Senior Grants and Partnership Manager Jobs – International Rescue Committee

Job Title: Senior Grants and Partnership Manager

Organisation: International Rescue Committee

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About Organisation:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power.

Job Summary: The Senior Grants and Partnership Manager – PlayMatters is responsible for leading compliance, effective grants management for the PlayMatters consortium, supporting the high-quality programming and service delivery. The main objectives of this position are to support and coordinate program implementation, grants management (including legal, monitoring, and reporting compliance requirements), internal and external communication, and IRC partnership processes and procedures. The Senior Grants and Partnership Manager – PlayMatters will work closely with HQ, regional and country-level staff across technical, financial and project management departments to support in compliant delivery of the program. They will support the Regional Senior Management Team (SMT) to achieve PlayMatters’ strategic goals by setting and monitoring financial and programmatic goals, identifying, and notifying of any risks, and supporting productive relationship management with the donor and consortium partners.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Grant Management

• Ensure that the award is well-administered and implemented in compliance with relevant donor regulations and IRC procedures (e.g., legal expectations, IRC PEERS policy, etc.).
• Maintain a broad and deep understanding of donor policies, regulations, and procedures and provide relevant guidance to consortium.
• Lead  internal Project Management Committee (PMC) reporting with programs and finance teams, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports meeting donor and IRC requirements.
• Manage reporting timelines and processes for consortium, including developing and communicating timelines, providing reporting support/follow-up when needed, coordinating internal reviews and partner responses/revisions, and escalating major issues to Regional SMT.
• Support development, review, and amendment of partnership, service, and collaboration agreements/amendments.
• Support the  development sand review of annual project planning documents, including budgets, workplans, technical narratives and milestones, and targets.
• Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator to obtain donor and partner approval of annual deliverables.
• Support preparations for audits in collaboration with finance, AMU and OGC departments.
• Work with the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator – PlayMatters to manage all aspects of internal and consortium-wide quarterly progress review meetings to enable regular, structured reviews of award performance.
• Support overall financial management of project. Provide detailed support to budgeting exercises.
• Lead knowledge management of project, including keeping hard and soft copy grant files up to date (both internal and external drives).
• Support the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator- PlayMatters to advise consortium on all external branding and intellectual property matters.
• Help with the negotiation and approvals for use of external content, ensuring compliance with relevant use terms and conditions.
• Lead routine technical  monitoring and evaluation of consortium partners and IRC country programs, including coordinating timelines, travel, and expectations of RPT and consortium teams.
• Lead documentation and communication of achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and changes needed.

Staff Management & Capacity Building

• Lead building of consortium’s capacity in grants, compliance, and partnership skills.
• Includes on-boarding of new staff, routine re-fresher trainings, as well as development of unique trainings for dynamic needs identified as the project evolves.
• Build capacity of RPT to utilize effective partnership approaches and consortium grants management tools.
• Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between programming staff and operational support staff in execution of project.

Other Duties:

• Proactively identify Grant management risks throughout the consortium and creatively develop solutions in collaboration with Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator – PlayMatters.
• Support Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator – PlayMatters to develop relevant communications materials, updates, and presentations for donors, senior leadership, or other external bodies (e.g., local stakeholders) in collaboration with the Communications and Technical Departments.
• Support drafting or review donor communications, such as responding to requests for information, and assist with coordinating donor visits.
• Lead quarterly updating of consortium organograms, including RPT organogram.
• Support RPT to liaise with relevant IRC HQ-based functions, including Communications, Finance, Fundraising and Award Management.
• Support relationship building with potential partners (both formal and informal), in collaboration with relevant Technical Department staff.
• Perform other duties as required by the Senior Regional Grants & Partnerships Coordinator  – PlayMatters.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Senior Regional Partnerships & Grants   Coordinator- PlayMatters
• Internal: Country team staff; RPT staff; Education Technical Unit; Fundraising teams (IPP); Communications team; Office of General Counsel (OGC); Awards Management Unit (AMU); and Finance team.
• External: Consortium partners, Donor (LEGO Foundation), and other education actors/potential partners.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Master’s  degree or equivalent in , Project Management , Business Administration, international Relations, Development studies , Economic, or another relevant subject.
• At least 5-7 years of experience in program and grants management, and communications at an international NGO or similar organization
• Positive, helpful attitude and willingness to learn new skills is essential.
• Must be excellent coordinator and great teammate; this role collaborates across department and ability to influence colleagues, often without line management.
• Exceptional organizational skills; experience with establishment and implementation of grants management software and tools
• Superb professional writing and editorial skills.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment, within and across departments/functions and develop positive relationships with locally and remote based staff
• Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills.
• Flexibility and adaptability to adjust plans for the realities of working across multiple time zones and cultural contexts.
• Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, file sharing and database software.
• Ability and willingness to travel (up to 25%).
• Experience providing supportive and respectful staff management and capacity-building.
• Ability to accurately develop and review budgets is highly preferred.
• Experience working in conflict and crisis settings and knowledge of humanitarian programming is preferred.
• Knowledge of the East Africa context, with direct experience working in Ethiopia, Tanzania and/or Uganda preferred .
• Consortium management experience is a plus.
• Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance
• Understanding of IRC grants systems and policies (e.g., OTIS and PEERS, etc.) and experience implementing grants in an IRC country program is a plus but not required.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and Interested applicants should apply online at the link below.

This vacancy has closed — applications are no longer acceptedApplications closedSee open jobs at International Rescue Committee (IRC) →

Deadline: 1st August 2026

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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Level of Education: bachelor degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60