Grants Officer

Amref Global Health Security Unit

Global Health Security (GHS) seeks to build strong and resilient public health systems to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats wherever they occur. The Amref GHS Unit, coordinated from Nairobi, Kenya, strengthens the capacity of health systems to reduce vulnerabilities to emerging and re-emerging disease threats for communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To address the increased danger of disease outbreaks, the program is complementing the efforts of regional partners such as the Africa CDC, national players through the Ministries of Health, and other strategic partners to protect the lives and livelihoods of people in SSA. Amref Health Africa is amongst the key partners supporting COVID-19 vaccine deployment in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The Rockefeller Foundation has partnered with Amref to oversee the implementation of the ‘Increasing Access to Covid-19 Vaccines through Local Implementation project’. Through this support, Amref will make sub-grants to local organizations in multiple Vaccination Action Network (VAN) countries to implement activities that accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations by addressing demand-side barriers. Leveraging Amref’s extensive experience implementing COVID-19 vaccination programs and sub-granting to community-based organizations (CBOs), we will support activities primarily to enhance (1) demand creation for COVID-19 vaccines, with some additional support for (2) building health worker capacity and (3) vaccine administration to complement demand generation as needed.

Job Summary

The Grants Officer is responsible for overseeing the efficient and effective management of grants and contract-related activities. Working closely with subgrantees, the job holder will provide oversight and management of grant-making activities, including planning and application activities, contracting, day-to-day administration, report reviews for the GHS Unit, and close-out. The Grants Officer is a key information resource responsible for ensuring effective communications with all key stakeholders.

Job Responsibilities

Grants Management

• Work with the Amref Grants team to set up a project grants management framework for the Rockefeller project.
• Monitor project budgets, expenditure, and overall performance in coordination with the Project Manager.
• Train and provide grants management assistance to subgrantees, resolve administrative issues, and make recommendations for effective project implementation.
• Review grants-related activities for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with Amref and donor policies.
• Provide follow up on any issues identified during the monitoring and review process.
• Maintain complete, accurate and up-to-date sub grantee filing and tracking systems.
• Maintain a broad and deep understanding of relevant donor policies, regulations, and procedures.
• Contribute to the implementation of improved financial systems and processes to facilitate better donor reporting and compliance in the organisation.

Sub Grantee Management

• Coordinate programs/projects in reviewing eligibility assessment of prospective grantees, ensuring that grant review and award processes are in line with Amref grants policies and procedures.
• Lead in developing subgrantee capacity building plans and development of training materials.
• Supervise Grants Management Information System (GMIS) update, uptake, and maintenance.
• Provide technical support in the preparation of the sub-grantee manual and contracts.
• Review all proposed subgrants budgets before submission to ensure consistency with the organization and donor policies.
• Perform financial monitoring of grant activities, review financial reports submitted by LIPs, and generate timely internal and external financial and related reports.
• Monitor grant activities during their implementation to ensure effective delivery; provide continuous assessments of grantee performance against project objectives.

Audit Coordination (External & Internal) Compliance and Risk

• Collaborate with staff and board members; prepare internal project reports and submit status reports to management team as required.
• Oversee the review by Compliance and Audit team and support the project team in the implementation of audit recommendations.
• Analyze all processes, provide enhancements to all grant programs if required and manage all grant management processes according to policies and procedures.
• Identify, mitigate and report finance and support services risks.

Business Development

• Provide support to business development unit and programs in funding proposal development for the GHS unit.
• Support the formulation and review of grant policies and procedures.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or other related business fields.
• Master’s degree is an added advantage.
• CPA (K) or ACCA certification required.
• ICT proficiency in using accounting packages and ERP software.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• 4-6 years of experience in Accounting/Finance and Grants Management.
• Experience managing grants, and donor compliance at a regional/multi-country level.
• Previous experience with a grants management system preferred.
• Experience developing manuals and tools for grant and sub-grant management.
• Experience managing statutory and donor audits.
• Substantive experience working in the NGO sector, dealing with multiple donor funds, and meeting different donor reporting requirements.

Skills and Abilities

• Proven management experience in supervision of staff in cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional verbal and written communications skills and the ability to interact effectively with others, both internally and externally.
• Excellent time management skills, with the ability to perform multiple tasks and meet critical deadlines while maintaining accuracy and quality.