TITLE: Education Program Awards and Partnership Coordinator Damascus (National)
TEAM/PROGRAMME: Programme Operations Team LOCATION: Damascus (National)
GRADE: 4 CONTRACT LENGTH: One Year (with the possibility of extension)
CHILD SAFEGUARDING: (3)
Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
ROLE PURPOSE:
Save the Children is the grant agent for the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Pooled Fund and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) ESPIG in Syria with overall responsibility for the delivery of the ECW/GPE funding with partners.
This role will work collaboratively with members, country office departments, and implementing partners as well as the Area Offices to ensure smooth management of development and humanitarian programme and awards functions. The person will be responsible for maintaining a portfolio of awards and their respective sub awards. The position will be also supporting capacity building of SCI and partners and improving internal ways of working and promoting quality and efficient program implementation.
The coordinator will support the Senior Education Manager in ensuring that ECW and GPE programs adheres to all its award and partnership management obligations internally within SCI and externally with donors. This will include vetting and collaborative scoping of partners; supporting proposal development processes from donor compliance perspective; Supporting SRO donor reporting function; ensuring timely and quality data in the Award Management System; drafting sub-award agreements with partners, working with SRO- Area Offices to ensure compliance with financial and administrative requirements, donor specific requirements and to make recommendations for overall improvements. S/he will be responsible to maintain the Awards Management function along the Awards Management Cycle starting from the inception phase till the close out of both GPE and ECW grants. S/he will also undertake ongoing review of the portfolio and provide data and metrics to inform decision-making.
In addition, the coordinator will collaborate with the Senior Education Manager, Finance Officer, and MEAL Coordinator under the ECW/GPE grants in ensuring quality implementation, monitoring and reporting in line with SCI’s procedures, policies and standards. He/she will coordinate monthly calls with partners and support the Program Manager to follow through action points from the meetings.
In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and to be able to vary working hours accordingly.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports Direct: Chief of Party ECW/GPE
Reports Indirect: Head of Awards and Partnerships
Staff reporting to this post: NA
Budget Responsibilities: NA
Role Dimensions:
This position will be expected to work across the two grants ECW and GPE under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager. S/he is also expected to work closely with partners, strengthening their capacities, as well as close collaboration to enhance the awards management processes as well as working.
Also expected to engage externally with Partners, Regional office and Members when and where its required/delegated by the line manager.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Developing self and others; Working effectively with others
• Work as a team member of the ECW-GPE Program Management Unit (PMU) to support the development and performance of Syria Response portfolio.
• Support in providing orientations and staff trainings on Awards Management procedures, and donor requirements for Save the Children staff and partner organisations.
Communicating with impact, negotiation and coordination
• Provide support in the proposal development and the revision processes by providing advice on donor compliance requirements to ensure compliant submission of the proposals and amendments.
• Facilitate the whole processes of donor reporting to ensure that reports are in good quality, delivered on time, and supported by auditable records.
• Support in maintaining effective communications with Members, CO, PMU and Partners regarding Awards Management and donor compliance related issues.
• Organize and conduct effective Award Kick off meetings to ensure that all award’s information is shared effectively with relevant staff.
• Active participation in the Monthly Awards Review Meetings at field and members’ level.
• Lead on the Award’s close-out process and work with SRO functional departments, the Regional Office and Members to ensure complete and compliant awards clos-out.
Sub-award Management:
• Ensure effective drafting for the sub-award agreements under the ECW and GPE awards.
• Ensure Sub-award information on AMS is complete and up to update.
• Working with finance to ensure the timely internal review and clearance of all financial documentation and reporting associated with sub-grants.
• Support in monitoring the compliance of partner’s programs with donor and SCI requirements and raise issues affecting external/internal compliance to the PMU and Members.
• Support the improvement and the revision of AMCP tools and systems.
• Maintain the Sub- Awards tracker and ensure regular maintenance of Sub-Awards files for GPE and ECW.
• Maintain a broad and deep understanding of relevant donor policies, regulations and procedures.
• Raise compliance issues proactively with the relevant levels.
• In line with AMCP, supports to lead partner sub-award Kick off- meetings, Sub-award regular review meetings, and sub award close out meetings in collaboration with the PMU.
Compliance (systems, processes, donor)
• Promote for clear understanding of SCI processes and key donor requirements, and support team to ensure all opportunities, proposals, contracts and amendments follow SCI processes.
• Prepare donor waiver/derogation requests in coordination with PMU.
• Ensure all partners undergo legal vetting and sub-award agreements undergo review, are inputted into and approved through AMS, and work with relevant staff to ensure relevant donor requirements are understood by implementing partners (this may include capacity building).
Program and award Management leadership, portfolio management and strategy
• Support in ensuring program and award management systems and processes are successfully implemented, and key controls are in place to support effective portfolio management and compliance with donor requirements.
• Support in ensuring regular awards monitoring and facilitate regular meetings with key stakeholders to ensure individual award performance is being tracked effectively, and that risks and issues are being recognised and action taken.
Partnership Management
• Lead the partner selection processes
• Leading the overall Partner assessment process through (PAT) and capacity-building plans.
• Supporting program managers with the tools and approaches for partnership engagement for effective programming
• Facilitate a collaborative capacity assessment process and develop a Capacity Development plan for each partner, which may include training, mentoring, field trips, shadowing, exchange visits, etc.
• Lead the implementation of appropriate partnership and capacity-building modules and tools; and
• Support and follow up on the implementation of capacity-building plans for partners and subsequent reporting of results achieved.
• Develop a master tracking sheet for partners trainings
• Develop a master sheet tracker for PATs per area
• Develop a master tracker sheet for partner vetting
• Update the compiled sheet for the partnership dashboard
• Conduct Partner scooping and mapping on a quarterly basis as per the needs of the area office and the direction from the Partnership lead
• Perform any additional tasks requested by the Partnerships Lead.
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
QUALIFICATIONS
Professional qualification relating to business, finance, accounting or international development
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
• University degree in Business Administration or project management or relevant domain.
• Relevant experience supporting donor funded projects with International NGO’s
• Experience communicating with impact in a complex stakeholder environment
• Experience in staff management, supervision and capacity building in Award Management
• Proven track record of supporting a senior management team
• Problem solving skills to identify and lead the resolution of issues
• Good attention to detail and analytical skills
• Computer literate (i.e. Word, advanced Excel, Outlook, financial systems).
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, flexible, able to improvise and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities
• Basic understanding of operational programming, including the realities of the context
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English, with experience in managing multicultural teams.
• Deep understanding of Partnership Principles
• Understanding of internal control environment needs related to Syria programming.
Desirable
• Experience with Save the Children Award Management System (AMS).
• Significant experience with NGOs in an international environment.
• Proficiency in Arabic;
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.