Desk Coordinator

Role Overview

This Desk Coordinator position sits within Relief International’s Program Implementation Department and connects headquarters functions with a diverse country portfolio that spans Myanmar, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Palestine, and South Sudan. The postholder works alongside Desk Managers, Country Offices, Awards Management, Resource Development, and other support teams to move humanitarian and development funding opportunities from early design through compliant submission and timely reporting. The role is central to keeping programme quality, donor accountability, and grant information organised across several complex operating environments, so it suits someone who thrives on multi-country coordination and project cycle management.

Key Responsibilities

• Help Country Offices and Desk Managers shape new humanitarian and development programmes, as well as modifications to existing awards, from the earliest design conversations through to donor-ready submissions.
• Coordinate the drafting and review of proposals, concept notes, and partnership materials, checking each document against donor rules and internal quality expectations.
• Track reporting schedules and work with country teams to ensure donor reports are submitted on time and meet the required standards.
• Keep grants management systems, reporting trackers, and programme records accurate and current so that colleagues across the organisation can rely on them.
• Deliver training, coaching, and hands-on capacity strengthening to country staff on report quality, grants administration, and donor compliance.
• Take part in grants and awards reviews, portfolio management conversations, and project monitoring activities.
• Contribute to programme quality improvements by helping design, test, and refine tools, templates, and standard operating procedures.
• Prepare programme updates, briefing notes, capacity statements, and country profiles for donor engagement and business development, and deploy to country programmes when surge support, reporting assistance, or emergency response capacity is needed.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in international development, humanitarian studies, management, or a closely related discipline.
• Proven experience in programme development, proposal development, and grants management within humanitarian or development organisations.
• Familiarity with major institutional donors, including US Government donors, ECHO, AICS, and UN agencies; exposure to European Commission funding and development donors is an advantage.
• A strong command of the full programme cycle—design, proposal development, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to create high-quality donor-facing documents and build agreement among diverse stakeholders.
• Strong organisational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities, including close attention to detail and comfort managing competing priorities under pressure.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally to support field operations and emergency response work.
• Arabic and/or French language skills are desirable, as is previous experience in one or more countries within the portfolio, especially Sudan.