Grants Specialist - Partnerships job at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

About DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental and non-profit organization, founded in 1956, that works in more than 35 countries around the world. DRC is one of the largest protection actors in Kenya, actively coordinating and advocating for improving the protective environment for refugees and host communities. DRC implements Protection monitoring, Child Protection and GBV prevention and response programmes in its areas of operation to address protection issues faced by displaced and non-displaced at-risk groups and individuals. The programme also aims to identify and build synergies with DRC´s Economic Recovery sector to facilitate durable solutions and Humanitarian Disarmament & Peace Building activities to enhance to respond to the needs of communities affected by acute crisis as well as those in protracted displacement situations.

Overall purpose of the role:

The Grants and Partnerships Specialist plays a key role in ensuring effective and efficient grants management, compliance, and partnership coordination for the a multi-donor facility working on localisation in Sudan and the region. This position oversees the grants lifecycle, provides guidance to partners/local actors, and ensures compliance with donor regulations and Fund standards

Duties and Responsibilities:

Grants and Partnership:

• Support the development and execution of application processes, including guidelines, templates, and evaluation criteria.
• Support partners on proposal development, conduct due diligence and vetting processes for partner organisations, ensuring compliance with donor and Fund standards.
• Prepare and administer grant agreements and amendments in coordination with the Partnerships and Grants Manager and partner onboarding.
• Provide Technical Assistance Facility linkages, especially on partner monitoring and provide capacity building support to partners on grants management, compliance, and reporting.

Grants Management and Compliance:

• Oversee the development and roll-out of the Fund Grant Management System (GMS).
• Ensure partners comply with grant conditions, Fund Operations Manual, and donor requirements.
• Update and maintain the Fund risk register and dashboard, addressing high-risk areas.
• Monitor grant implementation, ensuring timely and quality submission of financial and narrative reports.
• Follow up in regular meetings with the partners and ensure timely escalation of risks and challenges.
• Liaise closely with the Operations Manager to ensure that grants are processed in a timely manner.
• Track partner spending against budgets and flag variances.

Technical Support and Capacity Building:

• Support partners in developing procurement plans, risk registers, capacity-building strategies, and staffing plans.
• Provide partner training on grant report writing, donor compliance, and operational procedures.

Administrative Support and Reporting:

• Ensure all grant-related documents are appropriately uploaded and backed up in the GMS or other systems.
• Maintain detailed records of grants, including applications, reports, and feedback letters.
• Coordinate review meetings with partners and follow up on action points.
• Review partner reports on a rolling basis as per submissions and provide qualitative feedback.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, including MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning), TAF, support teams, to ensure robust oversight of projects.
• Provide an effective interface with prospective and current fund partners.

Experience and Technical Competence

• Minimum 3 years of experience in grants management within the NGO/INGO or donor sectors.
• Proven expertise working with institutional donors (e.g., FCDO, EU, ECHO, SIDA, NORAD).
• Strong understanding of donor regulations and compliance.
• Experience working in Sudan and strong understanding of the Sudan context.
• Ability to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines, and adapt to complex environments.
• Previous experience in partnership management and capacity building.
• Fluent written and spoken Arabic language.

Desirable:

• Experience working with Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, or similar ERP systems.
• Familiarity with Power Apps or internal grants systems development.
• Experience working with Group Cash Transfer mechanism.

Education

• University degree in international development, business administration, political science, or a related field.
• Certifications in grants or partnership management are an advantage.

Language:

• English: fluent spoken and written necessary
• Arabic: fluent spoken and written necessary
• French: preferred

Key stakeholders:

• Fund Director
• Axis Staff
• Technical Assistance and MEAL coordinator
• Finance Coordinator
• Supply Chain & HR Officer

About you:

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Conditions

Contract: One-year contract with possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance. Salary and other conditions are offered in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment.

Availability: July/August 2026

Duty station: Nairobi Kenya or Kampala Uganda

• Support the development and execution of application processes, including guidelines, templates, and evaluation criteria.
• Support partners on proposal development, conduct due diligence and vetting processes for partner organisations, ensuring compliance with donor and Fund standards.
• Prepare and administer grant agreements and amendments in coordination with the Partnerships and Grants Manager and partner onboarding.
• Provide Technical Assistance Facility linkages, especially on partner monitoring and provide capacity building support to partners on grants management, compliance, and reporting.
• Oversee the development and roll-out of the Fund Grant Management System (GMS).
• Ensure partners comply with grant conditions, Fund Operations Manual, and donor requirements.
• Update and maintain the Fund risk register and dashboard, addressing high-risk areas.
• Monitor grant implementation, ensuring timely and quality submission of financial and narrative reports.
• Follow up in regular meetings with the partners and ensure timely escalation of risks and challenges.
• Liaise closely with the Operations Manager to ensure that grants are processed in a timely manner.
• Track partner spending against budgets and flag variances.
• Support partners in developing procurement plans, risk registers, capacity-building strategies, and staffing plans.
• Provide partner training on grant report writing, donor compliance, and operational procedures.
• Ensure all grant-related documents are appropriately uploaded and backed up in the GMS or other systems.
• Maintain detailed records of grants, including applications, reports, and feedback letters.
• Coordinate review meetings with partners and follow up on action points.
• Review partner reports on a rolling basis as per submissions and provide qualitative feedback.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, including MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning), TAF, support teams, to ensure robust oversight of projects.
• Provide an effective interface with prospective and current fund partners.

• Fluent written and spoken Arabic language.
• Strong understanding of donor regulations and compliance.
• Ability to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines, and adapt to complex environments.
• Fluent spoken and written English.

• University degree in international development, business administration, political science, or a related field.
• Certifications in grants or partnership management are an advantage.