Contracts and Grants Officer

A Contracting Officer is primarily responsible for managing the administrative processes for contract administration from pre-award to contract close-out. He/she will provide professional expertise in contract administration to ensure full compliance with donor rules and regulations. The functions of the position include:

a) Comprehensive analysis of contract terms and conditions to ensure that the organization has the organizational capacity or is able to acquire the necessary capacity to successfully perform and meet contractual obligations;

b) Expert interpretation of donor (USG and non-USG) rules and regulations;

c) Standardization of administrative procedures for efficient award and sub award management;

d) Development of contractual documents including templates and ancillary business forms; and

e) Capacity building and replication of contract portfolio management systems and best practices in award and sub award management.

A Contracting Officer will lead or supervise other staff in the efficient operation and maintenance of an effective contracts portfolio management system. Contracting officers will work in partnership with operations staff and other enterprise services staff to achieve successful and compliant contract performance. The scope of contract administration may include contract interpretation, compliance with regulatory requirements and restrictions, sub award administration, and donor relations among others.

Accountabilities:

Pre-award:

• Serves as a technical resource to proposal development units (Business Planning and Proposal and Cost and Pricing) by analyzing solicitations, interpreting regulations and award provisions, clarifying compliance issues, etc.
• Reviews and negotiate critical award terms and conditions.
• Identify significant risks and recommend plan for mitigation including justification of working at risk.

Post-award:

• Manages contract set-up in the contract management and/or financial management system.
• Advises senior management on matters of concern and elements of risk that can be detrimental to successful contract performance. Recommend alternative approaches to overcome any negative impact.
• Reviews the work of contract specialists before submission to donors. These will include contract add-ons, budget realignments, cost extensions, and other transactions requiring donor approval such as sub awards, salaries, consultant rates, waivers, etc. The contracting officer will handle the more complicated or business-sensitive transactions.
• Conducts complex negotiations requiring senior staff engagement.
• Develops and maintain strong relationships with counterparts (internal and external).
• Responds to audit matters (internal and external.
• Articulates and advocate for the organization’s position on matters of regulation and other contractual issues.
• Collaborates with operations staff and other enterprise services staff to monitor prime contract and subcontract performance.
• Negotiates substantive provisions in lower- tier subcontracts.
• Trains other staff in standardized procedures for efficient award and sub award management.
• Manages input to contract close-out.

​Applied Knowledge & Skills:

• Advanced knowledge of donor (USG and non-USG) rules and regulations, various mechanisms of funding and types of award of acquisition (contracts) and assistance (cooperative agreements and grants).
• Strong and solid command of professional theory, techniques, practices and procedures requiring comprehensive knowledge of contracting principles.
• Effective skills in negotiations, sub award management and procurement.
• Improve upon the work of contract specialists (e.g., written products of greater complexity) to ensure high quality and compliance with contract rules and regulations.
• Develop contacts and grow relationships with counterparts to promote specific unit and larger organizational goals.
• Effective oral communication and business/technical writing skills.
• Independently use technology to perform work. Ensure integrity of systems, internal controls and data, including recommending modifications for further strengthening as indicated.
• Apply updated technology to facilitate procedures and achieve unit goals and objectives.
• Adaptable to work environments in diverse cultural settings.

Problem Solving & Impact:

• Analyze highly complex situations (e.g., high risk conditions or business-sensitive issues) and alert leadership to impact on performance.
• Recommend options to overcome the above based on careful and thoughtful evaluation of facts and well-informed interpretation of applicable regulations.
• Ensure that contracts are administered according to the highest standards of ethics and compliance.
• Erroneous decisions or recommendations or failure to achieve results may cause the organization to incur additional costs and suffer delays that can have a negative impact on its record of performance.

Supervision Given/Received:

• Performs work with a high degree of independence to determine practical methods and procedures for effective performance.
• Supervises the work of associate contract staff.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or International Equivalent in Business Administration or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a contracting position in either the Federal Government acquisition system or a Non- governmental Organization (NGO) – domestic or international.
• At least 3 years of negotiating experience and direct management of contracts and other agreements.
• Advanced knowledge of donor (USG and non- USG) rule and regulations including but not limited to USAID, DHHS, DOE, etc.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and strong ability to manage and meet multiple tasks. Read, write and speak English. Fluency in a foreign language is desired.
• International development, healthcare, or consulting industry experience preferred.
• Prior experience in a Team Leader capacity.

Typical Physical Demands:

• Typical office environment.
• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift or move up to 5 lbs.

​Technology to be Used:

• Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.

Travel Requirements:

• Less than 10%

The expected hiring salary range for this role is listed below. FHI 360 pay ranges represent national averages that vary by geographic location. When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and education possessed by the applicant, internal equity, business sector, and budget.

Base salary is only one component of our offer. FHI 360 contributes 12% of monthly base pay to a money purchase pension plan account. Additionally, all US based staff working full-time, which is calculated at 40 hours/week, receive 18 days of paid vacation per year, 12 sick days per year, and 11 holidays per year. Paid time off is reduced pro rata for employees working less than a full-time schedule.

Hiring Salary Range: $83,400 – $114,000