Grants Management Coordinator job at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

DRC Uganda is currently looking for a highly qualified and motivated individual to join our dynamic team as Grants Management Coordinator.

The overall purpose of the role:

Ensure that DRC is compliant with donor and internal grant management guidelines, lead on donor-obligated reporting, grants information management, provide continuous technical support and guidance for the project cycle management, and liaise with the Support Services team on donor-requested information.

Responsibilities or duties:

Grants management and compliance

• Develop and maintain up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of donors, government policies and DRC policies, assess and build the country office’s capacities to comply with donors’ and DRC's grant management guidelines.
• Update, streamline, and disseminate grants management tools and resources, and ensure country office compliance with grants management system (GMS) on Dynamics and trackers.
• Along with Project Managers, ensure all the grants’ related information is well organized, updated and follows a clear filing structure on SharePoint.
• Actively participate in monthly Project Management Meetings of on-going projects and disseminate grants management resources and updates to the team.
• Support the tracking of donor financial disbursement against signed contracts and prepare requests for financial disbursements and acknowledgements to donors as per the agreements.
• Support in drafting and reviewing grant agreements and contract amendments as needed.
• Serve as the primary focal point for donors’ correspondence on grants-related issues and feedback.

Project Cycle Management

• Support the country office in preparing, facilitating, and following up on grant kickoff, review, and closing meetings, as well as in drafting, finalizing, and sharing a minimum set of documents required for grant meetings.
• Support in ensuring that project teams meet standards for project cycle management, including supporting with training and capacity support to programme teams to ensure the successful implementation of all activities
• Keep the Programme Development and Quality Manager informed of any projected inability to meet contractual obligations, report submission, and spend rates/significant budget variances. Be able to actively mitigate risks through proposing remedial solutions.

Reporting

• Lead donor reporting processes by coordinating, compiling inputs from the programme and MEAL team, providing quality review and feedback to ensure the development of high-quality narrative and results reports, and timely submissions.
• Keep a regular update of DRC’s reporting timelines as per the grants tracker and share with teams.
• Support the Programme Quality Assurance unit in conceptualizing and facilitating the implementation of programme quality tools developed, including reporting schedules.
• In close collaboration with the programme and MEAL team, support documentation of lessons learnt, best practices, and proven innovations in programme design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting to improve programme design and implementation strategy.
• Liaise with the programmes and MEAL team and facilitate OPM and UNHCR’s reporting to the Refugee response plan.

Partnership management:

• Facilitate partner assessment process and draft, finalise, and share a minimum set of documents for successful partnership management.
• Support the Partnership Specialist in drafting and finalising partnership agreements.
• Supporting the programme and support team in partner capacity building.

Other

• Prepare necessary documentation, such as presentations and organizational documentation, to share with DRC stakeholders, including briefings for DRC staff and external entities requesting information on DRC’s programmes
• Contribute and lead on communications tasks, as appropriate.
• Liaise with finance colleagues on budget follow-up and expenditure levels of running grants, and support with preparation for scheduled audits.
• Support the Programme Development and Quality Manager in training DRC and partners, including but not limited to, proposal development, and/or reporting.
• Support inductions for new colleagues.
• Support the Programme Development and Quality Manager with proposal development tasks including providing input to narratives, budget narratives, and other required annexes as appropriate.
• Carry out other duties requested by the Programme Development and Quality Manager - but always in the scope of this job description

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Required

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Quantitative Economics, Business Statistics, Management, or other relevant fields. A Master’s degree in a relevant field is an added advantage
• Knowledge of donor rules, regulations, and procedures of donors, including but not limited to US and European donors, EU funding mechanisms, UN agencies, and foundations.
• Proven experience in successfully submitting reporting packages.
• Proven experience in capacity building and training of national staff and partners.
• Full professional proficiency in English with the capacity to produce well-written products for formal reporting and communication.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize large workloads and multitask to consistently meet deadlines.
• Ability to adapt and learn.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently both independently and in teams.
• Skilled in obtaining information necessary to accomplish duties.
• Problem analysis and problem resolution at a functional level.
• Ability to quickly research, learn, and disseminate new knowledge and information.
• Ability to communicate technical ideas and concerns in a non-technical environment.
• Strong organization and planning skills, and detail-oriented.

