SYRIA – CONSORTIUM GRANT SPECIALIST

ABOUT THE MISSION

The LEARN Consortium is a partnership between four (4) International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs). A two-year program funded by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), it leverages the respective expertise from the four partners to deliver Health, Shelter and WASH services to Internally Displaced Persons in North East Syria (NES). The main activities being implemented are related to the rehabilitation and running of Primary Health Centers (PHCs), emergency WASH (water distribution and rehabilitation of water infrastructure) and distribution of essential kits (new arrivals, hygiene, shelter repairs). The program incorporates a Rapid Response Mechanism.

The four implementing partners are based in, and implement throughout, NES. The Consortium Management Unit (CMU) is the oversight structure for the program that aims to facilitate smooth coordination, oversee program delivery, lead donor communications, ensure compliance and manage risk. The CMU is led by the Chief of Party (Jordan) and Deputy Chief of Party (NES), together with a team of Specialists.

ABOUT THE JOB

SI is looking for a Grant Specialist to be embedded within the LEARN Consortium. The position will be based in Amman.

Placed under the supervision of the LEARN Chief of Party within the Consortium Management Unit (CMU), this position will have strong functional links with the other LEARN Specialists (WASH, Shelter, Health, PSEA, Compliance and most notably Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning).

The jobholder will potentially manage a Reporting & Communications Officer, depending on team evolutions and partners’ needs.

General objectives:

– The Grants Specialist is responsible for overseeing all donor contractual modification requests, award adaptations, supports timely and high-quality donor submissions as well as piloting all reporting processes. In doing so (s)he produces and synthesizes high quality reports and any documents distributed internally and externally.

– (S)he will work in close relationship with the Deputy Chief of Party, Consortium Compliance Manager, Finance Manager and the Sector Specialists.

Specific stakes and challenges:

– The CMU is a small unit but it is a matrix working environment – many vertical and horizontal links with partners, Prime/Recipient, various intra-consortium groups.

– The role requires a sense for detail, picking up discrepancies while at the same time being able to grasp a macro picture of the whole program. However, entails limited strategic practice.

Priorities for the first 2/3 months:

– Oversee the formal consolidation of program adaptations, target revisions (with MEAL Specialist) and budget realignment (with Finance Specialist) to be communicated to the Donor as part of the LEARN’s likely changes following contextual changes since October.

– Ensure semi Annual reporting incorporates lessons learned from previous processes for the next formal reporting phase.

– Lead the adaptation of processes to reflect new partner constraints, capacities and communication channels following the contextual changes since October.

YOUR PROFILE

Diploma/education:

• University degree in International Affairs/Relations, Social Sciences, Development or related subject; Master’s degree preferred.

Experience:

• At least four years’ experience working in relief or development programs.
• Previous successful experience developing projects, writing proposals and managing grants for public donors
• Knowledge of main donor regulations and compliance, especially USAID/OFDA.
• Understanding of Cooperative Agreements an advantage.
• Experience working in an inter-agency capacity also an advantage.

Skills:

• Very good eye for detail oriented, organized, and able to manage competing urgent requests and priorities.
• Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.
• Is able to operate in a matrix environment, with many interlocutors.

Languages:

• Excellent (native level) English written and oral communication skills.

SI WILL OFFER YOU

A salaried position: starting from 2860 euros gross per month (including 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly) and a monthly per diem of 785 USD (Amman)/700 USD (NES) a month. Please note that salary is not negotiable with SI.

Vacation: During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of on 7 working days every three months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7 working days break at 3/6 and 9 month (with 850 USD allocated by SI).

To these break periods, it is necessary to add the granting of 1 additional rest day per month worked (i.e. 12 days in addition for a 1-year contract)

Social and medical cover: Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which reimburses all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.

For further information about Solidarités International, please consult our website: http://www.solidarites.org/en/

LIVING CONDITIONS :

Accommodation will be in the LEARN guesthouses in Amman, which are spacious and comfortable. Living conditions in Amman are very good and staff have access to a wide range of restaurants, cafes and bars. Most of occidental products (food, clothing…) are easily accessible in Amman. The country also proposes several destinations for weekends.

At the time of writing, international staff working on the response have extremely limited access to the area of intervention and are working remotely. The Grants Specialist would not be required to travel to North East Syria unless the situation normalizes to pre-October 2019 levels. In general, security inside NES is volatile and justifies specific arrangements for accommodation and movements in the areas of intervention. Adherence to strict security procedures is necessary, while the security levels can vary according to the different geographical locations and the changes of context.