Biruk Dugassa

I. Pre-award - Lead the Country Office’s grants acquisition efforts:

- Ensure the development and implementation of the country resource mobilization strategy; actively participate in the preparation of the Country Office plans and budgets to ascertain conformity with the country strategic plan and the overall organizational grant acquisition strategy
- Gather and analyze relevant and timely intelligence information necessary for grant acquisition; identify grant opportunities and relevant institutional guidance materials to share with relevant departments

- Forge successful partnerships with like-minded organizations for joint applications

- Coordinate business development and program teams in project design
- Produce and update Institutional Donors Capture Plan, Capacity Statements, Donor Mapping, Past Performance References, Grant Database and Market Place Project Ideas regularly

- Lead the use of organizational GAM system and tools (including Salesforce, BRIDGE 1B – Proposal Generation and Post Award tracking) to support the execution of the resource mobilization strategy
- Ensure robust analysis of funding pipeline and proactively support actions to strengthen it

- Identify and analyze funding opportunities (in-country and multi-country) and scope potential partnerships to complement and strengthen the country office’s program portfolio

- Support the integration and participation of partners in proposal development and execution

- Review grant agreements, proposals, reports and coordinate close out procedures

- Build staff and partner organization capabilities for successful grant acquisition and management

II. Post-award - Lead the management of grant funded projects

- Support project management to ensure on scope, on time and on budget project implementation and that all grant funded projects meet institutional donor requirements and in accordance with ChildFund, donor, country and international standards

- Establish and maintain appropriate systems and procedures to ensure compliance with donors' contracts and ChildFund's Project Management standards

- Ensure the proper use of Salesforce to record grant activity from initial award to project close-out
- Monitor grant execution including budgets are spent according to donor proposals and agreements and within the appropriate time frame and advising management on required changes or actions
- Lead the preparation and submission of donor required reports, liaising with internal stakeholders and as necessary with partners and ensuring all requirements and deadlines are met, are produced to a high standard, comply with guidelines, deadlines, contracts and other donor requirements.
- Strengthen the capacity of country teams and partner organizations in Project Management skills

- Designed development projects and grant proposals

- Developed and monitored project schedules, budgets and objectives for successful execution and completion of social and health focused projects

- Produced and reviewed high quality project reports

- Kept stakeholders informed of progress through regular status updates clearly communicating any changes to project scope, timeline or budget

- Represented the interests of the organization in different consultative meetings

- Participated in Monitoring and Evaluation of projects

- Provided supportive supervision in field activities

- Participated in health and social Projects design and funding proposal development
- Designed and delivered different long and short-term reproductive health and life skills training for orphan and vulnerable youth
- Followed up the overall implementation of different project activities regarding empowerment of orphan and vulnerable children, inclusion of persons with disabilities and most at risk persons in RH/FP service delivery

- Prepared high quality quarterly, biannual and annual project reports
- Designed and conducted baseline surveys and end line surveys
- Organized and delivered different training on the issue of RH/FP mainstreaming
- Acted as a focal person for matters related to inclusion of persons with disabilities

- Served as a research assistant for the GAVI HSS (Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization/ Health System Strengthening) qualitative research Project

- Worked as a Principal Data Collector for ARCAN HIV\AIDS Training Needs Assessment in Jimma, Wolkite, Woliso, Ambo towns

- Provided a consultancy service for the design of organizational M&E strategy

- Worked as a Master Trainer for the UNICEF commissioned Community Based Nutrition (CBN) and Community Capacity Enhancement/ Community Conversation (CCE/CC) Programs