Experience needed

At least 4 years of grants management experience with an international NGO, with at least 2 years in a coordination role.

• Develop and maintain up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of donors, government policies and DRC policies, assess and build the country office’s capacities to comply with donors’ and DRC's grant management guidelines.
• Update, streamline, and disseminate grants management tools and resources, and ensure country office compliance with grants management system (GMS) on Dynamics and trackers.
• Along with Project Managers, ensure all the grants’ related information is well organized, updated and follows a clear filing structure on SharePoint.
• Actively participate in monthly Project Management Meetings of on-going projects and disseminate grants management resources and updates to the team.
• Support the tracking of donor financial disbursement against signed contracts and prepare requests for financial disbursements and acknowledgements to donors as per the agreements.
• Support in drafting and reviewing grant agreements and contract amendments as needed.
• Serve as the primary focal point for donors’ correspondence on grants-related issues and feedback.
• Support the country office in preparing, facilitating, and following up on grant kickoff, review, and closing meetings, as well as in drafting, finalizing, and sharing a minimum set of documents required for grant meetings.
• Support in ensuring that project teams meet standards for project cycle management, including supporting with training and capacity support to programme teams to ensure the successful implementation of all activities
• Keep the Programme Development and Quality Manager informed of any projected inability to meet contractual obligations, report submission, and spend rates/significant budget variances. Be able to actively mitigate risks through proposing remedial solutions.
• Lead donor reporting processes by coordinating, compiling inputs from the programme and MEAL team, providing quality review and feedback to ensure the development of high-quality narrative and results reports, and timely submissions.
• Keep a regular update of DRC’s reporting timelines as per the grants tracker and share with teams.
• Support the Programme Quality Assurance unit in conceptualizing and facilitating the implementation of programme quality tools developed, including reporting schedules.
• In close collaboration with the programme and MEAL team, support documentation of lessons learnt, best practices, and proven innovations in programme design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting to improve programme design and implementation strategy.
• Liaise with the programmes and MEAL team and facilitate OPM and UNHCR’s reporting to the Refugee response plan.
• Facilitate partner assessment process and draft, finalise, and share a minimum set of documents for successful partnership management.
• Support the Partnership Specialist in drafting and finalising partnership agreements.
• Supporting the programme and support team in partner capacity building.
• Prepare necessary documentation, such as presentations and organizational documentation, to share with DRC stakeholders, including briefings for DRC staff and external entities requesting information on DRC’s programmes
• Contribute and lead on communications tasks, as appropriate.
• Liaise with finance colleagues on budget follow-up and expenditure levels of running grants, and support with preparation for scheduled audits.
• Support the Programme Development and Quality Manager in training DRC and partners, including but not limited to, proposal development, and/or reporting.
• Support inductions for new colleagues.
• Support the Programme Development and Quality Manager with proposal development tasks including providing input to narratives, budget narratives, and other required annexes as appropriate.
• Carry out other duties requested by the Programme Development and Quality Manager - but always in the scope of this job description

• Full professional proficiency in English with the capacity to produce well-written products for formal reporting and communication.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize large workloads and multitask to consistently meet deadlines.
• Ability to adapt and learn.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently both independently and in teams.
• Skilled in obtaining information necessary to accomplish duties.
• Problem analysis and problem resolution at a functional level.
• Ability to quickly research, learn, and disseminate new knowledge and information.
• Ability to communicate technical ideas and concerns in a non-technical environment.
• Strong organization and planning skills, and detail-oriented.

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Quantitative Economics, Business Statistics, Management, or other relevant fields. A Master’s degree in a relevant field is an added advantage
• Knowledge of donor rules, regulations, and procedures of donors, including but not limited to US and European donors, EU funding mechanisms, UN agencies, and foundations.
• Proven experience in successfully submitting reporting packages.
• Proven experience in capacity building and training of national staff and partners.