The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world, providing relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of oppression and violence. IRC has worked for over eight decades in the world addressing both the immediate, life-saving needs of conflict-affected people in an emergency and the reconstruction needs in post-conflict societies. IRC is committed to a culture of results-oriented leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships, and detailed accountability to those we serve. We are currently seeking a highly motivated, multi-faceted Emergency Response Manager-Hygiene Promotion who will take overall responsibility for ERR Program Quality ensuring that the impact of our programs and the influence of our perspectives empowers our clients to make lasting change in their lives.

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Grants Officer will contribute to the overall government and legal requirement section of grants management at IRC Ethiopia and will be responsible for government relations vis-à-vis requesting, securing government approvals for newly awarded projects prior to the start of implementation and government reporting. The position reports to Grant Coordinator.

This position is based in Addis Ababa with occasional trips to field sites and refugee camps if needed. The Grants Officer will work collaboratively with all Grants and Partnership Unit, the technical coordinators, Field Coordinators, operations team, and the finance team.

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

Responsibilities:

1.     Government Proposal and Permission Requests

-          Develop full government permission request packages for all newly awarded grants for both refugee and local community grants (e.g. Letters of Understanding (LOU), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), work plan, staffing list, log frames, budgets, summaries of project activities etc.) by utilizing donor-approved grant agreements, budgets and supporting documents.

-          Liaise with IRC Field Coordinators, camp managers and field-based program staff in requesting and securing LOUs and MOUs from relevant authorities (ARRA, UNHCR, and Government Bodies) prior to the beginning of program implementation.

-          Collaborate with all relevant staff to ensure that 100% of all new grants secure LOUs and MOUs in a timely manner.

-          Develop amendments and No-Cost-Extensions for government approvals.

-          Act as focal point for government relations vis-à-vis LOUs, MOUs, government reporting of all IRC grants and their amendments.

-          Contribute to proposal development on assigned new opportunities as needed.

-          Draft and edit budget narratives, edit proposals and ensure proper proposal and grant management procedures are followed as assigned.

2.     Reporting

-          Solicit, collate, edit and submit all project-specific reports (quarterly and annual) for CHSA at national and regional levels. Collaborate with IRC Field Coordinators, field-based staff and program staff at Addis level on report contents in order to ensure quality report submission to CHSA.

-          File hard copies of all government reports.

-          As needed assist the Grants and Partnership Unit’s members in the reporting process with in-country staff for updates and HQ for approvals before submission to the donor.

-          Update the LOU/MOU tracker on a weekly basis to ensure that reports to donors are submitted on time; that reports preparation begins in a timely manner (quarterly, interim or final reports); and that there is no omission of donor and government reports.

-          Communicate monthly with Addis and field teams on the status of reports (submitted/pending etc.).

3.     Government and Donor Compliance

-          Research government and donor compliance issues for new opportunities or existing grants, as needed.

-          Ensure that grants are implemented in compliance with relevant government and donor regulations. Advise the field-based staff accordingly.

4.     Communication and Information Management

-          Distribute to IRC staff all documentation (Grant agreements, proposals, reports, and budget, etc. with government office) related to their specific programs.

-          Keep an updated inventory of all communications related to government agreements (LOUs, MOUs).

5.     Management and Capacity Building

-          Provide on-the-job training to Grants and Partnerships Unit’s members on LOUs and MOUs.

-          Manage and supervise program interns, as needed.

6.     Administrative/Other

-          Support data analytics and ad-hoc analysis, as needed.

-          Process Procurement Requests through the online BVA system, as needed.

-          Undertake other projects or research, as assigned by the supervisor.

EDUCATION:  BA degree required (Accounting, Economics, International Affairs, Social Sciences)

EXPERIENCE:   At least 2 years of experience in grant related work, including pre-post award

SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

-          Proficiency in English, spoken and written, is the most important requirement for this job; Proficiency in Amharic required. (The written English skills will be tested through an exam).

-          Advanced MS Excel and Math skills required (skills will be tested through an exam) and are the most important requirement for this position.

-          Prior knowledge of donor (ECHO, EU, USAID, OFDA, BPRM, DFID, SIDA, UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, etc.) and government regulations preferred.

-          Good communicator with strong organizational, time management and analytical skills.

-          Excellent interpersonal, cultural and diplomatic skills.

-          Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements.

-          Strong capacity to mentor and build the capacity of staff.

-          Ability to prioritize competing priorities, meet demanding deadlines and work under pressure in unstable security environments.

-          Strong computer skills required.

-          Previous successful experience developing projects, writing winning proposals and donor reports preferred.

-          Ethiopian Nationals with experience working abroad are strongly encouraged to apply

-          Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply.