IRC Poland: On 8 February 2022 three IRC staff arrived in Poland to initiate scoping of local and national actors in Warsaw, Lublin, and Rzeszow as well as across the Western, Central, and Eastern regions in Ukraine. When on 24 February Russian troops entered eastern Ukraine with the aim of toppling the government led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and conflict-affected individuals started fleeing to neighboring countries, the IRC established a presence in Poland to build partnerships with local state, civil society, and private sector actors to respond to needs of arriving refugees. As of April 26, over 5.3 million people have fled Ukraine seeking safety with nearly 50% (2.9 million) of those displaced fleeing to Poland.  Reports indicate almost all arrivals in Poland are women and children, including those that are unaccompanied and separated, as well as older persons. IRC Poland’s goal is to ensure the survival of emergency-affected people in a way that enables their safety, dignity, and empowerment. Working in the program areas of economic recovery and development and safety, the IRC will accomplish this by working to see that 1) People affected by the war in Ukraine are able to meet their immediate and basic needs with safety and dignity and avoid harmful coping mechanisms and 2) People affected by the war in Ukraine are protected and supported to recover from the consequences of violence and displacement through equitable access to services and information.


Job Overview/Summary: The overall aim of Grants and Partnerships leadership is to ensure that there is a positive donor relationship and that awards are managed efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of our clients.

This position strategically feeds into Poland Country programme through streamlined, coherent coordination of ongoing awards, subawards and new opportunities. Grants supports the IRC’s mission in helping people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster, including the climate crisis, to survive, recover, and gain control over their future by ensuring funding is available for country offices to implement quality programming. Partnerships ensures IRC subawards are managed up to highest internal IRC and external legal compliance standards. The Grants and Partnership Coordinator, under the supervision of the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP), will provide support on all components of the grant, project and subaward lifecycle to ensure on-track, on-time, and on-budget implementation. This will include managing the process from initial evaluation to proposal development to grant management to closeout, developing and strengthening systems to support pre-award, post-award, and communications that enhance IRC Poland’s external and internal visibility.

 

Main responsibilities:

Business Development

Support the development of a Business Development Strategy that is closely aligned to the Poland Country Programme Strategy; lead in the realization of the Business Development Strategy Under the supervision of the DDP identify and support in the development of donor relationships nationally Track upcoming opportunities in line with identified priorities in Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for Poland country program. Coordinate the preparation of proactive materials such as brochures, concept notes and newsletters that will contribute to the attainment of business development objectives. Support development of external communication tools as relevant for donor visits/meetings on IRC Poland as a whole and IRC Poland programs in particular

 

Concept note and proposal development

Under the supervision of the DDP, lead the process of go-no-go (GNG) process, by coordinating the meetings, guiding the agenda and by documenting and circulating notes, Ensuring that opportunity is created on OTIS by the team , and the overview is correct throughout the proposal development process, and that all workflows are completed, Coordinating concept note and/or proposal development (including logframe meetings) and working with program staff, partnerships unit, technical advisers, and regional teams on the development of donor-required concept note and/or proposal materials aligning IRC strategic approach to donor requirements, Ensuring all proposal signoffs and approvals at the country and regional level have been obtained Preparing the final donor-facing versions for submission, and in some cases, directly submitting to the donor

 

Reporting and Award Management:

Ensuring that key award files, and project management files are organized and stored on IRC’s systems and that all staff have access to and utilize the accurate award files, Completing agreement review for new awards alongside HQ, Ensuring an accurate reporting calendar for the whole portfolio, Managing the reporting processes for the IRC and its partners to meet internal (e.g. HQ) and donor deadlines with high-quality reports, Supporting accurate budget management by monitoring burn rates using the BvA and spending plans, Monitoring progress against indicators through collaboration with MEAL tools and resources, and Proactively monitoring awards to avoid amendments, however if one is identified, ensuring the amendment process is effectively followed aligning to IRC processes

 

Coordination and Communication:

Ensuring proper review of donor facing materials, including proposals and reports, by HQ regional grants team, Technical Advisors, MEAL, DDP/CD, Notifying country program staff or partnerships of any changes to awards, including proposal approvals, amendment approvals, Cost center (T1) updates, or key donor needs, Keeping written publications and internal planning files aligned to IRC branding guidelines, and Coordinating donor meetings and preparing written ad-hoc updates for donors, particularly those for critical context shifts

 

Project Cycle Management (PCM):

Consolidating key files and ensuring these files are appropriately stored on Box, Developing and maintaining the schedule for PCM meetings per IRC standards, Acting as country program focal point for PCM guidance, Scheduling and participating in the meetings, and Ensuring that the meetings are used to discuss cross-departmental coordination and any pain points between departments

 

Management in Partnerships:

Line managing key partnerships managerial staff. Establishing deliberate, inter-department routines in partnerships management with Finance and Supply Chain, in line with IRC partnership guidance (PEERS). Reinforcing chain of accountability in partnership forming relationships, up to highest internal IRC and external legal compliance standards. Together with the partnership senior manager and manager, proactively map and identify new partners, including refugee-led organizations, private and public-sector entities, to collaborate with IRC in the delivery of services to refugees in Poland. Co-facilitate and guide competitive and non-competitive partner selection processes to identify new
partners, as well as new applications from existing partners, in coherence with PEERS. Establish and manage the Partnership Working Group (co-responsible for delivering the functions of the PWG),
including referral of issues to Senior Management Team as appropriate. Coordinate and participate in timely and effective partner program, finance, and compliance review and reflection (monitoring), and work with the Partnership Working Group to address any project performance issues.

 

Donor and IRC compliance:

Providing guidance on donor regulations during both proposal development as well as upon award start-up, Creating and maintaining a compliance cheat sheet that is accessible to all staff with key award considerations based on the agreement, and Responding to compliance queries, coordinating with HQ regional grants team as needed for complex cases

 

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: Deputy Director of Programs (DDP)

Direct reporter: This position will have 2 staff to manage directly.
Works closely with: Program leads, Finance lead, Operation teams, Partnerships Finance

Indirect Reporting: n/a