Job Title: Grants & Sub Award Manager
Hiring Organization: TechnoServe
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: NGO
Job Type: Full
Time
Salary: KES
Date Posted: 04/16/2024
Everyone
deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at
the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe
is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create
sustainable pathways out of poverty.
The
low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their
small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they
face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets,
unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate
change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting.
Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves
out of poverty. The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living
conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and
education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are
better off.
Program Description:
The
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) anticipates funding
the five-year Feed the Future Local Food Systems activity in Kenya. The
activity will promote inclusive agriculture-led growth with a focus on
climate-smart approaches, strengthen the resilience of people and systems by
expanding economic opportunities, improve nutrition of women and children, as
well as integrate cross-cutting themes.
The
activity will implement solutions including:
- Improving
resilience of vulnerable populations
- Building
the capacity of food system enterprises
- Catalyzing
investment into local agricultural market systems
- Establishing
strong and transparent relationships between food system actors
- Improving
the availability and affordability of nutritious food products, especially
for women and children
- Expanding
employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, especially for youth and
women
Position
Description:
TechnoServe
seeks an experienced Grants Manager for an anticipated food systems development
program in Kenya. The Grants & Sub Award Manager will be responsible for
the implementation and management of the project’s grants program. The position
will manage grants activity reporting, budget and program monitoring, and other
operational activities in compliance with grant making guidelines. S/he will
lead the design of a Grants Manual and develop criteria for recipients of
grants. S/he will also monitor the performance of sub-awardees and compliance,
including conducting monitoring visits. The Manager will provide technical
assistance to sub-awardees to support their compliance and optimal performance.
This
position will report to the Senior Finance and Administration Manager.
Key
Roles & Responsibilities
Sub-Award
Management
- Maintains
programmatic and financial management files for grants and ensures audit
trail for all necessary grant documentation.
- Provides
compliance support on sub-awards, including solicitations, due diligence,
awards, implementation and post-sub-award close-out.
- Ensures
that sub-awardees are aware and trained on requisite flow-down
requirements from the donor
- Ensures
that sub-awardees are adhering to the terms of their awards, are in
compliance with requirements, and are submitting required deliverables on
time
- Works
with the project and finance teams to align on process flow for invoices,
payments and anticipated milestones
- Works
with TechnoServe’s Awards team on all sub-awards to issue new sub-awards
and modifications
- Aligns
with the Awards team, finance and procurement staff to ensure that the
right instrument is selected for different types of partnerships
- Create
and manage sub award monitoring plans. Coordinates and ensures timely
financial disbursements, compliance with grants financial management
policies, monitors all grant expenses, and provides regular updates on
grant status.
- Review
sub award financial and narrative reports and ensure they align for the
reporting period
Grants
Planning and Implementation
- Provides
end-to-end support on grant planning, design, awards, implementation and
post-grant close out
- With
guidance from the TechnoServe Awards team, develops and implements the use
of a comprehensive grants manual that includes a range of modalities for
creative and flexible implementation of grants.
- With
the TechnoServe Awards team, reviews technical and financial proposals
from local partner organizations, including negotiating annual budgets,
and reviews grantee financial expenditure reports for accuracy and
adherence to the SOW and budget.
- Participates
in work planning and activity planning to align the grants program with
overall project activities.
- Coordinates
the development of Annual Program Statements and Request for Applications
(RFAs); co-host informational meetings (in person or virtual) for
potential grantees.
- Maintains
timelines and details required for all grant activities;
- Leads
or supports market search and price analysis in coordination with
technical staff.
- Manages
the evaluation and selection committee process for grantees.
- Ensures
all due diligence is conducted prior to grant awards, including
environmental compliance.
- Secures
approvals to ensure compliance with internal and external award and policy
requirements
- Prepares
grant agreements and amendments, explaining terms, conditions, roles, and
responsibilities. Ensures that identified weaknesses in initial grantee
assessments and related requirements are incorporated into the agreements
explicitly/clearly with the required monitoring and actions on the part of
the grantee.
