Lead Associate, Small Grants Program (P2)

Summary

The Implementer-Led Design, Evidence, Analysis and Learning (IDEAL) Activity is a BHA/USAID-funded 5-year Leader with Associates award that aims to enhance the food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations through improving the design, implementation, and overall effectiveness of non-emergency and emergency food security activities funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). The Gender and Youth Activity (GAYA) is one of IDEAL’s Associate Awards, focused on addressing gaps in attitudes, knowledge and practice covering the integration of gender and/or youth into food and nutrition security and other humanitarian responses. The Lead Associate, Small Grants Program will manage the portfolio of IDEAL and GAYA small grants from opportunity to closeout. The IDEAL portfolio is a mature one, and all grants have been awarded, while the GAYA Activity is just beginning and this role will manage the grants from the beginning of the award cycle.

The Lead Associate, Small Grants Program is accountable to achieve grant management targets and metrics for their assigned portfolio, supporting timely and effective execution of implementation plans by the small grant recipients, and enabling knowledge sharing across the portfolio. You will support the implementation of the Small Grants Program (SGP) processes at each stage of the grant cycle, including Request for Application (RFA) development, application management and review, recipient selection, implementation, reporting and payment, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge sharing and learning, and closeout, contributing to continuous improvement, recommending process improvements for senior management consideration.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Program Management – 60%

• Ensure timely and effective implementation, process standardization and quality, and knowledge sharing across the SGP portfolio;
• Participate in drafting and ensure timely and comprehensive rollout of RFAs;
• Support application review processes, ensure applicants meet eligibility criteria, and convene review and selection committees to review small grant applications and select small grant awardees;
• Ensure timely and thorough execution of subaward agreements to small grants recipients in accordance with SC policies and procedures;
• Orient small grant recipients to Save the Children’s requirements, and USAID regulations as needed, including through kick-off workshops required for each new small grant;
• Monitor small grant projects’ implementation (compliance and progress) by reviewing quarterly and final reports against work plans, and through site visits as needed;
• Coordinate with consortium members to provide small grant recipients with appropriate technical support, learning synergies and integration, and dissemination;
• Lead Small Grants Working Group Meetings, including agenda development and strategy;
• Support the Advisor, SGP in drafting the small grants section of IDEAL and GAYA annual work plans and internal strategic plans; and
• Provide input into appropriate design and/or implementation of program monitoring and evaluation activities – including the use of process and impact indicators, designing methods of data collection, data analysis and reporting.

Knowledge Management and Communications: 25%

• Under the guidance of the Advisor, SGP and in collaboration with other technical staff, ensure that small grants directly respond to the themes and issues identified by implementing partners through communities of practice, thematic working groups, and stakeholder consultations;
• In collaboration with the Knowledge Management and Communications team, produce information sheets, reports, infographics, and presentations to document and promote the work of the IDEAL and GAYA SGPs;
• With the Advisor, SGP, represent the SGP at IDEAL’s domestic and international knowledge sharing meetings and other relevant learning and capacity building events;
• Support the design and facilitation of webinars, conference sessions, or recorded videos to highlight tools, activities, or findings/results funded by the SGP; and
• Assist in the planning and production of knowledge sharing meetings, including material development, session organization, and logistics and facilitation support.

Administration and Operations – 15%

• Manage SGP mailboxes in Outlook on a daily basis;
• Maintain SGP files within the IDEAL and GAYA filing systems and client database;
• Maintain tools and forms for: small grants applications, agreements and amendments, and budgets, pre-award assessments; selection and review process; reporting; and closeout.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a High School diploma or equivalent, plus at least 3 years of relevant experience;
• Demonstrated experience in oversight of U.S. Government-funded grants;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate successfully with individuals and teams at all levels, with a demonstrated sensitivity to cultural differences and ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural contexts;
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite;
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English;
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally up to 10%
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining and environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with an international NGO
• Knowledge of USAID rules and regulations for awards and cost principles for non-profit organizations;
• Experience with USAID Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approaches;

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!

About Save The Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.