BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH
IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization manages several initiatives, which includes i) the REACH Initiative aimed at facilitating the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts, ii) the PANDA Initiative aimed at directly supporting key aid actors in improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy of their programmes, and iii) the AGORA Initiative aimed at promoting localised and multi-sectoral aid action in support of the recovery and stabilisation of crisis-affected communities.
The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED and the two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its fields of intervention.
We are currently looking for a Project Development and Grants Officer (PDO) to support our team in Ukraine.
Position: Project Development and Grants Officer
Contract duration:6 months, with renewal
Location: Kyiv
Starting Date: ASAP
Country profile
IMPACT has been active in Ukraine since 2015, previously working in GCA and NCGA areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, IMPACT has significantly scaled up activities, and now operates across the whole country to support and facilitate evidence-based planning and prioritisation in the humanitarian and stabilisation responses. IMPACT Ukraine has three research portfolios: 1) the first provides rapid, operational data and analysis to support delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid in areas close to the frontline, 2) the second informs countrywide prioritisation of humanitarian aid delivery, and 3) the third works closely with partners and coordinating bodies to support early recovery initiatives and longer-term solutions to internal displacement caused by the war. More information can be found here.
FUNCTIONS
Under the management of the Country Representative (CR), the Project Development and Grants Officer (PDO) is responsible to support the identification, development and management of grants in the mission. The ideal candidate would be eager to work within a dynamic and motivated team and will have a clear focus on project development as a tool to improve the efficacy of the humanitarian response in the region. The priorities will be determined together with the CR, and involvement in tasks may vary according to the profile of the candidate. The PDO is also responsible for management of a Junior staff member within the PD team.
The position is based in Kyiv, with regular travel across Ukraine, conducted in close coordination with the ACTED Country Security Manager and Ukraine Country Security Team.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The PDO’s responsibilities include the following:
- POSITIONING AND FUNDRAISING
- GRANT MANAGEMENT
Fundraising and Stakeholder Analysis
- Regularly conduct stakeholder analysis, who does what and where (3Ws)
- Based on the mission strategy, and research unit strategies, support in identifying funding through regularly conducting tracking of published opportunities; researching and identifying donors whose strategies/priorities align with that of IMPACT’s
- Regularly analyse donor and funding trends within Ukraine, needs and gaps through news/online scraping, coordination meetings (where relevant), stakeholder meetings (where relevant) and internal coordination meetings with Senior Management.
External Relations
- Support the overall cooperation with IMPACT’s sister organisation Acted (hosting IMPACT in its field of operations) in relation to project development and grants management ensuring communication is regular and timely and synergies are sought and built.
- Maintain an up-to-date directory of donors, international and local NGOs, other partners and stakeholders
- Ensure fundraising activities are appropriately tracked in the Funding Tracker (or similar tool), which is updated on a regular basis to log in latest negotiations and proposal possibilities with donors.
Proposal Development
- Coordinate proposal development process (liaising with technical project staff, finance, and IMPACT/ Acted HQs)
- Coordinate budget & budget narrative development, ensuring that draft budgets are shared with appropriate focal points (field level, HQs, IMPACT & Acted), and undergo crosscheck with narrative documents
- Ensure that learning from previous projects (e.g., lessons learnt and best practices) is incorporated into new proposals
- Ensure validation of all proposals before submission to IMPACT HQ GD, and relevant HQ partner’s through partner’s field focal point (where relevant) is sought.
- Address and coordinate the timely response and submission to all comments by donors on proposals in liaison with relevant staff in country, IMPACT HQ Grants and Finance teams.
Contracting
- In coordination with the CC and IMPACT HQ, review/negotiate proposals and/or contracts with donors, ensuring requirements are clear and understood
- Contribute to due diligence exercises of funding partners in liaison with HQ.
Project Implementation and Follow-up
- Ensure the timely completion of grant related processes such as Project cards, Monthly Reporting Follow Up (RFU) and Reporting Deadline Tracker
- Ensure timely Kick-off meetings are held involving all project components and focal points
- Ensure the establishment and regular update of project progress, key findings and success stories (including key M&E findings – where relevant)
- Ensure that all contractual obligations are clearly defined and communicated internally in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements, in close coordination with HQ GD and (as relevant) with partner’s PD and finance department
- When any issue is identified in meeting deliverables in the given timeframe and budget, inform relevant staff in country and suggest potential solutions that would meet donor rules
- Ensure ad hoc requests from donors are addressed in liaison with the CC, Programme and support teams
- Implement and oversee the project specific filing system for grant management and ensure it is regularly updated.
- Provide ad-hoc support to project implementation through trouble shooting and eliminating blocking points.
Reporting
- Oversee the development of quality project narrative and M&E reports (in support of donors’ requests), reflecting the progress and status of projects in a transparent, timely and professional manner, in liaison with IMPACT HQ GD and finance
- Liaise with Program teams when preparing reports, and with Finance to ensure coherence and alignment between financial and narrative reports by crosschecking the matching of data in the narrative and financial reports
- Oversee the monthly RFU and ensure smooth and regular communication with IMPACT HQ GD
- Where relevant, ensure regular coordination with partner’s Project Development, Finance and other departments at all stages of project development and implementation, including consultations for donor discussions, participation in project kick off and lessons learnt meetings, and drafting of donor reports or amendment requests
- Manage the Junior PDGO, whose primary responsibility is focused on reporting.
Partnerships
- Contribute to identifying potential partnerships for providing operational and/or technical support for IMPACT programs
- Contribute to due diligence and vetting of partners in close liaison with IMPACT GD and partner’s FLAT departments.
- In coordination with HQ GD, facilitate or take part in discussions with implementing partners, including in relation to formalizing contractual modalities (due diligence and outline of contracts)
- Ensure partners have a clear understanding in terms of IMPACT policies, procedures, compliance, programmatic and financial reporting requirements
- Where relevant, review partner reporting regularly and flag any issues in a timely manner to RC, CC, Finance and partner focal points, and suggest potential solutions
- Where relevant, act as field point of contact for all formal/informal implementing partner communication
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Ensure a clear M&E framework for each ongoing project is developed based on project proposals, implementation plans, and donor reporting requirements (including contractual monitoring and evaluation indicators to be tracked as part of activities)
- Ensure M&E policies and procedures are implemented, maintained and tracked for reporting purposes
- Ensure that M&E findings are reflected and their recommendations are incorporated in future concept notes, proposals, donor reports and implementation plans
REQUIREMENTS
- Years of work experience 1- 2 years of relevant working experience in a similar position;
- Academic Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar);
- Knowledge and skills Proven experiencein positioning and fundraising, grants management and monitoring and evaluation;
- Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements required;
- Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting required;
- Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word and PowerPoint;
- Multi-tasking skills Coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including ability to effectively meet deadlines, through an excellent ability to multi-task and prioritise in a complex environment;
- Level of independence A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently;
- Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
- Experience in geographical region Past experience in Ukraine or the region an asset;
- Language skills Fluency in English is required, competency in Ukrainian or Russian is an asset;
- Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.
Conditions
- For this position, salary between 2’460 CHF and 2’520 CHF gross monthly as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.
- Accommodation and food provided in the guesthouse.
- Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
- Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered).
- R&R after 2-3 months (flight ticket up to 500$ + 200$ of living allowance) if duty station allows
- Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)
- Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.
- Predeparture induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;
- IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees.
