Program Development and Awards Advisor (NGO)

About the role

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is hiring a full-time, on-site Program Development and Awards Advisor (PDA) in Nairobi. As part of the Regional Program and Award Support (RPAS) team, the PDA supports country programs in the West and Central Africa region (WACAR) with donor compliance, award management and business development, working with country offices, HQ departments and donors. The role has no line management responsibilities.

Key responsibilities

• Awards management: manage a portfolio of awards, support narrative reporting and post-award deliverables, and act as first point of contact for country program awards staff on compliance issues.
• Support budget realignments, scope changes, NCEs and other amendments, and monitor projects against donor guidelines and IRC requirements, including monitoring visits and meetings.
• Monitor award spending and help resolve under- or over-spending, and give technical advice on donor compliance in coordination with the Compliance and Policy team.
• Guide country offices on partner management policies and PEERS system compliance, review and process sub-grants and partnership agreements, and ensure accurate records in systems such as OTIS and PEERS.
• Business development: support proposal development, donor engagement and intelligence, and represent IRC externally at meetings with donors and stakeholders.
• Coordinate proposal development, quality assurance, consortium coordination, regional review of proposals, agreement review and post-submission debriefs.
• Contribute to training materials, train in-country staff, mentor Grants and Partnerships staff, and recruit and onboard new Grants Coordinators and Heads of Grants teams.

Required profile

• Degree in International Relations, Refugee or Migration Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Fluency in English and French, spoken and written.
• Strong understanding of institutional donor compliance requirements (UN, World Bank, US and European government donors).
• Experience with humanitarian and development programming, and international work experience in the Global South is a plus.
• Ability to travel internationally, sometimes on short notice and to insecure areas (15%).

Required skills

• Good financial management and budgeting skills.
• Excellent IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel).
• Organizational, analytical and communication skills, able to work independently in a fast-paced environment.