SENIOR COORDINATOR – GRANT MANAGEMENT

The Senior Coordinator – Grant Management will be responsible in supervising the GMU team in Africa Region, providing guidance to the team and ensuring sufficient quality control in the service provided to the Research units. He/she will be the point of contact within the GMU Regional HUB, representing the Region and supporting the implementation of standard processes.

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Provide support to the management and monitoring of the portfolio of projects assigned and ensure that the commitments of the Legal documents with the donors & partners are accomplished in the dates established.

· Facilitate the review and negotiation of contracts with donors for their subsequent execution taking in to account the policies and procedures established by the organization.

· Set up new grants in the systems and communicate grant opening to internal stakeholders

· Ensure comprehensive information management and filing system, ensuring donor contractual documents, reports, and key correspondences are consistently and frequently filed in the Alliance system and other data bases.

· Liaise with donors on all grant-related issues, including submission of donor reports and requests for project variations.

· Work closely with the resource mobilization unit, finance, legal, researchers and other areas of the organization to ensure that contracts are executed on time

· Support scientists in the overall management and monitoring of grants, sharing information about compliance requirements and reviewing adherence to them.**

Sub-grants administration:

· Coordinate capacity assessment and due diligence review of prospective partners.

· Ensure Partners’ awareness of reporting requirements, research ethics and contractual compliance.

· Support the review of Sub-grant agreements connected to the assigned project portfolio to ensure compliance with prime donor’s requirements.

· Track and collect cleared reports to be filed in the appropriate digital repositories.

· Provide ongoing support to internal stakeholders and partners throughout the Sub-grant lifecycle on administrative and compliance issues including contract modifications.

· Development, maintenance, and updates to the Grant Management Unit manuals, tools, templates, policies, SOPs, and guidance documents. Sharing Africa perspective and experiences.

· Proactively proposes strategies or procedural changes required for the Alliance to stay compliant with changing donor regulations or requirements.

· Participate in project review meetings and provide input from Grant Management Unit.

REQUIREMENTS AND EXPERIENCE

· Bachelor’s Degree in international development, international relations, economics, business administration or another relevant field; Masters is an added advantage

· Minimum of 5 years progressively responsible experience in the administration and monitoring of grants (review and negotiation of grant contracts, donor reporting, monitoring of grant implementation, development or implementation of grant-related procedures, grants management training and facilitation.

· Excellent communication skills in English both verbal and written including the ability to organize and write clear and concise reports;

· Experience of project management, including understanding of project budgeting, budget management and financial issues;

· Previous experience in a supervisory role;

· Proficiency in relevant software programs (Word, Excel), PowerPoint;

· Excellent organizational skills including the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines while still maintaining attention to detail and accuracy, and problem solve effectively;

· Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team with people in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment, including with external stakeholders; excellent interpersonal skills;

· Previous experience working for international development and/or research organizations, NGOs or UN agencies is highly desirable;

· Knowledge of the CGIAR and/or international development agencies;

· Experience of implementing and/or using information management systems (grants databases, ERP systems, etc.);

· Communication skill in French is desirable;

· Experience and capacity to build long-term relationships with stakeholders.

Terms of employment:

This is a nationally recruited position based in one of the country offices in Africa. The contract will be for two years period, subject to a probation period of three (3) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. The Alliance offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits; we believe that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. The Alliance is an equal opportunity employer, and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.