Senior Grants and Partnership Manager job at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Background information about the job or company 

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 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver 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.

Job Overview/ Summary:

PlayMatters 3.0 (PM 3.0) is a 4-year education initiative (2026-2030) with a goal of improving the well-being and holistic learning outcomes of pre-primary and primary school aged children (ages 3-12+), including those who are affected by conflict and crisis, in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda by strengthening education systems to deliver quality education services using active teaching and learning through play. PM prioritizes strengthening education systems to be resilient and scaling impact by working with and through existing systems rather than establishing parallel systems. PM has three main outcomes: Outcome 1: Education systems have increased capacity, uptake, and coordination of Learning through Play (LtP) as a teaching method; Outcome 2: School-aged children in refugee hosting and post-crisis recovery zones have increased access to quality learning opportunities in safe environments; Outcome 3: School-aged children's holistic development is protected in times of acute crisis.

More information on PlayMatters can be found here: https://www.playmatters.org

The Senior Grants and Partnership Manager - PlayMatters is responsible for leading compliance, effective grants management for the PlayMatters consortium, supporting the high-quality programming and service delivery. The main objectives of this position are to support and coordinate program implementation, grants management (including legal, monitoring, and reporting compliance requirements), internal and external communication, and IRC partnership processes and procedures.

The Senior Grants and Partnership Manager - PlayMatters will work closely with HQ, regional and country-level staff across technical, financial and project management departments to support in compliant delivery of the program. They will support the Regional Senior Management Team (SMT) to achieve PlayMatters’ strategic goals by setting and monitoring financial and programmatic goals, identifying, and notifying of any risks, and supporting productive relationship management with the donor and consortium partners.

Responsibilities or duties

Grant Management

• Ensure that the award is well-administered and implemented in compliance with relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures (e.g., legal expectations, IRC PEERS policy, etc.). Maintain a broad and deep understanding of donor policies, regulations, and procedures and provide relevant guidance to consortium.
• Lead internal Project Management Committee (PMC) reporting with programs and finance teams, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements. Manage reporting timelines and processes for consortium, including developing and communicating timelines, providing reporting support/follow-up when needed, coordinating internal reviews and partner responses/revisions, and escalating major issues to Regional SMT.
• Support development, review, and amendment of partnership, service, and collaboration agreements/amendments.
• Support the development sand review of annual project planning documents, including budgets, workplans, technical narratives and milestones, and targets. Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator to obtain donor and partner approval of annual deliverables.
• Support preparations for audits in collaboration with finance, AMU and OGC departments.
• Work with the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters to manage all aspects of internal and consortium-wide quarterly progress review meetings to enable regular, structured reviews of award performance.
• Support overall financial management of project. Provide detailed support to budgeting exercises.
• Lead knowledge management of project, including keeping hard and soft copy grant files up to date (both internal and external drives).
• Support the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters to advise consortium on all external branding and intellectual property matters. Help with the negotiation and approvals for use of external content, ensuring compliance with relevant use terms and conditions.
• Lead routine technical monitoring and evaluation of consortium partners and IRC country programs, including coordinating timelines, travel, and expectations of RPT and consortium teams. Lead documentation and communication of achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and changes needed.

Staff Management & Capacity Building

• Lead building of consortium’s capacity in grants, compliance, and partnership skills. Includes on-boarding of new staff, routine re-fresher trainings, as well as development of unique trainings for dynamic needs identified as the project evolves.
• Build capacity of RPT to utilize effective partnership approaches and consortium grants management tools.
• Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between programming staff and operational support staff in execution of project.

Other Duties:

• Proactively identify Grant management risks throughout the consortium and creatively develop solutions in collaboration with Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters.
• Support Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters to develop relevant communications materials, updates, and presentations for donors, senior leadership, or other external bodies (e.g., local stakeholders) in collaboration with the Communications and Technical Departments.
• Support drafting or review donor communications, such as responding to requests for information, and assist with coordinating donor visits.
• Lead quarterly updating of consortium organograms, including RPT organogram.
• Support RPT to liaise with relevant IRC HQ-based functions, including Communications, Finance, Fundraising and Award Management.
• Support relationship building with potential partners (both formal and informal), in collaboration with relevant Technical Department staff.
• Perform other duties as required by the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Senior Regional Partnerships & Grants Coordinator- PlayMatters
• Internal: Country team staff; RPT staff; Education Technical Unit; Fundraising teams (IPP); Communications team; Office of General Counsel (OGC); Awards Management Unit (AMU); and Finance team.
• External: Consortium partners, Donor (LEGO Foundation), and other education actors/potential partners.

