Title: Grants Management Specialist – Reporting and Communication
Location: Addis Ababa
Reports to: Program Manager
Grade – G2
Start of Contract & Duration: Six months
Posting date: September 16, 2020
INTRODUCTION
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region, and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009. With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia and Djibouti, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration.
OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The Grants Specialist (Reporting and Communication) will coordinate and manage internal and external communications with a substantial focus on focusing on donor reporting and grants management for DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti projects. The Grants specialist will make sure all DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti grants’ reporting run smoothly and successfully by providing continuous support on report preparation, communication and documentation. The Grants Specialist (Reporting and Communication) will lead efforts to quality and timely donor reporting and increase visibility of DRC’s programs by soliciting, organizing and archiving information to produce or review reports.
The Grants Specialist (Reporting and Communication) will report to the Program Quality Assurance Manager and work closely with the grants team, field and/or project teams, MEAL team, finance team and with other relevant DRC senior staffs: Head of Programs and Country Director to provide regular support and guidance through reporting, communication and documentation for effective grant management and overall country program.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Responsibilities:
Reporting-in accordance with the Grants RACI
- Support the Grants Management Coordinator and Program Quality Assurance Manager in the process of high-quality reporting in collaboration with the relevant project and support services teams (finance, supply chain, HR).
- As soon as a grant contract is signed, extract all reporting requirements (dates/frequency, type of report, annexes required, guidelines, templates) and systematically integrate them into the grants’ tracker and other kick off tools.
- Update and send the reporting schedule with deadlines on a weekly basis (grant tracker) to all internal stakeholders such as the finance team, the technical coordinators as well as the field teams.
- At least one month before a donor submission deadline, launch the reporting work by addressing an email communication to all internal stakeholders such as the finance team, the technical coordinators as well as the field teams. This communication should include the timelines and responsibilities of each actor, the donor templates, donor guidelines and other useful guidance to ensure quality reporting.
- Coordinate and follow up with the internal stakeholders mentioned above to ensure respect of the reporting timelines and the submission deadline.
- Compile and review the draft reports submitted by the area teams.
- Coordinate the review by the Country Office team (technical coordinators, MEAL team, financial reporting coordinator, and others) and coordinate with the field teams for integration of their feedback and recommendations.
- Ensure quality check (form, content, grammar, typo, etc.) of the narrative reports and related annexes and prepare a clean final draft for final review at CO level (PQAM, HOP).
- Guarantee compliance with internal and donor reporting guidelines and requirements and apply the reporting quality checklist.
- Guarantee compliance with other contract requirements (including visibility, branding and marking) that relate to reporting (such as the Quarterly, Annual and Final Reports) and prepare brief program statements for internal use describing connections between implementation and results before submission to donors.
- Coordinate with the field teams and CO teams any feedback and questions received from donors and ensure they are addressed in a timely manner.
- Systematically archive the final reports submitted and/or revised on the organizational platforms such as Sharepoint and DRC Dynamics.
- Support the GMC and PQAM on capacity building of project/field teams to ensure quality reporting and communication for better and smooth grants management.
- Contribute to the production of regular reports on the overall organization’s works for DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti grants.
- Actively contribute to establishing reporting processes and guidance to improve DRC’s internal and donor accountability and compliance requirements.
Communication
- Set up mechanisms to systematically receive and compile relevant information on a project in a timely manner
- Lead the development and implementation of a communication and visibility plan in line with internal and donor guidelines for DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti programs
- Support the organization’s visibility and communication activities in collaboration with MEAL team, area offices and project teams in DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti programs
- Develop communication materials and products to support grant activities including the development of project summaries, fact sheets, grant agreement cheat sheets, brief donor regulations, etc. to make the information available, accurate and timely
- Create social media contents which include presentations, brochures, articles, updated notes, blog posts related to DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti programs’ and regularly update DRC’s website and its social media
- Lead or support partners or consortium members to proactively prepare for report communication and coordination needs to contribute to overall better information flow among partners
- Proactively liaise with MEAL team on development of interesting stories from programs initiating and accompanying field visits to collect high quality photos and possibly audio video material suitable for use
- Stay informed of all major issues in the DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti programs, strategies and activities, results and achievements, and on best practices, lessons learned and success stories so that project communication is rich, diverse and well grounded
- Support the senior management in organizing and facilitating organization level meetings, workshops, trainings, etc. internally, with external stakeholders and partners
- Participate in external meetings/workshops by representing DRC as needed
Grants Management and Documentation- in accordance with the Grants RACI
- Ensure that DRC’s grant management system (Dynamics) and SharePoint is up-to-date with reports, and ensure all essential project documents are uploaded properly and timely
- Follow up and ensure availability of hardcopy and soft copy documentation on Dynamics and SharePoint for all project reports, e-mail correspondences and communication material.
External relations
- Support the development and provision of notes/briefings to external bodies requesting information on DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti project activities.
- Support the senior management in organizing and facilitating organization level meetings, workshops, trainings, etc. internally, with external stakeholders and partners
- Participate in external meetings/workshops by representing DRC as needed
Internal relations
- Work closely with grants, program, finance and field teams to gather timely information for grants management administrative tasks.
- Work with the Grants management Coordinator in organizing project kick-off and close-out meetings and ensure proper communication of the events
Others
- Other relevant duties as directed by the line manager.
All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s 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.
Job Requirements
- Master’s degree from a recognized university in social sciences, preferably in Communication and Journalism, Development Studies, Social Work, Sociology or other relevant field with at least three years of relevant work experience; or Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and minimum of five years of relevant work experience,
- At least three (3) years of INGO experience, of which at least two (2) years’ experience directly on donor reporting and communication related to donor grants management
- Work experience in donor reporting, communication, or documentation, ideally for an international humanitarian organization
- Strong analytical, writing, communication and editing skills with the ability to make complex information and data accessible to non-experts.
- Demonstrated ability and experience producing information and visibility materials
- Demonstrated experiences working with grants team, MEAL team and field team working on humanitarian projects
- Proven commitment to accountable practices and knowledgeable of quality assurance systems
- Good communicator and proven diplomacy with all types of stakeholders
- Experience of managing budgets and multiple donor contracts, particularly with EU, ECHO, UNHCR, BRPM, UNICEF, OFDA, DANIDA, etc.
- Fluent and articulate in spoken and written English; and possibly in French
- Ability to work independently, but also coordinate effectively as part of a team.
- Strong/advanced computer skills.
- Ability and willingness to work and live in diverse, challenging and potentially unstable environments.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa