Operations Manager, Fund Management

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC’s vision is to lead the humanitarian field by implementing high-impact, cost-effective programs for people affected by crisis and by using our learning and experience to shape policy and practice. To achieve that vision, the IRC’s Technical Excellence units (TE) provides technical assistance to IRC’s country program staff and shares what we learn to influence policy and practice. TE is comprised of five Technical Units, all of which have deep expertise in their respective sectors: Education, Economic Wellbeing, Governance, Health, and Violence Prevention and Response.

The Violence Prevention and Response Unit (VPRU) works to reduce people’s vulnerability to and support their recovery from violence, and promote transformative work for a future free from violence. The unit houses expertise in the fields of Child Protection, Protection and Rule of Law, and Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE). WPE supports programs to adhere to minimum standards and principles of good practice in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence and to meet the safety, health, psycho-social, and justice needs of women, girls, and survivors of gender-based violence.

IRC UK:

IRC UK were established in London in 1997 to support the organisation’s global activities and particularly to diversify its donor base and be able to better advocate with European policy makers on behalf of the people we serve. Since its establishment IRC UK has grown rapidly and is now acknowledged for its high-quality project management, technical expertise in governance and rights and economic recovery, and innovative thinking on early recovery and gender based violence. IRC UK comprises over 140 staff.

The International Rescue Committee UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its offices in New York, London, Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Stockholm, Geneva, Nairobi, Bangkok and Amman. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

Programme Scope:

IRC is seeking an Operations Manager (Fund Management) to support a seven-year programme funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to improve prevention and response to violence against women and girls. The ‘What Works to Prevent Violence – Impact at Scale’ Programme will build on the success of its predecessor (‘What Works I’) to prevent and contribute to eliminating violence against women and girls (VAWG) by:

• Systematically designing, implementing and rigorously evaluating a range of approaches to scaling up violence prevention efforts, translating proof-of-concept evidence into robust, largescale programmes and strategies;

• Designing, piloting and testing new theory-driven violence prevention approaches (innovation);

• Strengthening long-term capability and capacity to deliver cutting-edge, evidence-based violence prevention programmes across the programme’s grantees, the UK Government (principally FCDO), and developing country governments; and

• Using evidence to influence a more effective, scaled-up global response to end VAWG.

Based in IRC’s UK office in London or in other regional hubs, the Operations Manager will directly manage the Partnership Excellence Team, and the different aspects of grant making to project partners, ensuring that projects are awarded and managed in line with the budget and in accordance with FCDO requirements, IRC policies, and international standards for sub-granting and feminist partnership principles.

The Operations Manager will coordinate the fund management of the What Works II grants portfolio (approx. allocation of £30m) and provide oversight and coordination of all aspects of the grant making process including support to project partners, launch call windows, grant set up, financial monitoring, coordination of technical support and monitoring. The Operations Manager will report to the Deputy Programme Director, Fund Management, who sits on the Leadership Team for the What Works II programme. The role will be supported by a team of Grant Managers and Finance Officers and work closely with Technical Advisors and IRC Finance Team.

Specific Responsibilities:

Grant set up and management

• Coordinate full life cycle of funding rounds from call launches, assessments, contracting, grant start up, ongoing monitoring through to grant closure, and ensure compliance with FCDO requirements and IRC policies

• Coordinate the due diligence process and ensure that this is undertaken on all provisionally approved grants prior to contracting

• Coordinate technical support required for the effective management of programme, including assessors, reviewers and auditors.

• Develop guidance documents required for project partners including manuals, templates and guidance notes for various aspects of grant management

• Ensure that grant agreements are processed and issued for all approved projects

• Coordinate the management and monitoring of grants following the award, and ensure that the funded projects continue to comply with the terms and conditions set in the grant agreement

• Manage the programme budget and ensure efficient financial management of the programme including the processing of claim forms; updating database records, liaising with the finance department to establish bank accounts for applicants, and the reconciliation of bank statements with recorded expenditure.

• Develop and maintain a programme grants risk register, to identify, monitor and mitigate against any key risks to programme delivery, and update the Fund Management Director and FCDO as appropriate

• Oversee the ongoing monitoring of grants funded portfolio including the review of progress reports, logframes / results framework, and budget reports to ensure that funded projects are working towards achieving their agreed outcome/impact

• Develop a system for quality assurance / project audit / spot checks to support the risk management strategy for fund management

• Oversee the setting up, configuration and ongoing maintenance of grants management portal, and ensure training for relevant team members

Finance

• Work closely with finance department to ensure accurate reports are produced in a timely manner, and that confirmed expenditure reports and forecasts are submitted to FCDO, as agreed

• Maintain an overview of grants management and monitoring and ensure that appropriate controls and decisions are made regarding timely release of funds to grantees.

• Agree protocols with Partnership Excellence Team and Finance team to ensure the timely disbursement of funds

Communications

• Maintain communications with project partners and build relationships with strategic programme partners.

• Maintain effective communication with Partnership Excellence Team to ensure effective fund management.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Deputy Programme Director, Fund Management

Position directly supervises: 2-3 Grants Managers and 2 Finance Officers

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Regular communication with other IRC departments, including Grants, Operations and Admin Unit for TE and the Awards Management Unit

External: Interaction with the Programme Management Unit comprised of representatives from the 4 consortium members as well as other members of the consortium

Job Requirements:

Education:

Degree in gender, social work, public health, international development, or related field (or equivalent work experience in a relevant field)

Work Experience:

• Significant experience managing funds or other large sub-granting mechanisms, ideally FCDO

• Experience of working on grant making funds and good understanding of project/grant management cycle, including assessments, selection, contract, implementation, monitoring and evaluation

• Understanding of project management methodology

• Experience of strategic planning and managing budgets

• Good organisational skills and able to work accurately within timescales

• Ability to develop excellent relationships with multiple project partners and stakeholders including governments, donors, and civil society

• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and project partners, in writing, face to face or on the telephone

• Ability to define and communicate (written / verbal) grant management processes tailored to specific requirements

• Proven ability to operate in a complex organisation, across functions and work on own initiative as well as collaboratively as part of diverse teams.

• Ability to meet deadlines, and to work in a pressurised environment

• Ability to manage a complex and varied workload, work under pressure, and travel regularly to insecure environments.

• Experience working closely and managing relationships with external partners and stakeholders.

• Excellent written and oral English communication skills.

• Excellent IT skills (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel).

Working Environment*:* Based from the London office or other regional hub with international travel, including to insecure environments

All What Works staff commit to and uphold the Programme’s Feminist Principles throughout all aspects of their work.

All IRC staff are required to adhere to The IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.