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Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corpsโ Ukraine response meets the humanitarian needs of people affected by the war in Ukraine. Since the escalation of the war in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported more than 750,000 conflict-affected people in Ukraine and neighboring countries. We have provided cash assistance, food and hygiene kits, and psychosocial support for people in emergency situations; grants for micro, small and medium businesses, as well as small to medium farming enterprises; and conducted large-scale information campaigns. Notably, nearly all our programming is delivered in partnership with Ukrainian, Polish, and Moldovan civil society organizations matching humanitarian action with capacity strengthening and a real commitment to localization. The humanitarian portfolio addresses the needs of conflict-affected people in the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine through multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), in-kind food and non-food assistance, and protection and psychosocial support.
General Position Summary
The Grants Manager will support the Programs department as the point person for communicating Mercy Corpsโ humanitarian activities through donor reports. This includes the collation of information from each operational department into concise and clear narratives, supported by statistical evidence and case studies. The Grants Manager must have an understanding of compliance and reporting requirements for each donor and communicate those to program teams as needed. S/he will also serve as the focal point to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps internal systems of PM@MC and must possess a basic understanding of internal standards in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and accountability. S/he is an integral part of the Ukraine Response team and is expected to have a strong operational understanding of all activities and strategy. S/he will also be the point person for drafting new proposals and developing the initial narrative and budget requirements, in close collaboration with Programs, MEL, and Finance. As such, the Grants Manager is expected to liaise across all departments. Finally, s/he works closely with the Communications team to share key program activities, success stories and other useful updates for the broader Mercy Corps audience.
The Grants Manager will work under the direct supervision of the Director of Programs, and work with Finance, Program Performance and Quality (PaQ), Program Managers, Security and all other field and HQ departments in coordinating all grants/reporting-related tasks.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Reporting & Grants Management
- Coordinate the preparation of timely program and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal requirements and any relevant donor requirements.
- Lead on the production of internal reports, including sitreps, ensuring timely inputs from program, finance and operations teams, and ensure review and signoff processes are adhered to.
- Work with Program Managers to ensure that the filing structure meets minimum PM@MC standards and folders are populated and archived accordingly.
- Support coordination and document all Program Kick-off and Close-out meetings, track action points for follow-up and record/document all lessons learned.
- In close collaboration with the DoP, provide draft answers to donor questions and requests, while ensuring compliance with donor regulations.
- Maintain and update internal portfolio management tools, including funding trackers, grant trackers and dashboards.
- Work closely with the MEL team to consolidate and file information on program monitoring, progress and quality to support ongoing reporting, proposals and other operational management tools.
Proposal Development
- Lead on the development of concept notes and funding proposals (including log frames and budgets), coordinating the development process with all departments under the guidance of the DoP. The portfolio includes a variety of donors, including major institutional donors, corporate organizations, trusts, and private donors.
- Ensure proposals and concept notes are developed in a timely manner and with realistic deadlines, and that these are communicated and understood by stakeholders both internal to the office as well as the region and HQ. Serve as in-country focal point when coordinating proposal development with regional and HQ teams.
- Ensure proposals are developed in coordination and consultation with program technical advisers, finance, HR, and operations teams, and that necessary support is adequately budgeted.
- Coordinate both internally and externally, to ensure that prior to submission all proposals are reviewed and approved by the relevant parties as appropriate.
- Ensure that concept notes and funding proposals align closely with response strategies, sector program plans, master budgets and M&E frameworks.
- Support the DoP to track and position MC for funding opportunities, including calls for funding progress of proposals, submission deadlines, financing available.
- Support the PaQ team with the planning and implementation of program review exercises, incorporating learning into new proposals.
- Support the Partnership Team and Program Managers with the development and review of partner proposals and reports as necessary.
Finance & Compliance Management
- In support of the PaQ team, act as the focal point for compliance with PM@MC minimum standards for program management, particularly those pertaining to information management and filing.
- In coordination with Finance, support BVAs and lead donor reporting meetings presenting up to date information.
- Support the finance team with initial budget development and ensure consistency with program planning.
Other tasks