Grants & Contracts Manager 56 views

Job Summary

In this role, you will oversee the financial and compliance management of WRI’s grants, contracts and subawards in Africa. This includes funding award and subaward administration support as well as procurement and compliance guidance

Working closely with the operations staff in Africa to ensure compliance of the WRI Africa to WRI Global and donors’ regulations, you will handle grant and contract activities of the the WRI Africa Region and be responsible for supporting all necessary aspects to ensure strict adherence to internal controls, donor guidelines, mandated laws. You will also work closely with the program team, coordinating with them to ensure the smooth running of operations and coherence of procedures and systems.

You will ensure contract standards required by law, World Resources Institute and the donors are met, under the supervision of the Regional Operations Director. You will contribute to ensuring the integrity of contracts, grant awards and agreements are in line with donor and compliance frameworks.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and process grants/contracts files meeting legal and auditing requirements.
• Review proposed procurements to ensure they satisfy requirements and assist in the preparation of contracts.
• Process subgrantee quarterly reports
• Review and approve reimbursement agreements which are in line with all WRI policies.
• Serve as initial respondent on policy and process questions from staff in representative offices, referring questions as necessary to the relevant DC expert.
• Proposal liaison – help Programs adapt and implement proposal development policy especially for budgets and special clearances of any funding caps or cost shares.
• Facilitate monitoring and closeout of subgrants, research agreements, professional service agreements, grants, and contracts.
• Ensure Salesforce data integrity in support of reporting and forecasting
• Help monitor life of grant reporting requirements and keeps program staff aware of upcoming deadlines.
• Help maintain user-friendly grants and sub recipient management resources.
• Assist in preparation for annual audits, including review of documentation in support of audit
• Actively contribute to the continued refinement/improvement of policies for ensuring compliance with mandatory requirements.
• Manage sub-grants out of Regional Office as well as to other Project Office partners
• Review and manage grant agreements out of the Africa Regional Office and for other country offices
• Manage sub-grantees out of the Africa Regional Office as well as out of Project offices
• Contribute to proposals (ops and budget vetting) with significant levels of anticipated activity or presence in Africa
• Contract signing
• Conduct sub grantee capacity assessment (due diligence) in the Africa Regional Office and in other countries in Africa

Job Qualifications

• Master’s degree in finance, Management or related studies with 5+ years overall experience in the field of grants and contracts management
• Minimum of 3 years of full-time, relevant work experience in grants and contracts administration
• Fluent French language skills required, both spoken and written
• Prior experience of working in the development field and preferably in the international NGO sector is essential, experiences with donor funded projects is essential too
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, in both English and French required
• Attention to deadlines and detail-oriented, particularly with regard to donor agreements, contracts and other related legal documents
• Team player, and able to work independently
• Strong MS Office skills, including demonstrated experience working with databases
• Patience and perseverance in understanding and explaining issues with program staff ECM and/or SharePoint experience
• Desirable to have working knowledge and experience applying Ethiopia and other Africa countries and US Government regulations.

WRI Overview

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address six critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water and sustainable cities.

We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is well over $100 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of nearly 1000 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States.

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.

In Ethiopia, WRI established a Regional Office for Africa in 2018 and as we lay a firm foundation for effective long-term engagement, we are seeking to recruit a full time Grant and Contract Speciallist with an excellent, on-the-ground experience in areas of grant and contract mangment to support the Africa Region, reporting directly to the Regional Operations Director for Africa based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

How to Apply

Please include a cover letter along with your application. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

Please note that for this role we will initially offer a fixed term 1 year contract with the possibility of extension.

The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI’s policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.