Career Opportunities at International Rescue Committee

Job Description

• Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC’s mission is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. 

Technical Excellence and Grant Operations & Analytics Team:

• At the IRC, we define and measure our success as positive changes in people’s lives in relation to five outcome areas: health, education, economic well-being, safety and power, while helping to narrow the gender gap. To achieve these outcomes – to drive our impact – our programs must be based on the best available evidence and aligned with our theories of change; adapted to context; responsive to client needs and preferences; and continuously improved by generating evidence, measuring what we do, and acting on what we learn. The Technical Excellence team supports the delivery of this. Established in April 2021, the Grant Operations & Analytics Team (GOAT) brought together grants, business development, finance, and analytics functions and staff from each Technical Excellence Unit to one centralized team to increase efficiency, effectiveness and quality control across Technical Excellence grants and business operations. The primary purpose of this new team is to harmonize capacity and capabilities and drive efficiencies by establishing consistent, high quality standards and best practices to the service of improved budgeting, grants & contracts management, business development, and data collection and analytics. The Grant Operations & Analytics Team strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, create a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible service to our clients.

Job Overview:

• This Business Development Officer, filling a critical gap in Technical Excellence, will sit within the Grant Operations & Analytics Team (GOAT) and will be responsible for leading effective business development processes for highly complex global funding opportunities. The position collaborates closely with Technical Excellence program and grants teams, Country Program teams and IRC support departments like Finance and the Awards Management Unit to ensure that all proposals are developed and submitted in accordance with IRC and Donor policies.

Key Responsibilities:
Business Development (90%)

• Bid Coordination: Serve as the bid lead for Technical Excellence opportunities and coordinate with the Awards Management Unit (AMU) on opportunities with an AMU assigned bid lead 
•  Support the technical team in donor-specific program scoping in advance of anticipated calls, including pre-development of concept notes and donor feedback solicitations for specific programmatic elements/ideas
•  Drive the proposal timeline forward, including HQ approval processes and submission 
•  Manage OTIS (Opportunity Tracking Information System) workflow for proposals
•  Be responsible for the coordination with country programs and partners on documents needed
•  Provide templates and guidance to program teams
•  Lead on the coordination of reviews between technical units
•  Work with AMU on potential institutional funding opportunities and solicitations
•  Attend key cross-unit and cross-departmental meetings regarding business development
•  Develop and maintain an in-depth understanding of Technical Unit funding streams and business development priorities

Proposal Budget development:

• Lead on the development of proposal budgets that reflect the technical design 
•  Develop proposal budgets to ensure consistency and accuracy across projects. Design, draft, refine, and finalize budgets and budget narratives (as needed) that are reflective of program design costs
•  Ensure appropriate internal formats and donor formats for budget development are used
•  Advise on the allowability of costs
•  Guide supporting financial documentation for proposals in coordination with the HQ Finance Department, including annexes
•  Coordinate with and support country program finance and grant staff on proposals, providing guidance and feedback on workplans, deadlines, and proposal parameters 
•  Secure approvals across departments for submissions

Proposal Development:

• Support the proposal development processes for TU-specific opportunities as required for multi-country, multi-Technical unit, and/or multi-region opportunities 
•  Support Unit technical staff in the development of proposals, including reviewing and contributing to concept notes, proposals and creating budgets ensuring donor and IRC compliance
•  Track Technical Excellence’s pipeline for business development and assist with assigning business development (concept note, expressions of interest, proposal development) to Grants Managers
•  Coordinate with GOAT staff to ensure visibility on all opportunities and the appropriate level of salary support in the post-award phase 

Process Management and Creation (10%) 

• Handover Procedures: Working closely with the Sr BD Advisor and the Sr Grants Advisor, develop standard processes for handover procedures between pre- and post-award. 
•  Support on KIIs with key staff on the gaps in the current handover process 
•  Support the creation, piloting, and iteration of process improvement changes for handover procedures for both public and private awards 
•  Collect lessons learned from previous handover processes 

Go/No Go (GNG) Process:

• Working closely with the Sr BD Advisor and BD Officer, support on process changes in the Technical Excellence GNG processes, including the following:
•  Support the collection of GNG inputs on live opportunities for appropriate next steps
•  Support on KIIs with key staff when changes are being proposed
•  Collect lessons learned from previous iterations of the GNG process

Key Working Relationships:

• You will report to: the Senior Business Development Advisor, GOAT

Other Internal and/or external contacts: 

Internal:

• Regular contact with Technical Unit teams, GOAT Grant & Contract Mangers, GOAT BD Officer, and Country Program staff, the Awards Management Unit, Finance, Human Resources and Global Supply Chain.

