Grants Officer - DRC

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and – whenever possible – for the fulfilment of the wish to return home.

The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956, and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced.

All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty and transparency.

About the job :

The Grants Officer will be an integral member of the Grants Unit in the Programmes department, led by the Head of Programmes. The Grants Officer will be working under day-to-day supervision of the Grants management Coordinator, and under technical line management of the Head of Programmes. The Grants Unit serves as the facilitator of the entire grants management process in country and ensures compliance with donor requirements at all stages of the project life cycle.  The Grants Unit’s responsibilities include, but not limited to, ensuring timely and quality reporting, facilitating grant opening and closeout processes, advising on donor rules and regulations, maintaining grants related information and files, coordinating proposal development processes, capacity building of staff and implementing partners, and developing internal and external communication materials.

• Support the Grants Management Coordinator in ensuring accurate grants-related documentation in soft and hard versions is appropriately filed and communicated across teams.
• Support the Grants Management Coordinator and the Head of Programmes in undertaking initiatives to expand the country grant portfolio, including contributions to proposal development and programme design.
• Work with the Grants Management Coordinator to support the programme staff in developing high-quality and timely reports for donors and other country- and HQ-level communications.

Geographic scope: Country (Libya)

Main responsibilities

Reporting (50%)

Support the Grants Management Coordinator in reporting workflows and processes between programme teams, senior leadership, and HQ to ensure the timely and quality development and review of reports.
With inputs from programme and support departments, help develop and prepare high-quality, timely reports for donors, partners, and government on programme progress, ensuring all donor reporting requirements are met and strategically positioned to demonstrate DRCs leadership in programming in the country context.

• Facilitate review of donors’ reports by the management, regional office, and headquarters as needed, incorporate feedback received, and address all questions and comments;
• In coordination with the MEAL department, ensure that data reported to donors is accurate, complete, and consistent.
• Ensure the submission package for donors is complete (e.g. with financial report, asset inventory, evaluation reports, and other required annexes).
• Coordinate response to any questions and comments from donors on reports submitted;
• Maintain an up-to-date tracker of all reporting deadlines and ensure that responsible staff who contribute to reports are aware of reporting deadlines, templates, and requirements; contribute to the programmes calendar with relevant dates and deadlines (internal and external).
• Track submission of reports to donors through the appropriate submission channels and file all reports together with submission emails appropriately on SharePoint and DRC Dynamics; communicate this with regional office and HQ upon request and on a regular basis.

Proposal and Strategy Development (30%)

• Support the Grants Management Coordinator in overseeing proposal development processes, including drafting and producing high quality concept notes and proposals.
• Support the Grants Management Coordinator and the Head of Programmes with the development of strategy and/or drafting of position papers, leadership pieces, and other related initiatives leveraging evidence from programmes.
• Support in production of stakeholder analyses, donor mappings, grants prognoses, and other required exercises for planning and strategy-development purposes.
• Support in identification of funding opportunities, donor research, etc.
• Keep the programmes calendar up-to date with grants deadlines related to proposal submission, internal and external.

Information Management (10%)

• Support the Grants Management Coordinator in providing timely, thorough responses to information requests from internal and external sources.
• Work closely with MEAL staff to ensure credible, best-practice monitoring and reporting of programme activities.
• Support in creation of dashboards as and when requested.

Communications (10%)

• Support the Grants Management Coordinator in ensuring compliance with visibility requirements of all donors.
• Provide the programme and support staff with guidance on visibility regulations upon request and in regularly produced briefs.
• Lead initiatives to identify, research, write, and report on key sector success stories for internal and external audiences, packaging stories that centre on evidence to further illustrate impact of the programming.
• Ensure development, design/edit of exceptional communication materials, reports, activity plans, and information updates and other communication materials including sector profiles, impact reports, case studies, impact stories, programme briefings, leadership and positioning pieces, and other relevant pieces.

Roles reporting to this position

No direct reports

Reports to

Head of Programme
Technical Supervision: Grants Management Coordinator

Required experience and competencies

• Undergraduate degree in development studies, international relations, economics or other social sciences, or related field.
• At least 2 years of professional experience with an international development organisation.
• Familiarity with UN, US and EU donors with special attention to reporting requirements and ability to quickly understand and distinguish between different donor rules and regulations.
• Excellent critical thinking skills and ability to exercise good judgment and solve problems quickly and effectively.
• Advanced English proficiency (listening & writing skills with an ability to take detailed meeting minutes, capture discussions points, review and proofread reports);
• Strong inter-personal skills, ability to work well in a team, in a multi-cultural setting.
• Ability to adjust to high speed working environment and potentially changing security scenarios.
• Fluency in Arabic – an advantage though not essential.
• Contextual understanding of Libya and wider MENA region an advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; other IT skills related to data analysis are an advantage.
• Pro-social motivation and high regard for the humanitarian objective and humanitarian principles essential.
• Strong self-motivational, can-do, flexible, and optimistic approach highly valued.

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:  

• Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes.
• Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.
• Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: Listening and speaking 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.