Qualifications or requirements

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Development studies, Economic, or another relevant subject.

Experience needed

• At least 5-7 years of experience in program and grants management, and communications at an international NGO or similar organization
• Positive, helpful attitude and willingness to learn new skills is essential. Must be excellent coordinator and great teammate; this role collaborates across department and ability to influence colleagues, often without line management.
• Exceptional organizational skills; experience with establishment and implementation of grants management software and tools
• Superb professional writing and editorial skills.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment, within and across departments/functions and develop positive relationships with locally and remote based staff
• Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills.
• Flexibility and adaptability to adjust plans for the realities of working across multiple time zones and cultural contexts.
• Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, file sharing and database software.
• Ability and willingness to travel (up to 25%).
• Experience providing supportive and respectful staff management and capacity-building.
• Ability to accurately develop and review budgets is highly preferred.
• Experience working in conflict and crisis settings and knowledge of humanitarian programming is preferred.
• Knowledge of the East Africa context, with direct experience working in Ethiopia, Tanzania and/or Uganda preferred.
• Consortium management experience is a plus.
• Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance
• Understanding of IRC grants systems and policies (e.g., OTIS and PEERS, etc.) and experience implementing grants in an IRC country program is a plus but not required.

• Ensure that the award is well-administered and implemented in compliance with relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures (e.g., legal expectations, IRC PEERS policy, etc.). Maintain a broad and deep understanding of donor policies, regulations, and procedures and provide relevant guidance to consortium.
• Lead internal Project Management Committee (PMC) reporting with programs and finance teams, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements. Manage reporting timelines and processes for consortium, including developing and communicating timelines, providing reporting support/follow-up when needed, coordinating internal reviews and partner responses/revisions, and escalating major issues to Regional SMT.
• Support development, review, and amendment of partnership, service, and collaboration agreements/amendments.
• Support the development sand review of annual project planning documents, including budgets, workplans, technical narratives and milestones, and targets. Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator to obtain donor and partner approval of annual deliverables.
• Support preparations for audits in collaboration with finance, AMU and OGC departments.
• Work with the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters to manage all aspects of internal and consortium-wide quarterly progress review meetings to enable regular, structured reviews of award performance.
• Support overall financial management of project. Provide detailed support to budgeting exercises.
• Lead knowledge management of project, including keeping hard and soft copy grant files up to date (both internal and external drives).
• Support the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters to advise consortium on all external branding and intellectual property matters. Help with the negotiation and approvals for use of external content, ensuring compliance with relevant use terms and conditions.
• Lead routine technical monitoring and evaluation of consortium partners and IRC country programs, including coordinating timelines, travel, and expectations of RPT and consortium teams. Lead documentation and communication of achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and changes needed.
• Lead building of consortium’s capacity in grants, compliance, and partnership skills. Includes on-boarding of new staff, routine re-fresher trainings, as well as development of unique trainings for dynamic needs identified as the project evolves.
• Build capacity of RPT to utilize effective partnership approaches and consortium grants management tools.
• Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between programming staff and operational support staff in execution of project.
• Proactively identify Grant management risks throughout the consortium and creatively develop solutions in collaboration with Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters.
• Support Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters to develop relevant communications materials, updates, and presentations for donors, senior leadership, or other external bodies (e.g., local stakeholders) in collaboration with the Communications and Technical Departments.
• Support drafting or review donor communications, such as responding to requests for information, and assist with coordinating donor visits.
• Lead quarterly updating of consortium organograms, including RPT organogram.
• Support RPT to liaise with relevant IRC HQ-based functions, including Communications, Finance, Fundraising and Award Management.
• Support relationship building with potential partners (both formal and informal), in collaboration with relevant Technical Department staff.
• Perform other duties as required by the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator - PlayMatters.

• Excellent organizational skills
• Experience with establishment and implementation of grants management software and tools
• Superb professional writing and editorial skills
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment, within and across departments/functions and develop positive relationships with locally and remote based staff
• Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, file sharing and database software
• Experience providing supportive and respectful staff management and capacity-building
• Ability to accurately develop and review budgets
• Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Development studies, Economic, or another relevant subject.
• At least 5-7 years of experience in program and grants management, and communications at an international NGO or similar organization
• Experience working in conflict and crisis settings and knowledge of humanitarian programming is preferred.
• Knowledge of the East Africa context, with direct experience working in Ethiopia, Tanzania and/or Uganda preferred.
• Consortium management experience is a plus.
• Understanding of IRC grants systems and policies (e.g., OTIS and PEERS, etc.) and experience implementing grants in an IRC country program is a plus but not required.