Job Description
Concern Worldwide seeks Contracts Funding Specialist to join its London or Dublin Office.
Leading on business development related to commercial contracts through the following activities:
- Monitoring funding opportunities for contracts globally (including UK, EU, and US governments, and World Bank), identifying those that fit within Concern’s mandate, scope, and countries of operation; analysing and entering details of relevant funding opportunities in Concern’s Grant Management System (GMS) including supporting (and ensuring) satisfactory completion of the Contract Opportunity Assessment Form (reviewed by senior management).
- Facilitating and supporting internal decision-making and approval processes (“Go/No Go” decisions) and ensuring country office and head office management have the information and donor intelligence needed to make informed decisions.
- Working with teams on identifying consortium partners and/or lead agencies for specific opportunities and cultivating strategic partnerships to support this.
- Leading and supporting bid development where requested. This will include both technical and commercial aspects of bids including coordinating and advising on the budget development to manage risk and ensure full cost recovery. It will be done either remotely or through in-country support.
- As part of advising on budget development, supporting teams to plan and budget for appropriate staffing for MEAL, finance and other essential contract management roles.
- Advising on contractual and partnership agreements such as reviewing of pre-teaming/ teaming, non-disclosure, consortium agreements, and contract (donor) agreements.
- Ensuring that due diligence is completed when Concern is both leading consortia (including due diligence requirements for subs) and when Concern is a consortium member (sub).
When providing this support you will be expected to liaise closely with Desk Officers who are the main Head Office focal point for countries and coordinate closely with Regional Directors, Country Directors, Programme Directors, Technical Advisors, Finance, the Grant Compliance Unit, and Institutional Funding teams based in Ireland, the UK, and the US to ensure that Concern policies and donor requirements are adhered to.
Implementation Support and Compliance
- Supporting the ongoing successful implementation of contractual requirements including contract terms and targets, supporting compliance and quality reporting on programme delivery, as well as payment by results (PbR) and invoicing.
- Identifying and monitoring ongoing risks and advising relevant country offices and head office management as required.
- Supporting donor-specific compliance requirements and reviews, and any due diligence issues that may arise over the course of the contract, working closely with the Grant Compliance Unit and relevant institutional funding units.
- Working closely with Finance, for full cost recovery under any newly awarded contracts.
Systems Strengthening:
- Lead on post-bid/application analysis including after-action reviews, surveys, and tracking of donor feedback to capture learning and understand what went well and what did not, in order to improve processes and likelihood of success within Concern, and share this learning in the appropriate internal fora.
- Collect and share lessons learned on the implementation of contracts for internal learning and improvement.
- Update and take ownership of the commercials contracts guidelines using a consultative approach with other Concern departments and head offices and finalize a contracts strategy for Concern to build the necessary capacity, knowledge and systems across the organization to win, successfully implement, manage, and benefit from commercial contracts.
- Design and deliver training on commercial contracts for country and head office teams including the International Programmes Department (IPD), Funding Teams in the UK, US, Korea, and Ireland, and key Head Office units such as Grant Compliance and Finance.
Organisational and Team Support
The Contracts Specialist will be a key member of the Institutional Funding Support Unit (IFSU). The team will grow in 2023 to include three Institutional Funding Specialists, a Contracts Specialist, the Irish Aid Programme Coordinator, and a Funding Support Officer. The focus of the unit is on building up a new team and revisiting the IFSU Strategy and how IFSU supports the wider organization.
With this in mind, the Contracts Specialist will be expected to:
- Actively participate in strategic team and departmental discussions.
- Build relationships with internal stakeholders including other Funding Teams in the UK and US.
- Support the Head of the Unit and IPD management with relevant analysis and research.
- Cover the duties of other IFSU team members as needed and as appropriate.
- Contribute to broader coordination with Funding Teams in the UK, US, and South Korea through the Funding Newsletter, Funding Coordination meetings, and the Annual Global Workshop, sharing updates on commercial contracts.
In this role, you will be expected to uphold and promote Concern’s values, including our workplace equality, diversity, and inclusion values.
- Undergraduate degree in a field related to humanitarian, development, or international affairs
- At least 3 years of overseas experience at the management level
- Experience in commercial contract management including complex contracts, frameworks, tendering, designing budgets, fee rates, and familiarity with Payment by Results (PbR).
- Ability to work as a team player and to tight deadlines.
- Highly motivated, uses initiative, works proactively, with strong interpersonal skills.
- Knowledge of key commercial contract donors, monitoring and evaluation skills, excellent writing and budgetary skills
- Written and spoken French (desirable)
- You will be expected to travel up to 25% of the time.
You will report to the Head of the Institutional Funding Support Unit and work closely with Finance, Grant Compliance, Desk Officers, and institutional funding teams in Concern UK and the US. You will also work closely with colleagues in Strategy, Advocacy, and Learning (SAL).
About the Organization
Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental, international humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working toward the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. Our mission is to transform the lives of people living in extreme poverty. We work with 25 million people each year, in some of the hardest-to-reach and most fragile places. Places prone to conflict, natural disasters, climate change, and extreme hunger.
Concern UK is currently trialing a hybrid working model, which is a blend of weekly office attendance and remote working based in UK.
Our London office is located 10 minutes walk from Clapham Junction Station, a riverside office with great views, tranquil surroundings, and easy access to local amenities.
