Deputy Director of Grants and Partnership

Job Description

Lead the rollout of the Business Development Action Plan, ensuring alignment with IRC Ethiopia’s SAP, ensuring strategy is translated into operational priorities, measurable targets, and donor engagement plans. Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on funding opportunities, donor trends, and partnership models. Monitor progress against Business Development KPIs and report monthly to the Senior Management Team (SMT).
Grants Management

Oversee the full grant lifecycle, ensuring compliance, quality reporting, and timely submissions.
Strengthen systems for grant tracking and donor reporting.
Build staff capacity in grants management, compliance, and donor relations.
Partnership Development

Drive proactive identification and engagement of new partners aligned with the Business Development Action Plan.
Strengthen collaboration with local NGOs, government agencies, and private sector actors.
Ensure partnership management follows IRC’s PEERS framework and core principles of responsibility, equality, transparency, and complementarity.
Support resolution of partnership challenges to safeguard IRC Ethiopia’s partnership ambitions.
Team Leadership & Capacity Building

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Lead a team of 11 staff across business development, grants, and partnerships with three direct reports.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, and safeguarding within the unit.
Safeguarding Responsibilities:

Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies
Job Requirements: Education:

Master’s degree in international Affairs, Social Sciences, or any related field of study
Work Experience and Skills:

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8 – 10 ears of substantial experience and a successful track record leading proposal team on complex subjects, multi-year, multi-partner proposals with minimal direction.
At least 6 years’ senior level management experience in an INGO
Proficiency in developing and supporting humanitarian and development proposals for NGOs.
Familiarity with strategies and proposal processes of key government/statutory donors–FCDO, EU institutions (ECHO, EUTF), US Government DoS, and other donors (GAC, Sida, Worldbank, GFFO, SDC, etc.).
Experience in collaborating with and supporting national and community-based partners.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively collaborate across a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment.
Proven ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues in remote and diverse teams, including as team leader for proposals.
Clear, compelling English writing skills, with previous experience in proposal writing.
Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively.