Donor relations coordinator Job Vacancy at Save the Children South Sudan

Job Title:Donor relations coordinator, Juba Closing Date: Sunday, 03 June 2012 Introduction South Sudan emerged as the world's newest nation in July 2011, amidst jubilation and celebration, crowds took to the streets to welcome their new country into being. Less than a year down the track and the situation for the people of South Sudan is precarious, with escalating conflict on top of the inheritance of some of the worst development indicators in the world. Generations of children were affected by the past decades of conflict and now the future of a new generation of children is in jeopardy. Save the Children is a child rights organisation working in 9 of the 10 states of South Sudan, in the themes of Education, Child Protection, Nutrition, Health and Child Rights Governance, and we need dedicated and highly capable staff to work with us at this pivotal time. Save the Children International is a 'dual mandate' organisation and as such equal priority will be given to both humanitarian and development work. This is the only way we are able to ensure that some of the fundamental rights that we believe children have, such as survival, safety and constant access to protection and education, can be guaranteed. This is a crucial, difficult and very rewarding period in which to make a change to children's lives, in one of the poorest and most troubled countries on earth. Job Purpose The Donor Relations Coordinator (DRC) is to provide a coordinated, responsive and clear interface between donors and Save the Children in South Sudan (SCiSS). This is has high-level responsibly within the organisation on external representation. A key aspect of this role is to work between the departments within SCiSS, to maintain high-functioning relationships with donors and also Save the Children member offices, to ensure timely and clear information flows and communications to donors, contribute to the formulation and maintenance of the Country Funding Strategy and to support on sourcing and securing funding for the SCiSS programme as required. Key accountabilities Management of restricted funds and donor relationships Coordinate communications and relations as Save the Children South Sudan with existing donors, and as needed with prospective donors. Act as focal point within SCiSS with donors and members (for members, this is vis-a-vis funding), including responding to information requests, and pro-active sharing of SCiSS external sitreps and field information to donors as to the in-country situation. Track donor requests and ensure full, accurate and timely response is returned to them and a professional, positive and responsive relationship is maintained. As needed, provide support to the Grants and Programme Implementation departments to monitor grant progress, and proactively flag issues to be raised with donors, such as the need for contract amendments, no-cost extensions and budget realignments, advising on any donor-specific requirements which might apply. Act as a gatekeeper in SCiSS in terms of ensuring quality and timely submission of reports, and work with Programme Implementation and Grants staff to continuously improve the quality of donor reports. Working with the Programme Development & Funding Coordinator and the Grants Manager, to build knowledge of programme implementation & logistics staff on donor conditions, especially for high-risk grants. Coordinate and accompany donor visits to field programmes, ensuring follow up on issues and undertakings arising from these visits. In-country fundraising and proposal development Work closely with the Director of PD &A and programme development team to create and secure country funding strategy built on longer term rather than short term "symptom based" funding approaches. Support Director of PD&A and Programme Development and Funding Coordinator (PD&FC) to identify and develop opportunities with existing and new donors and funding mechanisms, and maintain strong relationships with existing donors, building interactive relationships and presenting the Save the Children in-country strategy to their particular interests and expectations. Conduct ongoing donor mapping and research, intelligence gathering and analysis of external funding trends and feed this to Country Strategy/Country Annual Planning so as to inform and align funding strategy. Support the PD&FC as needed on development and submission of donor proposals. This requires working closely with programme development and technical advisory staff in order to advise and support them to understand and meet donor requirements and take account of donor feedback during the development process. Other duties as directed. Information and systems management Design and circulate user-friendly Donor Reporting Schedule (DRS) and ensure all responsible (programme, technical, grants and finance) staff have an updated DRS monthly, with reports due over subsequent 3-month period highlighted. Provide regular management information on the status of donor relations, risk areas, learning points and solutions, to SMT, Contribute to quarterly reports on the AOP and coordinate the submissions as needed. Support Finance Manager to prepare for the monthly grant monitoring meetings, and have a general overview of the progress of grant spend and implementation. Working Contacts External: Donors, SC members, NGO staff, and UN agencies Internal: Director of Programme Implementation, Director of Programme Development and Advocacy, Regional and Head office, Area Programme Managers, Grants Managers, Technical Advisers Person specification Essential Excellent communication and presentation skills (verbal and written) with advanced diplomacy skills. A high-level networker and relationship builder, both external, and internal, to the organisation Degree, preferably in international relations, communications or an Arts/Social Science field, or comparable experience At least 3 years of international, NGO, field experience: with specific demonstrable experience in programme management and/or donor relations Knowledge of US (USAID/OFDA/BPRM), DFID, EU (ECHO) and UN (UNHCR, UNICEF) donor regulations, procedures and requirements Excellent written English skills and familiarity with all key computer applications, including strong ability with Excel. Understanding of budget management and monitoring with good ability to 'read' and interpret budget monitoring reports to check for upcoming issues. Excellent organisational skills and ability to determine priorities and meet multiple deadlines Detail-oriented with good multi-tasking abilities Able to work well both within a team and independently, in a challenging and fast-moving multicultural environment Commitment to the values and principles of Save the Children and a desire to make real change in the lives of children in South Sudan Willingness to travel to the field A sense of humour Patience Desirable. Prior work experience in a high-profile crisis or conflict setting How to apply: To apply for this position, visit our website (http://www7.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_savethechildren01.asp?newms=info1) and apply for position 7214.