Safeguarding Risk Rating: 3
Section/Unit: Program
Grade Level: 4
Supervisor: Deputy Project Director
No. of Post: 1
Duty Station: Kassala - up to 50% travel to support field offices and partner locations in other states
Duration: 1 year
Closing Date: 13 August 2026

Background

ABOUT MERCY CORPS
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

PROGRAM SUMMARY
Mercy Corps has been operational in Sudan since 2004 and currently leads humanitarian assistance and
longer-term development efforts in conflict-affected South Darfur, Central Darfur, South Kordofan, North
Kordofan, Kassala, Gedaref, and Khartoum States, supporting host communities, IDPs, returnees and
refugees. Mercy Corps’ current areas of programming include food security and livelihoods, WASH, health,
nutrition, peace building and protection, resilience, and Market Systems Development.
The EU Youth programme is an European Commission-funded action implemented by Mercy Corps in
consortium with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and local partners to support conflict- and
displacement-affected young people aged 15–35 in nine target states (of which Mercy Corps will work in
four (and potentially 5) states: South Darfur, Kassala, River Nile, and North and South Kordofans). The 42-
month program started in January 2026, and will respond to Sudan’s protracted crisis by combining shortterm
income opportunities with pathways to longer-term economic recovery, while strengthening protection
and social cohesion for youth, especially young women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and youth with
disabilities.
Through an integrated approach, the EU Youth programme will deliver labour-intensive, community-based
public works and Cash for Work (CFW) activities that rehabilitate priority community assets and improve
access to services and markets, alongside market-relevant training, entrepreneurship support, and
linkages to employment and financial services (including VSLAs). All activities are designed using conflictand
inclusive approaches and are informed by assessments, with protection mainstreaming and
community safety measures embedded where feasible to support safe participation and reduce
vulnerabilities.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Grants and Partnerships Coordinator will support the EU Youth programme (EMPOWER), leading the
day-to-day management of the programme’s partnerships with five local implementing partner NGOs
across the five target states. Reporting to the Deputy Project Director, the Coordinator will ensure that
partnership agreements, EU-required Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) modalities, and donor
compliance requirements are effectively managed, and that partners are supported to deliver high-quality,
compliant, and conflict sensitive activities across all programme outputs, including:
-  Labour-intensive community public works (Cash for Work),
-  Youth skilling, vocational training, and life skills development,
-  Financial inclusion (VSLAs, cash grants, stipends),
-  Protection integration, and Youth-led peacebuilding and community safety initiatives.

The role will serve as the primary liaison between the programme and its five local partners, coordinating partner selection, due diligence, onboarding, agreement management, compliance monitoring, reporting, and close-out. He/she will work closely with the Grants & Partnerships Officer, programme, finance, subawards, and operations teams, as well as DRC counterparts, to ensure harmonized, accountable partnership management across all states and all activity areas.
The ideal candidate brings strong experience in grants and sub-award management, local partner capacity strengthening, donor compliance (ideally EU-funded programmes and FSTP modalities), reporting, and coordination across multiple locations in highly insecure, rapidly evolving contexts.
Time allocation (LoE – 100% EU Youth Programme (EMPOWER)).

Duties and responsibilities

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Grants and Partnership Management
• Serve as the focal point for the management of the programme’s five local implementing partner NGOs across the five target states, ensuring effective, respectful, and accountable partnership engagement throughout the programme cycle.
• Support partner mapping, due diligence, vetting, and selection processes in coordination with the Grants & Partnerships Unit and Subawards team.
• Coordinate the development, review, and issuance of partnership agreements, amendments, and partner budgets in collaboration with programme, finance, and subawards teams.
• Organize partnership kick-off, review, and close-out meetings, ensuring clarity of roles, deliverables, and compliance requirements for each partner and that all relevant departments participate.
• Develop a thorough understanding of Mercy Corps internal and EU donor policies, regulations, and procedures; summarize and communicate compliance requirements to programme teams and partners.
• Ensure partners are monitored for donor compliance and progress against objectives across all activity areas — public works/Cash for Work, youth skilling and vocational training, entrepreneurship and MSME support, financial inclusion (VSLAs, grants, stipends), protection integration, and youth-led peacebuilding — and that key monitoring information and learning are documented.
• Proactively identify compliance and partnership risks across the partner portfolio and advise programme, finance, operations, and senior management on necessary actions.
Support compliant implementation of EU-required Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) modalities delivered through and with partners, including Cash for Work payments, youth stipends, business grants/startup kits, MSME grants, and Group Cash Transfers to community structures.
• Work closely with finance, subawards, and operations departments to develop and roll out grant and partnership compliance checklists, tools, and trackers, and follow up with programme staff and partners on their implementation.
• Support partner financial monitoring, documentation standards, and audit readiness, including anti-fraud and anti-corruption measures.
•Track partner budgets, burn rates, and forecasts, flagging issues and recommendations to the Deputy Project Director and finance teams.

Reporting and Information Management
• Coordinate timely, high-quality partner narrative and financial reporting, consolidating partner inputs
into programme reports in coordination with programme, MEL, and finance teams, and in line with
EU and Mercy Corps requirements.
• Keep track of agreement start and end dates, reporting deadlines, and deliverables for all five
partners, ensuring all deadlines are met.
• Co-lead periodic reviews of partnership performance, documenting successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
FSTP and Compliance Management
• Maintain clear, audit-ready information management of partnership files, agreements, correspondence, and compliance documentation.
Partner Capacity Strengthening
• Coordinate partner capacity assessments and support the development and implementation of tailored capacity strengthening plans for each partner.
• Facilitate training for partners and programme staff on report writing, donor compliance, grants and partnership management, and information management.
• Promote a collaborative, trust-based partnership culture consistent with Mercy Corps’ local partnership principles.
Representation and Coordination
• Represent Mercy Corps in day-to-day coordination with local partner NGOs, and support harmonized partnership approaches with DRC counterparts across the consortium.
• Support engagement with relevant authorities (e.g., HAC/SAHRO) on partner-related agreements and approvals as needed.

Organizational Learning
• Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, evidence-based adaptation, and internal knowledge sharing across teams and consortium partners.
• Promote documentation and adoption of best practices in partnership management, sub-award compliance, cash-based assistance, and integrated protection/livelihoods programming.
• As part of Mercy Corps’ commitment to organizational learning, and in recognition that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, all team members are expected to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit both Mercy Corps and themselves.

Security
• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
Other duties
• Undertake additional relevant tasks as requested by the supervisor.
SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
• Proactively ensure that all program activities uphold Mercy Corps’ safeguarding policies, PSEA standards, Code of Conduct, and ethical practices.
• Promote safe, dignified, and inclusive participation of youth, especially women, persons with disabilities, and high-risk groups.
• Ensure safeguarding risks are identified, mitigated, and monitored across Cash for Work sites, training venues, entrepreneurship hubs, and partner implemented activities.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit
reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

None. This position has no direct reports

Accountability
Reports Directly To: Deputy Project Director
Works Directly With: Project Director, CfW Coordinator, Livelihoods & Employment Coordinator, Area Managers, Grants & Partnerships team, MEL Coordinator, Finance, Subawards and Operations teams, members of the PAQ team, and the five local implementing partner NGOs.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
 

Minimum Qualification, Skills and Experience Required

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

QUALIFICATIONS & TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
The selected candidate is expected to have:
• A degree in development studies, business administration, management, economics, or a related field is required; a Master’s degree is desirable.
• At least 4 years of relevant experience in grants management, sub-awards/partnerships, or programme compliance roles with international NGOs, including field-based humanitarian or development programmes.
• Demonstrated experience managing local partner relationships — including selection, due diligence, agreements, monitoring, and capacity strengthening — ideally across multiple states or locations.
• Strong knowledge of donor rules and regulations, ideally EU-funded grants, Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP), cash programming, and partner subawards.
• Ability to interpret financial data, track partner budgets, and support preparation of financial and narrative grant reports.
• Extremely organized and meticulous with details, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and work independently under a multi-task load.
• Excellent knowledge of local institutions, politics, and culture across the programme’s target states.
• Excellent written and verbal Arabic and English communication skills, with very strong English report writing and editing skills.
• As this is a national position, Sudanese citizenship is required.

Success Factors
The successful Grants and Partnerships Coordinator will demonstrate:
•Strong partnership and relationship management skills, fostering trust-based, accountable collaboration with local partner NGOs, consortium colleagues, and programme teams across five states.
•Rigorous compliance discipline and attention to detail, ensuring agreements, documentation, deadlines, and donor requirements are managed meticulously and audit-ready at all times.
•Clear and effective communication, translating complex donor rules and compliance requirements into practical guidance for partners and teams in both Arabic and English.
•Proactive problem-solving and risk management, anticipating compliance and partnership challenges and proposing timely, practical solutions.
•A capacity strengthening mindset, coaching partners and colleagues with patience and respect to raise quality and compliance standards.
•Flexibility and resilience, working effectively in ambiguous, insecure, and rapidly changing environments while managing competing priorities.
•Cultural and conflict sensitivity, with the ability to work effectively in diverse communities and uphold principles of neutrality, respect, and Do No Harm across all partner contexts.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Kassala, Sudan, with regular travel to Atbara and, subject to security clearance, visits to partner locations in other programme states (up to 50% travel). Travel may include insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. When traveling, shared housing will be provided.

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness
Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work. We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon