Turkey: Communications and Grants Manager

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

Big Heart Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 2013, filling gaps in the response to the ongoing conflict in Syria - providing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected populations including essential food and Non-Food Item (NFI), Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Livelihoods, and Education services. We specialize in the delivery of targeted aid to highly vulnerable populations in the hardest to reach and correspondingly most underserved areas of Syria.

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF POSITION

Under the supervision of the Chief of Staff, the Grants & Communications Manager is responsible for the effective overall management, and key aspects, of Big Heart's grants and contracts portfolio processing and tracking, as well as of Big Heart’s external communications products. This includes managing, coordinating and collating information for high-quality and timely reports to partners and donors as well as supporting the development of funding proposals and opportunities, in coordination with the Programs Coordinator, Program Managers, Finance and Logistic teams. The Grants & Communications Manager will further support the Big Heart team by ensuring that all programs and support departments are aware of and in compliance with all Big Heart and donor rules and regulations for grants management. The Grants & Communications Manager will report to Big Heart's Chief of Staff but will maintain a close collaborative working relationship with Big Heart's Director of Programme, and Country Director. In addition, the Grants & Communications Manager will support in the managing and building of the capacity of national staff, as this relates to grants management, narrative reporting and the overall production of communications products. The Grants & Communications Manager will line manage two national staff positions (Grants Compliance Officer, Grants officer).

TASKS and RESPONSIBILITIES

Communications

· Lead and coordinate the development and resourcing of internal and external communication products such as monthly and annual reports, fact sheets, organizational profiles, brochures/pamphlets, presentations, or any ad hoc communication product required.

· Work in close collaboration with relevant Programs and M&E staff to develop and roll out tools/products to support the understanding of Big Heart's strategy, achievements, constraints and success stories.

· Develop and manage communication and visibility budget lines, ensuring the effective use of funds.

· Support the development of short promotional and programmatic videos, interactive presentations, and the design and launch of a website.

Representation & Partnerships

· Support the development and implementation of Big Heart's external communications strategy, ensuring effective communication across actors including, but not limited to partners, donors, local stakeholders in Syria and communities in Big Heart's area of operation.

· Support the Country Director / Chief of Staff / SMT in the management of donor relations, grants/program development related issues as needed.

· Attend relevant coordination meetings, donor and partner meetings, as delegated by the SMT, representing Big Heart, as requested, and provide updates and flag key issues of concern to SMT and team.

· Maintain constructive relationships with counterparts in partner/donor organizations. This includes frequent and routine participation in partnership meetings, collaboration on organizational capacity and rolling out new and improved procedures, as necessary, flagging issues of concern and providing proper and timely feedback for enhanced communications.

· Assist the Programs Coordinator in reviewing and documenting donor/partner memoranda of understanding, agreements and agreement modifications.

Grants Management (with Grants Compliance National Officer & Grants National Officer)

· Manage day-to-day aspects of the donor reporting process, coordinating with the programs team to ensure the timely submission of high-quality programmatic reports and coordinating with Finance to ensure timely submission of reports compliant with donor regulations and submission of reports on time.

· Participate in the coordination process for the development of new funding proposals in collaboration with the Programs Coordinator, Program Managers, M&E, Finance and other Big Heart staff.

· Ensure that all relevant documents and budgets are reviewed during the proposal development period of projects and when modifications are necessary during implementation.

· Oversee the development and maintenance of grant management tools, such as reporting, proposal and grant monitoring trackers, ensuring they are updated and regularly circulating to relevant staff.

· Ensure that a compliance checklist for all grants, ensuring key contractual requirements and donor policies are identified, is understood and maintained by relevant staff and monitored against. Raise compliance issues proactively with senior management as necessary.

· Lead in coordinating and following-up on grant opening, monthly Budget vs. Actual (BvA), and grant close-out meetings. Ensure that minutes, relevant documents and action points are all disseminated.

· Ensure that grants folders, which includes keeping hard and soft copies of all grant-related materials are filed appropriately and in a timely manner.

· Build the capacity of national colleagues and ensure participation and ownership as this relates to donor and partner reporting.

· Ensure that all relevant staff receives copies of all grant documentation (grant proposals, reports, budget, etc.).

· Ensure comprehensive grant files are maintained up to date and are available for use. Respond to ad-hoc requests from Big Heart HQ, partners, donors, and other stakeholders for information on the Big Heat program.

· Follow up and close any issues identified from the audit or donor monitoring reports/assessments.

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

Languages: Excellent communication and writing skills in English, Arabic would be desirable.

IT: Proficiency in computer skills – Microsoft Office essential – advanced excel skills considered a strong asset; especially presentation tools and related software enabling the production of basic but efficient visual presentations; graphic design and/or page layout skills and software knowledge highly desirable.

Experience:

Five years of experience of working with humanitarian/development organizations, or specialized training to do so

Understanding of core requirements of key institutional donors such as OFDA, FFP, ECHO, DfID, etc.

Understanding or experience of budget development and management considered an asset

Experience living and/or working in Syria or the region desirable

Enthusiastic, flexible and with the ability to work long hours to meet the needs of the country program.

Highly organized with attention to detail

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to international development assistance and humanitarian action.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email your CV and a covering letter at jobs@bigheart.org . Please indicate the Position Tile in email subject line like: " Communications and Grants Manager"

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted
Female candidates are encouraged to apply