External:

• Interact with donors, vendors, contractors, and consultants. 

Desired Qualifications:

•  3+ years of progressive work experience connected to business development and working in or closely with Technical teams 
•  Experience developing proposals for USAID, FCDO, and other large scale funders
•  Highly collaborative and pro-active colleague with a talent for delivering results with cross-functional groups
•  Experience working with IRC systems is a plus
•  Dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion, and a strong passion for our mission
•  Comfortable adapting to new challenges and dynamic priorities, while maintaining professional grace
•  Sophisticated Microsoft Office skills (Excel, PowerPoint) and experience with organizational information and financial systems
•  Excellent written and verbal communication skills in a multi-cultural environment 
•  University degree in Business Administration, Finance, International Development or a relevant field, or equivalent work experience
•  Fluent in English; French, Spanish or Arabic language a plus

Working Environment 

•  Standard office working environment, flexibility to work remotely
•  Workspace booked via a desk reservation system in an open-plan office when in person
•  Limited travel expected
•  This role may require working remotely full or part time depending on pandemic and public health changes

go to method of application »

Overview

• IRC is anticipating a 12-month project on integrated emergency drought response in Turkana and Samburu Counties. The project aims to ensure drought affected communities are able to meet their basic needs, reduce negative coping strategies, and move towards recovery from the drought emergency through provision of services in an equitable, multi-sectoral, layered approach within the sectors of: Food assistance and agriculture, nutrition, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and protection. The specific location for the project in Turkana is; Turkana West, South and Loima Sub-counties, while in Samburu, the IRC has proposed to implement in Samburu North, East and West sub-counties. In Samburu, only the protection outcome will be implemented.

Project Objectives

The integrated emergency drought response project aims to realize the following objectives.

• Objective 1: To reduce morbidity and mortality amongst 40,147 Children under 5 years of Age (U5) and 11,948 Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) related to malnutrition while reducing the vulnerability and risk of acute malnutrition among children.
• Objective 2:   To reduce the risk of WASH related diseases for 52,095 households with children under 5 years and PLW receiving health and nutrition services at the outreach sites by increasing access to safe drinking water, sanitation and promoting safe hygiene practices.
• Objective 3: To enhance access to targeted protection assistance and strengthen the protective environment for 36,261 males and 46,867 females by providing GBV prevention and response, Protection Coordination, Advocacy, and information services.
• Objective 4: To protect and enhance the food security, livelihoods, and nutritional outcomes for 36,000 targeted beneficiaries (18,360 Male; 17,640 Female) through emergency food and animal health assistance.

The expected outcomes of this project are:

•  Women, men, girls, and boys are safe in their communities and receive treatment and support when they experience harm.
•  Drought affected communities have improved access to potable water supply, sanitation services and improved safe hygiene practices.
•  Children, pregnant and lactating women are prevented from and treated for acute malnutrition.
• Drought affected communities have access to basic needs including quality food and sufficient resources to produce or purchase food and are supported to strengthen their livelihoods.
• Drought affected pastoralists can protect their livelihoods, assets, and or income during emergencies.

Target Group

Through this action, the IRC intends to reach a total of 424,123 beneficiaries in both Turkana and Samburu counties as highlighted below:

• Nutrition program will be the entry point for this project, with 52,095 targeted beneficiaries, among which, 40,147 will be children under 5 and 11,948 pregnant and lactating women.
•  312,570 beneficiaries will be targeted with WASH interventions, derived from the 52,095 households of people with malnutrition targeted.
•  83,128 beneficiaries are targeted in both counties with protection services.
•  22,620 beneficiaries will be targeted with food assistance and 36,000 through agriculture.
• Computation of the total beneficiary numbers minimizes double counting of the beneficiaries that will be reached through different interventions.

