Business Development and Grants Coordinator

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 more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees delivers 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 IRC has worked in Sierra Leone since 1999. The IRC currently programs across three core sectors: 1) Health 2) Women and Girls’ Protection and Empowerment (WGPE), and 3) Education. The IRC is committed to supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in the strengthening of the country. We seek to build upon our programming experience and introduce new programs that are adaptive, collaborative and evidence-driven, leading to a more educated, safe, healthy and empowered Sierra Leone.

Job overview:

The Business Development and Grants Coordinator will lead business and proposal development,, communications, and grant management for the IRC in Sierra Leone. The position reports to the Deputy Director, Programs (DDP). This position is based in Freetown with trips to IRC field sites. The Business Development and Grants Coordinator will work collaboratively with the IRC’s Senior Management Team, the Technical Coordinators, Measurement Team, Finance, Programs and Operations teams, and Partners.

Main Responsibilities

Business and Program Development (50%)

• Lead the implementation of the IRC Sierra Leone Business Development Strategy and Workplan, including proactively identifying new opportunities and partnerships, in coordination and collaboration with the DDP and regional business development and private partnerships team.
• Lead the coordination of the strategic evaluation and drafting of go-no-go decisions and communication with HQ Business Development to ensure any resourcing and support needs are planned in advance.
• Lead the coordination of proposal development process, from review of solicitation to final submission, gathering input from Technical Coordinators (TCs), Measurement staff, Field staff, Senior Management, Operations, Finance, Technical Advisors, and ensuring review/support at the HQ level.
• Ensure timely management of review process through IRC’s electronic awards database, the Opportunity Tracking and Information System (OTIS) and HQ approvals.
• Working closely with DDP, support the facilitation of program design meetings, travelling to field sites and visiting program activities in order to ensure high quality design processes.
• Lead, and support GC to lead, the drafting of non-technical sections of proposals, including budget narratives, the editing of proposals, and review against solicitation requirements and overall donor compliance requirements and guidelines.
• In coordination with HQ, ensure proposals meet internal standards, including through the use of IRC’s Outcomes Evidence Framework (OEF) and IMPACT Standards, and in line with the IRC Sierra Leone Strategic Action Plan (SAP).
• With Finance, coordinate the development of proposal budgets and conduct the review of proposal budgets for donor responsiveness and alignment with the technical narrative.
• Act as the focal point with donors in-country for the proposal development process.
• Working closely with the DDP, provide inputs to program development strategy processes through conducting donor mapping, analysis of upcoming opportunities, and IRC’s competitive strategy.
• Contribute to collate lessons learned in relation to donors and disseminate these within the IRC to support the organisation’s business development processes, ways of working, strategy, and direction.

Grant Management and Compliance (25%)

• Lead the coordination and management of the grant cycle, from project opening to close-out, including ensuring regular Project Cycle meetings and monthly budget versus actual (BVA) meetings are held, in close collaboration with other departments. Ensure timely communication to, and follow-up with, SMT on issues raised.
• Ensure sound management of reporting requirements, including via partners (and in coordination with the Partnership Coordinator), ensuring timely and quality submission to donors.
• Ensure support provided to field offices for management of project cycle and compliance requirements as per donor agreements.
• In coordination with Finance, maintain visibility of spending and forecasts for the proper monitoring and the successful implementation of programmes and early warning in case of obstacles or challenges.
• Review donor contracts and agreements, coordinating the review and approval process through the IRC’s internal awards management system, OTIS, in close collaboration with the Regional Program and Award Support Team.
• Ensure all IRC grant files are maintained and filed on IRC Box system and in line with the set archiving system.
• Ensure that grants are implemented in compliance with IRC and relevant donor regulations, liaising with the IRC Awards Management Unit and Regional Program and Award Support Team counterparts on any identified issues, questions, concerns.
• Support audit preparation.
• Lead on IRC grant incident reporting (fraud, corruption, security) to the IRC Ethics and Compliance Unit and relevant donor, liaising with HQ, SMT, and donor as per donor and IRC guidelines.

Communications and External Representation (15%)

• Lead the implementation of the IRC Sierra Leone Communications Workplan, in coordination and collaboration with the DDP and regional communications team.
• Ensure communication requests from donors and/or HQ are actioned (e.g., case studies, blogs, website updates) by program and grants staff as appropriate.
• Ensure that all donor branding and visibility plans are developed and implemented as required.
• Ensure routine updates on program information sheets for use in in-country advocacy and business development efforts.
• Support in-country engagement with donors and key stakeholders, in line with SL’s Business Development Strategy and Workplan.

Management and Capacity Building (10%)

• Provide direct supervision to the Grants Coordinator. Discuss job expectations, set objectives, and provide appropriate and timely feedback regarding performance.
• Support the training and capacity building of IRC staff on program reporting, donor compliance, and IRC program-specific requirements.

Job requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in international affairs, development, or related subject.
• At least five years of experience working in project and/or grants management and business and proposal development.
• International experience in a development context, with preference in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demonstrable knowledge and implementation of donor regulations (UNICEF, USAID, EU, FCDO, Irish Aid)
• Demonstrable successful experience in developing proposals for a range of donors, institutional and private.
• Strong communicator with strong organizational, time management, and analytical skills.
• Excellent inter-personal, cultural, and diplomatic skills.
• Strong writing and editing skills with close attention to detail.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements.
• Management experience and strong capacity to mentor and build capacity of staff.
• Ability to juggle competing priorities, meet demanding deadlines and work under pressure in unstable security environment.
• Strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Fluency in English, spoken and written.
• IRC experience is an asset.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.