Projects and Funding Officer

BACKGROUND ON THE PROJECTS AND FUNDING UNIT’S STRATEGY

In 2023, the Department for Projects and Institutional Partnerships (PIPD) developed a strategy to align the departmental priorities with IMPACT’s global road map, with the following objective: to contribute to identifying and sustaining clear and effective fundraising, proposal and project management processes, which are fully embraced by all teams including on and with institutional and downstream partners.

This strategy has led to the ongoing re-structuring of the department into 2 units:

• The Projects and Funding unit (PFU) and

• The Institutional Partnerships unit (IPU)

Overall, the role of the department is to support and coordinate funding and project implementation as well as knowledge management on formalised partnership management, in compliance with best practices and donor requirements, and related learning.

The strategy is organised around three results, of which:

• Result 1 aims to ensure IMPACT can rely on a diverse donor base providing the organisation with the resources required to implement our programming;

• Result 2 – IMPACT’s activities are delivered according to best Project Cycle Management (PCM) practices and in compliance with project related donor requirements;

• Result 3 - IMPACT's partnership framework is conducive to relevant and compliant programming.

We are currently looking for a Projects and Funding Officer to support our Projects and Institutional Partnership department, as well as Results 1 and 2 of its strategy, based in our Geneva HQ.

Position:                     Projects and Funding Officer

Contract duration: Open-ended

Location:                    Geneva, Switzerland

Starting Date:          October 2024

FUNCTIONS

The Projects and Funding Officer reports to the Projects and Funding Manager and is part of the Projects and Institutional Partnerships department. They are responsible for the day-to-day management of proposal and grant processes with a geographic/sectoral split of responsibilities, that will be determined according to priorities as well as level of autonomy.

The Projects and Funding Officer is responsible for:

Support to Fundraising

Identification of funding opportunities

• Support country teams in identifying funding opportunities.

• Analyse calls for proposals and tenders, and communicate relevant donor and proposal requirements to field and global counterparts.

• Provide guidance to field/global teams on how to approach specific donor templates and requirements in preparation of the proposal development process.

Proposal development and submission

• Liaise with teams to establish clear submission timelines and ensure all relevant HQ and field focal points are aware of what’s expected from them during the project development process.

• Review and validate all proposal documents to ensure alignment with IMPACT and donor’s requirements.

• Where relevant, provide direct inputs to the proposal preparation.

• Consolidate the application package and submit following the modalities indicated by the donor.

Project Cycle Management Follow-up

Compliance with donor requirements during project’s implementation

• Review all donor contracts prior to signature, ensuring IMPACT can commit to all requirements.

• Ensure all contractual requirements are tracked and communicated to relevant stakeholders at HQ and field level.

• Review and validate all donor’s narrative reports before external submission.

• Support and coordinate other reporting requirements as needed, ensuring IMPACT remains compliant vis-a-vis the donor for the whole duration of the project.

• If a contractual amendment is needed, lead the process in close coordination with the field team and other relevant departments.

Cross-cutting department processes

• Ensure IMPACT’s project database remains up to date.

• Ensure department processes are properly implemented (project code creation, project cards, kick off meetings) and ensure analysis and dissemination of donor requirements and guidance to country and HQ focal points.

• Review monthly updates shared by country teams to ensure identification and anticipation of upcoming deadlines.

• Support the formalisation of external partnerships – specifically review and follow up of grant agreements with IMPACT’s global partner Acted.

• Contribute to the development of guidance, tools, and templates, notably those geared towards improving the functionality of the department

REQUIREMENTS

• Studies related to humanities or social sciences, and/or other relevant fields

• At least 2 years of relevant working experience. Experience in humanitarian settings highly desirable;

• Excellent written and spoken English; good working level of French is an asset

• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office 365

• Proven experience of copy-writing and editing articles, reports and presentations

• Academic exposure to grant management, program management and/or monitoring and evaluation

• Attentive to detail, meticulous and organised

• Proactive team player with the ability to think and work independently

• Excellent communicator, who shares ideas and discusses solutions

• Critical thinker, who identifies problems and proposes solutions

• Ability to work in a dynamic, multicultural environment, to work under stress and to meet tight deadlines

• Fast learner and resourceful individual, able to take on a challenge and try new approaches

• Previous experience in the non-profit sector and understanding of the humanitarian coordination system

• Knowledge of donor/institutional funding mechanisms

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this position, gross salary between 5280 CHF and 5350 CHF monthly (before income tax). NB - IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education and experience of staff. A contribution to medical insurance of 450 CHF per month is already included in the salary figure.

• Insurance covering professional and non-professional accidents throughout the period of employment with IMPACT

• Health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance in case of field visits/temporary deployments

• Applicants must hold a valid work permit for Switzerland or be EU/EFTA citizens

• Up to 40% of remote work on a weekly basis