Grants and Partnership Coordinator

Who are we?

In 2003, DRC became one of the first organisations to provide humanitarian assistance in the country. Today, DRC continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable displacement-affected families, including IDPs, returnees, and host communities in Basra, Baqubah, Jalawla, Gatoon, Baghdad, Muqdadiya, Balad, Aziz Balad, Samarra, Tel Afar, Baa’j, Sinjar, and Erbil.

Find more about DRC operations in Iraq here: Iraq | DRC Danish Refugee Council

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Grants and Partnership Coordinator to join our programme in Iraq.

About the Job

The Grants and Partnership Coordinator is responsible for ensuring quality grants management and partnership processes throughout the project cycle, providing tools, guidance and coordination of the unit. This includes overseeing reporting, donor compliance, alignment with DRC’s Project Cycle Management guides requirements, and ensuring partner mapping, selection, vetting and additional assessment are conducted as per DRC policies and guidance. The Grants and Partnership Coordinator also leads on new business developement and ensures technical supervision of the Grants Management Specialist. The Grants and Partnership Coordinator also takes active participation in new business developement effort and ensures technical supervision of the Grants Management Specialist.

Responsibilities:

1. Project Development and Coordination

• Coordinate the development of concept notes and proposals in collaboration with technical coordinators, field staff, operations staff, the DRC Regional Office, and DRC HQ colleagues, ensuring alignment with DRC and donor strategies, priorities and requirements and DRC’s programme handbook guidelines.
• Facilitate communication across departments (program, MEAL, finance, safety, logistics and procurement, and human resources) in drafting of proposals and budgets.
• Ensure that kick-off, quarterly reviews and close-out meetings are held in a regular and timely manner to monitor project implementation and spending, ensure donor compliance, and identify and apply lessons learned.
• Lead on grants management processes including modification requests
• Support with the coordination and grants management of partnerships and consortia engagement
• Support the HoP as needed in coordination of donor and TPM visits in collaboration with the team
• Conduct visits to field locations as needed.

2. Resource Mobilization 

• Maintain up-to-date information on donor strategies, priorities and funding opportunities through the Donor Engagement Tracking Tools.

3. People Management

• Support the recruitment of dedicated Partnership staff as needed
• Support the HoP in providing technical support to the Grants Specialist, including regular feedback, capacity building and guidance as necessary, as well as provide technical inputs to the formal performance management according to DRC systems.

4. Reporting and Record Keeping

• Oversee internal and external reporting, ensuring high-quality and timely reports meeting donor and DRC requirements
• Support the development of project management tools for use by senior management for decision making, including consolidating regular internal programme progress reports based on input from programme managers and reporting on key programme highlights/issues.
• Maintain the grants and report tracking system, including regular updating within DRC’s Grants Management System within Dynamics, to ensure all grant files are organized, up to date and well managed for planning and preparation of donor reports and project monitoring.
• Ensure the relevant departments have adequate knowledge of and comply with donor requirements in terms of budget, asset and grants management.

5. Partnerships Coordination

• Support the HoP in the development and rollout of the partnership/localization strategy
• Oversee the development/adaptation of partnership management tools, guidelines, and other resources as needed to effectively manage partnerships.
• Improve partnership practices by periodically assessing DRC Iraq partnership management approach considering both DRC and partners’ perspectives, capture lessons learned and best practices and make recommendations for improvement. 
• Responsible for ensuring partnership assessments and ensuring technical coordinators/support units are aware of tools and processes
• Ensure SGAs are drafted, monitored, and followed up on a regular basis
• Ensure that capacity-building activities for partners are conducted as needed/relevant, including training workshops and one-on-one mentoring of key partner staff on donor rules and regulations, reporting, grants management, and other relevant areas as needed.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with local partners and DRC colleagues in order to maintain trust in DRC’s professional standard and quality of work among all stakeholders.

About you

Experience and technical competencies:

Essential

• Master’s degree in relevant field is preferred
• At least three years of INGO field experience in a similar position that includes proposal development, reporting and grants management and partnership management.
• Knowledge of key donor regulations, procedures and requirements (EU, UN, EC, USG, etc.).
• Proven ability to develop winning proposals for public and private-sector donors.
• Strong networking, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, with ability to determine priorities and pay attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing tasks and manage well under pressure
• Ability to work in a multicultural context as a flexible and respectful team player.
• High-level knowledge and practice with Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Ability/willingness to work with extremely tight deadlines and multiple tasks.
• Excellent written and spoken English required; Arabic and/or Kurdish is an asset.
• Willingness to follow security policies and procedures.

Desirable

• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective and working relations with local staff and other stakeholders;
• Experience living and working in a cross-cultural, multi-sector, insecure, remote area environment, under team condition
• Proven ability to develop winning proposals for public and private-sector donors.
• Previous experience in staff supervision

Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

• Masters degree in relevant field is preferred

Languages: (indicate fluency level)

• English (fluent)
• Arabic (desirable)

Key stakeholders: (internal and external)

• Senior Management
• Area Management
• Technical Coordinators
• Project Managers
• Head of units

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five 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: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length:  6 Months

Position Band:  This position will be placed at Non-Management band (G)

Start date: 1 May 2025

Duty station: Erbil - Country Office, with 25% travel to other DRC offices

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Nationals or Expatriates.       

Application process

Interested to apply? All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: March 19, 2025

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.