UN GRANTS PM

Job Posting Organization:
Relief International (RI) is an international non-profit organization that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change, and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience, and promote long-term health and well-being. Established with a mission to provide humanitarian assistance and development support, RI has grown to employ over 4500 staff and local volunteers. The organization operates in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, focusing on Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education, and Livelihoods programming. RI aims to create a foundation for community resilience by working with local actors to develop safe, inclusive, evidence-based, conflict-sensitive, and climate-smart programming that reaches those in need. In Sudan, RI implements multi-sectoral programs addressing the compounding security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security crisis exacerbated by rising conflict, inflation, and climate shocks, through initiatives such as market-based programming, emergency food assistance, agricultural recovery, and resilience building.

Job Overview:
As the UN Grants Program Manager, you will be responsible for the effective planning, implementation, and coordination of Relief International’s portfolio of UN-funded projects in Sudan, including grants from UNICEF, WFP, and UNOCHA/SHF. This role requires leading project start-up and close-out processes, ensuring adherence to donor and internal compliance standards, overseeing budget utilization, and driving high-quality, timely delivery of results across multiple sectors. You will work with considerable autonomy to shape and lead the implementation of UN Grants, navigating a complex humanitarian environment that requires adaptation to political instability, climate risk, and diverse regional needs. Your responsibilities will include leading overall program implementation across sectors, ensuring donor compliance, managing partnerships with local and national actors, and supporting staff performance and team cohesion.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Program Implementation and Coordination: Lead the end-to-end implementation of UN-funded programs, ensuring alignment with project objectives, work plans, and timelines. Coordinate with sector leads (Health, Nutrition, FSL, WASH, Protection, etc.) to ensure timely activity rollout and synergy across interventions. Monitor implementation progress against log frames, flag bottlenecks early, and lead course correction with support from technical and operational teams. Oversee start-up and close-out processes, including kick-off meetings, work plan finalization, and project learning reviews.
• Budget and Grants Compliance: Ensure adherence to donor rules and internal policies across program expenditures, procurement, and reporting. Lead the development and monitoring of budget vs. actuals (BVAs), working closely with Finance to track spending and reforecast where necessary. Support preparation of high-quality donor reports, including narrative and financial components. Coordinate timely submission of budget modifications, no-cost extensions, and realignment requests as needed.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL): Ensure robust MEAL systems are in place for all UN-funded projects to measure progress and results. Lead on setting clear output, outcome, and impact indicators in collaboration with MEAL and technical teams. Facilitate data-driven program reviews, learning events, and documentation of best practices and lessons learned. Support accountability mechanisms including community feedback and complaints response systems.
• Safeguarding, Gender, and Inclusion: Ensure safeguarding policies are fully integrated and operationalized in all UN-funded activities. Promote gender-sensitive and inclusive programming, ensuring interventions meet the needs of marginalized groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities. Monitor implementation environments for risks to beneficiaries and staff and take appropriate actions where safeguarding issues arise. Train field staff and partners on safeguarding and ensure compliance reporting pathways are well understood and functional.
• Local Partner Management: Oversee partnerships with local/national NGOs including sub-grant management, compliance monitoring, and capacity strengthening. Facilitate partner assessments, develop improvement plans, and ensure partner budgets and activities are on track. Ensure partners share reports on time and that they implement activities on time.
• Team Leadership and Capacity Building: Provide direct supervision to UN grants implementing teams. Foster a positive team environment that promotes collaboration, performance, and accountability. Identify training and development needs of program staff and organize relevant capacity-building sessions. Ensure adherence to RI HR policies and support performance management processes.

Required Qualifications:
Essential Criteria: Advanced degree in International Development, Project Management, Humanitarian Affairs, Social Sciences, or a related field. Minimum of 5 years of progressive program management experience in humanitarian or development settings, with at least 2 years in a context similar to Sudan managing multi-sector grants. Proven experience managing UN-funded programs (e.g., UNICEF, WFP, UNOCHA/SHF) with demonstrated success in compliance, budgeting, and timely delivery. Demonstrated ability to manage complex programs in fragile, conflict-affected, or protracted crisis settings for at least two years. Solid understanding of MEAL systems and integration of learning into adaptive program implementation. Demonstrated capacity in team leadership, coordination with multi-disciplinary teams, and remote supervision. Experience working with or managing local partners, including due diligence, capacity strengthening, and oversight. Strong analytical, communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement skills. Fluency in English (both spoken and written). Desirable Criteria: Previous experience working in Sudan or a comparable humanitarian operating environment. Proficiency in Arabic. Familiarity with digital tools for project management, remote monitoring, and data collection in insecure contexts.

Educational Background:
An advanced degree in International Development, Project Management, Humanitarian Affairs, Social Sciences, or a related field is required for this position. This educational background is essential as it provides the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to navigate the complexities of humanitarian and development work, particularly in challenging environments like Sudan.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of progressive program management experience in humanitarian or development settings, with at least 2 years specifically in a context similar to Sudan managing multi-sector grants. This level of experience is crucial as it ensures that the candidate has a deep understanding of the challenges and dynamics involved in managing programs in fragile and conflict-affected areas, as well as the ability to effectively lead teams and coordinate with various stakeholders.

Languages:
Fluency in English (both spoken and written) is mandatory for this position, as it is essential for communication with international partners and stakeholders. Proficiency in Arabic is desirable, as it would facilitate better engagement with local communities and partners in Sudan. Having knowledge of both languages would enhance the candidate's ability to operate effectively in the region and ensure that programs are culturally sensitive and inclusive.

Additional Notes:
This position is classified as requiring standard pre-employment checks and enhanced due diligence. The role is based in North Darfur, with initial responsibilities in Port Sudan and Gedaref, transitioning to North Darfur when the security situation improves. The position does not specify a deadline for applications, indicating that it may be open until filled. The role is full-time and involves significant responsibilities in managing UN-funded programs, requiring a high level of expertise and commitment to humanitarian principles.