Grants Manager at World Vision International Rwanda (Deadline: 23 January 2022)

% of time

Major Activities

End Results

15%

Leadership and Team Management

• Provide guidance and direction to the grants team as required, and establish team cohesion and growth, including the organization of capacity building opportunities;
• Create performance agreements with each direct reports, and conduct quarterly reviews and end of year performance appraisals;
• Coach and mentor team in conducting assessments, setting personal development goals and providing ongoing support on tools and relevant training resources/material;
• Lead recruitment of qualified project management staff
• Ensure the P&C department is aware about the projects staffing/recruitment plan

• A strong project management and oversight team
• Team with requisite skills, engaged and working well together for smooth implementation of projects
• Effective partnering for performance implemented
• Capability development and succession plans are available and managed for the administration team, low turnover rate for top projects administration staff performers

40%

Grants Management & Oversight, Quality and Reporting

• Provide strategic and operational oversight of major government, bilateral and multilateral grants, ensuring mechanisms and tools are in place for effective/accountable implementation of projects (start and end on time, on target, and within budget)
• Develop a culture of excellence about the planning, implementation and M&E of projects, including periodic and targeted reviews of challenging projects to ensure completion and optimum expenditure rates.
• Spearhead coordination between departments to promote information sharing, joint planning, and problem solving, especially amongst, P&C, DM&E, Grants acquisition and Technical Managers to support operational effectiveness.
• Facilitate the operational effectiveness process to update tools including, Grant health tracker, flowcharts and RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted and informed) for the project cycle management process and decision making
• Assure solid inception phase/transition of grants from acquisition to operations by ensuring that each new project conducts a start-up workshop lead by the Project Manager/Project Director/ COP/Project lead and supported by the GAM team and SO. Ensure all involved staff have copies of approved program design (narrative funding proposal, log frame, monitoring and evaluation plan, budget) and grant agreement and that they understand donor regulations, reporting and other requirements;

• Ensure P&C department is aware ahead of time which staff to recruit for upcoming projects;
• Ensure regular, positive, and productive communication with respective donor representatives, the field, and partners regarding the implementation of projects activities;
• Ensure on time submission of high-quality reports to donors;
• Monitor grants implementation and resource/fund utilization rates in conjunction with the Operations and Finance teams;
• Assist the field in accessing appropriate technical assistance for successful implementation of activities;
• Revise projects documents as necessary and as requested and coordinate or complete approved grant amendments; Coordinate and/or submit grant amendments;
• Ensure sector advisors provide technical support to the Project Managers/Directors/ COPs and respond to technical support requests
• Provide management support and capacity building to project teams under his/her supervision
• Strengthen the risk management on the portfolio touching on liquidity levels, audit implementations, recoveries from donors, & effective closeouts.

• Fully functional project management and oversight system in place (Grants Annual Business plan developed and implemented as per NO strategy, Progress MTT aligned with annual plan
• Projects are implemented on time, on budget, with quality and donor requirements
• High quality donor and partner relations
• Grant Health Tracker fully utilized and timely updated
• Timely and high quality reports submitted to SLT, RO, Donors & SO’s
• Real time project management information/Business intelligence from start up to close out is available and deliberated by leadership team
• Project teams pro-actively contribute to research, learning and program development efforts.
• Effective grant handover process from acquisition to operations and PSU.

30%

Partnerships, Engagement and Resource Mobilization

• In coordination with the Integrated Programs Director and Senior Operations Manager (SOM), develop and maintain strategic relationships with national government ministries, major donors, SO’s, INGOs, Local organizations and the development sector in general.
• In coordination with the IPD & SOM, and Technical Leads, participate in national level coalitions on specific advocacy issues. Provide updates on projects at coordination meetings 
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with major donors and support offices during the project implementation, monitoring, evaluation and close-out, including hosting visits and responding to communication. Ensure that WVR builds its reputation for integrity, expertise and reliability;
• In coordination with Resource development Manager, support grants acquisition team in funding acquisition/implementation and coordination of grant acquisition processes including negotiations with SO’s, consortium establishment, design workshops and proposal formulation to deliver high quality sustainable funding
• Maintain WVR master list of stakeholder contact information and update regularly;
• Ensure that WVR is a thought leader and known for its programming focus;
• Contribute to the development of communications and marketing materials
• Improve coordination and collaboration with the most relevant units in the national office

