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 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.

The IRC responds to people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives. Our work engages some of the most pressing issues in contemporary humanitarian action, including access, conflict sensitivity, coordination and impact.

The IRC began its programs in Yemen in October 2012, establishing its presence in the south of the country in the Red Sea coastal city of Aden. Following the outbreak of war in March 2015 and the resulting humanitarian crisis, the IRC launched an emergency response in the southern governorates of Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shabwah and Al Dhale, and later expanded. Yemen's operating environment requires a combination of direct implementation and partner-led approaches. The Grants Coordinator will support a diverse portfolio implemented across multiple geographic areas through both IRC teams and local partners, ensuring high-quality donor compliance, coordination, reporting, and award management.  Our programs cover health, WASH, nutrition, economic recovery and development, education, child protection, and women’s protection and empowerment.

The IRC has worked in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for more than forty years. Today, more than 2,200 staff work across the region, including in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Yemen, supporting people affected by some of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises.

Scope of work

The Grants Coordinator manages a large, multi-donor grant portfolio for IRC Yemen and ensures the timely development, submission and reporting of funding proposals. The role covers all grants administration activities, including proposal development, donor compliance, contract management and internal and external reporting, while keeping systems and documentation current. The Grants Coordinator also leads process-improvement initiatives and provides training and mentoring to country program staff and partners to strengthen donor management and compliance.

Job summary

The Grants Coordinator is a strategic role responsible for managing IRC Yemen’s grant portfolio, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, and leading the development of high-quality proposals and reports. Reporting to the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP), the Grants Coordinator supervises the grants team, coordinates inter-departmental efforts to secure and manage funding, and serves as the primary focal point for donor communications and risk mitigation. The role requires exceptional organizational skills, advanced writing ability, and the capacity to work effectively in a complex, conflict-affected environment.

The Grants Coordinator works closely with all departments, including program, METAL, finance, supply chain, HR and partnerships, and liaises with the regional office in Amman and with IRC headquarters grants and technical units.

Working relations

• Reports to: Deputy Director of Programs (DDP)

• Directly supervises: Grants Manager, Grants Officer and Communications Senior Officer

• Key internal collaborators: Technical Program Coordinators, METAL staff, Field Coordinators, the Partnerships team, Finance and Supply Chain teams, the Awards Management Unit, and Regional and HQ Grants units

• External: Donor representatives, local partners, government counterparts, and clusters and working groups

Main responsibilities

Proposal development and business development

• Ensure that IRC’s proposal development system is understood and followed across management, program, finance and operations, resulting in timely, high-quality submissions.

• With the DDP and HQ colleagues, proactively identify new funding opportunities by monitoring donor strategies, policies and funding trends, and keep the opportunity pipeline up to date.

• Support the DDP and technical leads in new program design and in maintaining the Yemen business development strategy, in line with the country Strategic Action Plan (SAP).

• Prepare for and lead Go/No-Go meetings for funding opportunities as required.

• Oversee the development of all concept notes and proposals, acting as lead writer or editor, and develop efficient process-management tools for proposal development.

• Define and communicate clear roles, responsibilities and timelines for each department, and facilitate cross-departmental coordination.

• Review all proposal documents to ensure coherence across narratives, logframes and budgets, and ensure that outputs are accurate, complete, compliant with the solicitation and submitted on time.

• Interpret donor solicitations and donor-specific rules and regulations to ensure responsive and compliant proposal design.

• Act as focal point with HQ and external consultants during proposal review, editing and submission.

Grants administration

• Maintain a broad and deep understanding of IRC policies and of the terms and conditions across the grant portfolio and ensure that the Grants unit develops and maintains the procedures needed to apply them.

• Review donor agreements and coordinate their review and signature with the relevant HQ offices; coordinate approval of pre-award spending as required.

• Coordinate all project revisions, amendments, extensions and budget realignments, in consultation with the DDP.

• Ensure timely and productive facilitation of Project Cycle Management (PCM) meetings, including design, opening, implementation, closing and lessons-learned meetings; capture action points and follow up to completion.

• Maintain and regularly disseminate the grants tracker, including grant opening and closing dates, and share portfolio updates internally and with the Awards Management Unit.

• Work with the Finance team to review spending plans and financial health, and to ensure effective spending, amendments, and closeout.

• Ensure that the Opportunity Tracking Information System (OTIS) is updated and maintained throughout the award lifecycle.

• Ensure that the grants filing system is respected and that all donor contractual documents, reports and key correspondence are filed consistently in up-to-date shared libraries.

• Ensure that all communication with IRC colleagues and donors is constructive, clear and organized.

• Act as focal point for communication with HQ on all grants administration functions.

Donor compliance and relations

• Serve as first point of contact for grants and compliance questions in-country, and advise staff (including senior management, finance and procurement) on resolving compliance issues.

• Coordinate with HQ on specialized compliance matters as required.

• Proactively assess risks in managing donor contracts throughout the project cycle; anticipate them, inform and support all concerned, including the Senior Management Team (SMT), to take timely mitigation measures.

• Raise compliance issues early with program staff, the DDP and the SMT, and flag any projected inability to meet contractual obligations, reporting deadlines, spend rates or significant budget variances.

