regional counterparts to develop and update compliance quick-reference sheets for each grant.
- In coordination with the DDP and the communications team, help ensure appropriate and effective visibility of the IRC and donors at program sites and in program materials.
Reporting (10%)
- Oversee the development and submission of all internal and external reports, in collaboration with the Programs, Finance, and MEAL departments.
- Maintain a comprehensive reporting tracker and communicate regularly with relevant team members about upcoming deadlines and the specific requirements of each report.
- Lead the production of high-quality, well-written reports that meet donor and IRC requirements.
- Thoroughly review and confirm that all reports and supporting documents are complete and accurate.
- Coordinate headquarters and technical unit reviews and approvals prior to submission to donors.
- Ensure strict adherence to internal and donor deadlines.
Departmental Leadership and Staff Management (15%)
- Lead the Grants and Partnerships units and provide staff with professional development opportunities as needed.
- Ensure a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities and a logical distribution of the portfolio among team members.
- Coordinate performance management within the department and foster a high-performance culture through staff engagement and accountability.
- Identify and support capacity building for the Grants and Partnerships team and, upon request, other staff members, to ensure a clear understanding of IRC's grants processes.
- Oversee the recruitment of new staff as needed. Ensure comprehensive onboarding and training for new hires.
Other
- Any other relevant duties assigned by the supervisor to advance IRC...