Baseline Survey Consultancy

• The survey is a formative study that seeks to establish baseline indices for determination of progress across the entire lifespan of the project. The salient aspects of the survey in accordance with baseline studies should therefore be clear articulation of indicators (both qualitative and quantitative) and projection of targets. The analysis should give a picture of the situation before the implementation of the project and use methodologies that generate results which will be compared with an endline evaluation towards the end of the project, in order to understand the effects that the project has had on the target population.

Rationale

• The baseline survey will provide in-depth information on the main target groups in the project locations. This information will be used to guide project implementation to ensure the project has maximum impact on the target groups. The survey report will be a vital component of the project Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system and will inform the results-based management approach of the project.

Survey Objectives

•  To provide baseline data that will guide project planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the integrated emergency drought response in accordance with project outcomes.
•  Provide baseline data for all project interventions, including the outputs and outcome indicators to facilitate tracking of project performance; and
•  Provide comprehensive recommendations on high impact and sustainable design and implementation of project.

Scope of Work

In consultation with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning IRC Team, and referring to the available donor guidance, the consultant will be required to:

•  Participate in briefing and consultation meetings to discuss the assignment aimed at building consensus on the baseline survey design and implementation plan.
• Provide a brief overview of the methodology that will be used to conduct the baseline assessment. This should include a description of the overall approach, such as a mixed-methods approach that combines both secondary and primary data collection methods. This should articulate the context in the targeted intervention area, highlighting proposed programming.
• Describe the secondary data sources that will be reviewed as part of the baseline assessment. This may include existing project documentation, government reports, and other relevant literature. Specify the methods that will be used to gather and analyze this data, such as literature review, content analysis, or data triangulation.
• Describe the primary data collection methods that will be used to gather information on the current situation, needs, and challenges related to the project. This may include surveys, interviews, focus groups, or site visits. Specify the sampling strategy, data collection instruments, and data analysis methods that will be used to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation. A representative sample should be drawn from the targeted 424,123, across the two counties, within the specific sub counties and across the different
• Develop data collection tools that will capture sufficient information required to provide baseline data for all the indicators in the project document and the  priority needs for the targeted clients.
• Develop, in collaboration with IRC, a detailed research and analysis plan, including plans for: developing /adoption of tools; recruitment and training of research assistants; pre-testing and review of tools; sampling methodology; implementation of data collection in the field; quality assurance; ethical considerations; qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and reporting.
• Lead data collection in the field including designing and leading key informant interviews and focus group discussions.
• Analyze data in a rigorous, robust manner using appropriate statistical and qualitative analysis techniques.
• Draft a high-quality report written in good quality English and include robust and detailed analysis of the data findings including specific interpretation on each target group and location.
• Present the draft baseline survey report to IRC and other stakeholder for input and validation.
• Develop and submit the final baseline survey report to IRC. 

Deliverables / Outputs

• Inception report detailing the conceptual framework for undertaking the survey, indicating the methodology, tools, report outline and a workplan highlighting the delivery framework.
• A comprehensive draft final report, not longer than 25 pages including all raw data collected in excel, word or any other format within the areas of interest.
• A final report highlighting current challenges and priority needs of the target groups, exacerbated by the drought situation; opportunities for strengthening prevention of further vulnerability of the target groups; innovations that optimize opportunities for the target group; and recommendations for best practices that will ascertain better outcomes.
• The Final report should provide baseline to facilitate tracking for all indicators.
• A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results.
• Date and Duration of Consultancy
• The consultancy will last for not more than 30 calendar days beginning from May 2023, or as agreed by both parties.  

Qualifications
The ideal consultant should have: -

•  A post-graduate degree in social sciences or another relevant field with training in the field of health, nutrition, food security, WASH and protection.
•  Over 7 years’ experience conducting evaluations, assessments, or studies with evidence of publications or field reports on health and nutrition, WASH and protection thematic areas.
• Experience conducting assessments funded by BHA, USAID, EU and UN donors and familiarity with their indicators and their definition is an added advantage.
• Experience in working with marginalized and vulnerable populations in multidisciplinary setting i.e. the government and development partners;
•  Ability to communicate in English and Kiswahili. Ability to communicate using local languages in Turkana and Samburu is an added advantage.

The successful candidate will be required to:

• Ensure ethical consideration when engaging with all participants in the survey.
• Adhere to organization policy of different partners that will be involved in the assessment.
• Ensure collaboration, cooperation, partnerships, and meaningful engagement of marginalized people, vulnerable, persons living with disability among others.