• Develop and update compliance cheat sheets for all grants.

• In coordination with the DDP and the Policy, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator, help ensure appropriate and effective IRC and donor visibility at program sites and in materials.

• Support donor visits and field monitoring, working with staff to plan and run them smoothly.

Reporting

• Oversee the development and delivery of all internal and external reports in collaboration with the program, finance, supply chain and METAL teams.

• Maintain a comprehensive reporting tracker and regularly update relevant team members on upcoming deadlines and specific report requirements.

• Lead the production of well-written, high-quality reports that meet donor and IRC requirements.

• Review all reports and supporting documents for completeness and accuracy.

• Coordinate HQ and technical unit reviews and approvals before donor submission.

• Ensure strict compliance with internal and donor deadlines.

Team leadership and staff management

• Supervise the Grants team and provide on-the-job training, especially in proposal development and report writing.

• Set clear expectations and annual performance objectives, give regular and timely feedback, and complete documented semi-annual performance reviews and probationary reviews.

• Hold regular one-to-one meetings with each direct report, at minimum monthly.

• Ensure clear roles and responsibilities and a logical portfolio allocation across team members.

• Provide development plans that build technical capacity, encourage knowledge sharing within the team, and support career growth.

• Oversee recruitment of new staff as required, and ensure comprehensive onboarding and training for new hires.

• Approve and manage time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate coverage; ensure accurate, timely timesheet submission.

• Work with Human Resources to identify, document and address performance issues in line with national staff employment policies.

• Promote staff care and well-being, model healthy work-life balance, and support appropriate responses to identified staff care needs.

• Act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and model a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies.

Partnerships and program approach

• Help ensure that Go/No-Go discussions and program design are consistent with the SAP partnership ambition and program approach.

• Embody IRC’s partnership values (partner as equals, partner first) and engage partners proactively in program design and development.

• Promote full partner collaboration in program design and resource allocation, and in key program delivery decisions through PCM.

• Ensure that IRC’s partnership strategy, approach and management are well represented and resourced in donor proposals and reports.

• Participate in due diligence and collaborative partnership risk management as appropriate, and support negotiation of partner sub-award agreements with the Partnerships Lead, the Awards Management Unit and the Compliance Unit.

• Coordinate with the Partnerships Lead to obtain any donor approvals relating to partnerships.

• Provide training, coaching and mentoring to partners on grants management, compliance, business development and proposal writing, in line with partner project support plans.

• Participate in reviewing the performance of the partner, of IRC and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.

• Serve as a member of the PWG and share responsibility for delivering its functions.

Representation and country program management

• In coordination with the DDP, build and maintain effective working relationships with donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, local partners and other stakeholders, and represent IRC in relevant meetings, consultations and forums.

• Contribute actively to country program strategy discussions, including SAP revision.

• Stay up to date on new IRC priorities, policies and process changes, and keep the Grants, Partnerships and METAL teams informed.

• Provide training and mentoring to country program staff on donor compliance, program reporting and proposal development.

• Perform other relevant duties as assigned by the supervisor to further IRC programs.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, social sciences, business administration or a related field. Equivalent experience in a similar role may be considered in place of formal education.

• Training in grants management, donor compliance or project cycle management is preferred.

Experience

• At least five years of humanitarian grants management experience in a multi-donor, multi-sector environment.

• Demonstrated experience supervising and developing a team.

• Demonstrated experience in an inter-departmental coordination role, balancing the priorities of a range of stakeholders.

• Extensive experience leading the development of large, multi-sector funding proposals.

• Advanced skills in drafting and compiling donor reports, including coordinating inputs and producing complex documents across departments.

• In-depth knowledge of institutional donor compliance. Knowledge ECHO, EU, FCDO, GFFO, SIDA, BMZ and USAID requirements is a particular advantage.

• Experience in a conflict-affected or protracted crisis setting is strongly preferred; experience in a range of operational settings is preferred.

Skills and abilities

• Exceptional English writing and editing skills, with the ability to draft and edit detailed donor documents with minimal oversight.

• Proven program design, METAL, logframe and budget-building skills.

• Strong leadership, coaching and team-management skills, including the ability to lead a team in a complex working environment.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines.

• Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, and to represent IRC effectively with donors.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail.

• Strong cross-cultural communication skills, and sensitivity to interpersonal differences and a range of viewpoints.

• Reliable, patient and resilient; able to work independently in a fast-paced, insecure environment with restricted personal freedoms.

• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

• Strong commitment to IRC’s vision, mission and core values.

Language and travel

• Language: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Arabic is desirable.

• Travel: Occasional travel to program sites, subject to security conditions.

Commitment to client responsiveness: IRC Yemen places the people we serve, our clients, at the center of our programming. Staff have an important role in supporting client-responsive programming by raising awareness among communities and clients of existing feedback mechanisms, how to use them, and how to access services and understand eligibility, and by helping build an institutional culture that listens to clients and uses their feedback to shape program design and delivery.

Returning national candidates: We strongly encourage national and returning national candidates to apply. If you are a citizen of Yemen currently residing outside your home country, you may be eligible for a relocation package, depending on IRC’s operational needs and the requirements of the role.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings

#LI-1