Grants and Communication Officer at IRC | May 2024

Background/IRC Summary:

Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to serious humanitarian crises around the world and helps victims to survive and rebuild their lives.

For over half a century, Tanzania has been a country of asylum, hosting one of the largest refugee populations in Africa.  Currently, the country hosts approximately 287,903 Burundian and Congolese refugees, many of whom arrived in 2015 as the crisis in Burundi increased. To date, refugees continue to co-exist with the host communities in Kigoma region expressing multiple reasons and needs. Within this context, IRC provides protection and basic assistance in the areas of Safety (comprises of Protection and Rule of Law, Women Protection and Empowerment, and Child Protection), Health (mental health and psychosocial support services and reproductive health), and Education.

Job Overview/Summary

This position will be placed within the IRC Tanzania Grants Unit. The IRC Tanzania Grants Unit acts as a formal coordination point between donors, external stakeholders, and IRC departments, including programs, finance, operations, regional and global headquarters. Within the Grants Unit, the Grants and Communications Officer will primarily support the IRC Tanzania Grants Unit with the management of the Tanzania portfolio and generally support the Grants team with project cycle management including leading grant meetings, reporting and budget monitoring, as well as, implementing partner communications.

Major Responsibilities

Grants Management and Business Development

• When requested, support grants team with coordination and drafting of concept notes, proposals, annexes, modification requests and other documents that supports timely submission of calls for proposal.
• Maintain and update the grants tracking schedule ensuring all upcoming reports are tracked and communicated to the Country team and HQ/Regional staff to ensure timely reporting.
• Support coordination of program cycle meetings to ensure close implementation and financial oversight and identify challenges, delays or deviations from the project plan.
• Assist in tracking various grants budgets versus expenditures (BVA) and commitments in line with approved spending plans and the work plan IRC and partners and flag any variances and discrepancies to relevant parties. This includes supporting the grants team in facilitation of regular monthly BVA review meetings, taking clear action points/minutes, circulating to relevant staff and close follow-ups for action points.
• Support the IRC program teams and partners in preparing and reviewing spending plans and work plans as per the grants calendar.
• Support with report writing, capacity building initiatives to program staff at the field level as appropriate.
• Support the grants team in the realization of the IRC partnership Excellence for Equality Results System efforts with guidance from the SGC. This includes regular checks on existing partners monitoring schedules to support capacity building initiatives as well as general monitoring of compliance issues.
• Support in ensuring that the grants folder is up to date with information related to each (D1) grants both on IRC SharePoint, Box and on opportunity tracking and information system (OTIS).

Communication

• The role will support the grant and technical teams to produce high-quality drafts of publications and project deliverables for review, compile inputs to develop quarterly/annual reports, while ensuring all materials adhere to donor guidelines (including style guide and templates).
• Produce knowledge products on a regular basis including the IRC Fact Sheet, Annual Report and relevant communication and publicity materials banners, booklets on a regular basis.
• Work with IRC communications colleagues at regional and HQ level to ensure visibility of IRC Tanzania programming on Rescue net and through the main IRC social media channels.
• Contribute to the learning objective of IRC by supporting the identification, documentation and implementation of project’s learning, fact sheet and success/human interest stories.
• Facilitates internal communications, maintains internal program communications files, and provides communications training to project staff as necessary.
• Support the Grants team to develop input and content for the design, development, and management of public awareness communications programs and plan for key activities.

Key Working Relationships:

•  Position Reports to: Senior Grants Manager
•  Position directly supervises: N/A
•  Key Internal contacts: SMT, Grants, Programs, Operations staff, donors and stakeholders
•  Key External Contacts: Project stakeholders, government, and donors

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, international development, journalism, public relations, or related field.
• A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in grants management, communications, and outreach, including experience in managing the design and implementation of communications plans.
• Experience and knowledge of donor funding, contracts and reporting requirements is a strong asset.
• Strong knowledge of MS Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint are required; familiarity with web management tools and video editing and photo manipulation tools is desirable.
• Fluent written and oral English is required.

Personal Attributes and Competencies

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to determine priorities and meet multiple deadlines.
• Proven ability to multitask with strong attention to details.
• Demonstrated ability to work under deadline pressure and manage production schedules.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Detail-oriented with good multi-tasking abilities and communication skills, both oral and written
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual
• Ability to work both independently and as a team.

Travel: Based in Dar es Salam with at least once in a quarter travel to project locations across Tanzania.

Working Environment: Security level yellow – The situation in most of the country is calm. Some parts of Kigoma region experience insecurity-highway banditry.

Partnership: The IRC is committed to working with partners as our preferred operating model and adhering to our six partnership principles: equality, complementarity, mutuality, solidarity, results orientation, and humility.

Commitment to Client Responsiveness: By committing to Client-Centered Programming, at the IRC Tanzania, we place the people we serve – our clients – at the center of our programming and services. The IRC Tanzania Staff have an important role to play in supporting the implementation of client-responsive programming through raising awareness to the community and clients about expected staff behavior, project information, the existing feedback mechanisms and how to use them including the response processes, access, and eligibility to services, and contribute to building an institutional culture that prompts staff to listen to clients and to communicate and respond to their requests, feedback, and complaints.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation. 

Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality: IRC acknowledges and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. IRC is also committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.