• WVR fully engages in donor/partner led coordination platforms
• Healthy communication with donors and   SO’s on matters related grants management
• Project leads maintain effective relationships with donors and

Partners

• Increased donor retention diversified funding
• Donor’s issue log developed and properly addressed
• Engagement tracking and follow up assured
• Updated master list of key stakeholders and contacts
• RASCI matrix for collaboration with Senior Operations Manager, Senior Strategy and Quality Manager, Resource Development

Manager and Integrated Programs Director.

15%

Risk Management and Compliance

• Assess level of risks associated with each project and ensure sufficient alignment with relevant WV strategies at all levels,
• Lead the development, monitoring and mitigation of key risks in program development and quality.
• Collaborate with senior management and contribute to the development of policies and procedures for continuous operations excellence
• Prepare long-term plans for grants compliance, including implementing strategies and procedures that prevent illegal, unethical, or improper conduct
• Work closely with finance and operations to develop grants compliance checklists and share with projects staff for implementation
• Continually review whether the contracts and grants management activities are in compliance with the key controls contained in grants management guidelines and with donor rules and regulations
• Work with senior management to broaden understanding of strategic and operational compliance measures relevant to grants health metrics (operations, projects implementation, and reporting). Raise compliance issues proactively with senior management as necessary
• Ensure that partnership and sub-grant related administrative processes and procedures are consistently implemented throughout the projects, including pre-award compliance checks, agreements, and disbursements and reporting.

• NO risk management framework and Risk Konnect regularly updated with project management elements
• Grants compliance checklist developed
• Grants risk Matrix in place where appropriate/required
• Technical guidance on WV and donor regulations provided to ensure compliance within operations, program implementation and reporting

Required Professional Experience

• At least 6 years of experience in development or relief environment, with at least 3 years in grants design management, M&E, and compliance issues from acquisition to implementation.
• Must have a clear understanding of the working of major WV partners (USAID, EU, FCDO, PRM, KOIKA, SIDA, GAC, DFAT, UN etc.), their requirements, and standards.
• Ability to engage high-level donors to influence funding priorities, strategy, and policy.
• Ability to engage with governmental, NGO, and other senior leaders on development issues and maintain effective partnerships.
• The person must be results oriented, able to handle public relations, able to satisfy donors, and a team player
• Strong project management skills, with oversight and or communication to project managers, DCOP’s, directors and chief of party.
• Capacity-building experience in project design, implementation, reporting, and evaluation.
• Computer knowledge including Word, Excel, Lotus Notes, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including report-writing and proposal writing skills
• Ability to maintain performance expectations in diverse cultural contexts, and physical hardship conditions.
• Ability to solve complex problems and to exercise independent judgment

Required Education,

training, license,

registration, and

certification

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, International Development, Rural Development, NGO Leadership with at least 6 years of experience in development or relief environment, with at least 3 years in grants design, management, M&E, and compliance issues from acquisition to implementation or Bachelor’s degree in the same fields with a minimum of 8 years’ experience in grants management 

Preferred Knowledge

and Qualifications

• Solid capacity building experience in project design, implementation, reporting, and evaluation.
• Strategic thinking skill, strong in managing people and problem-solving abilities, networking and negotiating skills.
• Must have a clear understanding of the working of major WV partners (USAID, EU, FCDO, PRM, KOIKA, SIDA, GAC, DFAT, UN etc.), their requirements and standards.
• Strong understanding of a diverse set of donor compliance issues
• Integration of grants with sponsorship