Grants and Awards Manager (Yemen)

POSITION SUMMARY

The Grants Manager helps ensure compliance with donor requirements at all stages of the project lifecycle and facilitates effective management of RI Yemen’s grants in coordination with other departments (e.g., Programs, Technical Units, Finance, Operations). This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring timely and quality reporting to donors, facilitating grant opening and closeout processes, advising on donor rules and regulations, coordinating proposal development processes, and capacity building of staff.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Grants Management & Compliance

• Advise program teams, support departments, and implementing partners on donor rules and regulations as well as RI’s internal requirements and actively promotes increased awareness of key compliance issues across the organization.

• Ensure the submission of high-quality narrative reports to donors by reminding the program teams about upcoming deadlines and reviewing and editing reports in accordance with donor requirements and RI writing guidelines.

• Support the Area Management Team in ad hoc requests from the authorities such as collating annual or project end reports and coordination on access to implementation sites to ensure compliance with donor requirements and proposals.

• Organize grant opening meetings with the participation of program and support departments to develop a common understanding of the programmatic, operational, and financial aspects of a new grant as well as knowledge of our contractual requirements.

• Organize grant close out meetings to facilitate a timely closeout of a grant, support full expenditure of the budget, and ensure that all contractual obligations will be met (e.g., final report, asset disposal).

• Participate in monthly BvA review meetings with all relevant departments to discuss progress towards programmatic and financial targets, review of the spend down plans, facilitate collective problem-solving to avoid delays in program implementation, and allow for early identification of modification requests as well as providing compliance advice during the meeting.

• Coordinate the preparation of modification requests for donors, including proposal revision, budget realignment, and other changes, in compliance with donor guidelines.

• Leading in donor communications for strategic grants to ensure that contextual, access and/or emergency updates are shared on time as well as implementation and contractual issues are raised timely to agree on way forward

• Liaise with the Middle East regional team on all grants management matters such as monthly submission of Awards Matrix, reviewing grant agreements, obtaining grant codes, requesting waivers and derogations, etc.

• Maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date filing system on all aspects of grants and awards management.

• Support the DCD-Program with timely and quality submission of Monthly Management Report and Portfolio Review

• Support the Program team with organization and successful facilitation of Project Implementation Meetings and MEAL Team with ensuring consistent lessons learnt events

Proposal Development

• Coordinate proposal development processes in country, including reviewing and improving draft proposals and concept notes, acting as the lead writer for some opportunities, and addressing feedback from the country management and regional team.
• Ensure that the entire proposal package adheres to donor guidelines and meets the selection criteria.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the country fundraising strategy, including conducting donor mapping, researching donor priorities and interests, and identifying new funding opportunities.
• Build the capacity of RI staff on proposal development by sharing insights on how to produce winning proposals and conducting training donor specific guidelines and templates, etc.

Communication

• Lead on ensuring collecting, collating and compiling communication material on RI Yemen to input into RI Middle East Intranet, RI external communication and Donors’ Reports or Communications requirements etc.

Coordination

• Supporting the Country Director and Deputy Country Director in donor relationship management and other relevant stakeholders when required.
• Contribute to strategic planning exercises and other mission program exercises.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Master’s level education in a relevant field or bachelor’s degree with commensurate work experience
• 3 -5 years of progressive experience in grants management and proposal development in international relief or development programs, including field experience.
• Excellent writing skills in English at a native-speaker level and demonstrated ability to write and edit reports and proposals under tight deadlines.
• Strong knowledge of the rules and regulations of major institutional donors such as US Government, EU/ECHO, FCDO and UN donors.
• Experience conducting capacity building activities and enthusiasm to share knowledge and information with others.
• Working knowledge of budget development and management.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with colleagues in a multi-cultural setting.
• Ability to work in unstable security environments
• Ability to work independently, set priorities, and manage time efficiently.
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including ability to give effective feedback and to guide and mentor direct reports.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.