Job Overview:
The Deputy Direct of Grants and Partnerships (DDGP), in collaboration with Director of Programs (DP) and the Country Director (CD), will provide strategic and operational direction, lead resource mobilization efforts to achieve annual growth targets, and support the diversification of funding from institutional donors and nontraditional funding sources to achieve IRC’s strategic objectives in Ethiopia. He/ she will provide direct support to strategic growth opportunities, strengthen systems and processes in alignment with donor compliance and IRC requirements, donor reporting, strategic partnership management, to enhance IRC´s external and internal visibility. He/ she will provide essential support in programmatic and budgetary monitoring oversee compliance with IRC and donor internal rules and regulations, and other key functions as required. The postholder will need to work under tight deadlines and dealing with competing and changing priorities. He/ she will need to gather
inputs through influencing other functions and roles whilst submitting quality and timely deliverables. He/ she will work with diverse country, region and headquarter based teams and will need to ensure adherence to organizational and donor compliance requirements. The position will be based in Addis Ababa.
Major Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Business Development
- Lead the rollout of the Business Development Action Plan, ensuring alignment with IRC Ethiopia’s SAP,
ensuring strategy is translated into operational priorities, measurable targets, and donor engagement
plans.
Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on funding opportunities, donor trends, and partnership
models.
Monitor progress against Business Development KPIs and report monthly to the Senior Management
Team (SMT).
Grants Management
- Oversee the full grant lifecycle, ensuring compliance, quality reporting, and timely submissions.
- Strengthen systems for grant tracking and donor reporting.
- Build staff capacity in grants management, compliance, and donor relations.
Partnership Development
- Drive proactive identification and engagement of new partners aligned with the Business Development Action Plan.
- Strengthen collaboration with local NGOs, government agencies, and private sector actors.
- Ensure partnership management follows IRC’s PEERS framework and core principles of responsibility, equality, transparency, and complementarity.
- Support resolution of partnership challenges to safeguard IRC Ethiopia’s partnership ambitions.
Team Leadership & Capacity Building
- Lead a team of 11 staff across business development, grants, and partnerships with three direct reports.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
- Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, and safeguarding within the unit.
Safeguarding Responsibilities:
- Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
- Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies
Job Requirements:
Education:
- Master’s degree in international Affairs, Social Sciences, or any related field of study
Work Experience and Skills:
- 8 – 10 ears of substantial experience and a successful track record leading proposal team on complex subjects, multi-year, multi-partner proposals with minimal direction.
- At least 6 years’ senior level management experience in an INGO
- Proficiency in developing and supporting humanitarian and development proposals for NGOs.
- Familiarity with strategies and proposal processes of key government/statutory donors–FCDO, EU institutions (ECHO, EUTF), US Government DoS, and other donors (GAC, Sida, Worldbank, GFFO, SDC, etc.).
- Experience in collaborating with and supporting national and community-based partners.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively collaborate across a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment.
- Proven ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues in remote and diverse teams, including as team leader for proposals.
- Clear, compelling English writing skills, with previous experience in proposal writing.
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively.
Language Skills:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications
IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.
IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.
Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.
Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.
More Information
- Job City Ethiopia