- Organizes
kick-off meetings and apprises grantees of the responsibilities,
requirements and policies and procedures to be followed during the life of
the grant.
- Ensures
post award grant management in accordance with relevant regulations and
generates reports of status of grant activities, such as forecasting
payment, inventory, amendments, close outs, and sector specific data (i.e.
monthly and quarterly reporting).
- Monitors
milestones and payment schedules, with Finance and Technical Teams to
ensure on-time deliverables, payments, and cash flow requests.
- Stays
up to date with the latest developments in grants management, particularly
as it pertains to grants to private sector actors, and within USAID’s
market and food systems programs
Compliance:
- Provides
training, guidance, and direction to project staff on planning,
implementation, and compliance of sub-award and grants policies,
procedures, and instructions, specifically their role in the process.
- Reviews
grants for completeness and appropriateness with the work plan.
- Ensures
all required documentation is stored in required TechnoServe systems.
- Monitors
sub-award and grant milestones and requests for payments against grant
agreements to ensure compliance. Provide regular milestone updates to
internal stakeholders such as the Award team.
- Trains
on and enforces policies and procedures to prevent improprieties,
intentional and unintentional.
- Leads
an annual audit of grant and sub-award files
Management:
- Providing
ongoing training, guidance, and direction to project technical and grants
staff on planning, implementation, and compliance of grants and sub-award
policies, procedures, and instructions.
- Ensures
that policies, procedures, and/or practices are being met.
- Work
closely with Finance and Admin team to develop clear process flow
documents and templates to support the team in determining appropriate
instruments for partnership engagement
- Provides
quality control on all documentation required with various departments
i.e. technical, grants, and finance.
- Supervises
grant specialists and assistants.
- Review
newly awarded contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements advise teams
on donor terms and conditions to support project implementation and
compliance.
- Prepare
and disseminate Award Management Summaries, including coordinating with
the project team to capture relevant project implementation detail as it
relates to compliance.
- Coordinate
administrative kick-off calls for new sub-awards and grants.
- Develop
and review sub-agreements in accordance with prime agreements and their
respective flow-down provisions.
- Ensure
donor milestones are completed and recorded, sub recipient monitoring is
conducted and recorded, and closeout reports are completed and documented.
- Prepare
or review requests for donor approvals and modifications such as no-cost
extensions, changes in key personnel, changes in the scope of work and
program add-ons, and budget realignments.
- Review
and approve procurements for goods and services contracts and purchase
orders in accordance with TechnoServe procurement policy and donor terms
and conditions.
- Monitor
award closeout process and assist program/country staff in collecting
necessary close-out documents in accordance with TechnoServe and USAID
regulations. Develop donor-specific close plans for use by country staff.
- Complete
other tasks as assigned
- Coordinate
closely with other staff on partnerships requiring contracts or other
procurement instruments
Basic
Qualifications:
- At
least 5 years’ professional experience in grants or contracts management
for a large-scale, complex international development assistance program.
- Progressively
responsible work experience in managing grants as outlined in this job
description.
- Experiencing
managing grants funds under USG especially USAID regulations strongly
preferred;
- Knowledge
and ability to interpret and apply USG regulations (CFR and FAR) required
- Experience
with USAID required
- Understanding
of different partnership modalities (including MOUs, grants, sub-awards,
and sub-contracts) particularly as they pertain to complex food systems
programs that will include a mix of private sector, government, civil
society and NGO partnerships.
- Experience
working with local organizations in Kenya preferred
- Knowledge
of development issues in the program regions, ability to travel and work
in the field with administrative and subject area specialists.
- Required
Languages: Kiswahili and English Fluency Required
Knowledge,
Skills and Abilities:
- Excellent
written and verbal communication skills
- Ability
to multi-task and adapt to changing priorities
- Self-motivated,
detail-oriented, and organized
- Able
to thrive in a dynamic team environment