Grants Manager at Plan International

Dimensions of Role:

• The Grants Department is responsible for the following tasks: Coordination and Negotiations; Compliance (Systems, processes, donors); Monitoring and Analysis; Portfolio Management and Strategy of Plan Kenya.
• This role will work collaboratively with National Offices (NOs) and other departments of the Country Office programme to ensure smooth management of development and humanitarian programme awards, sub grantees and contracts. The person will manage a team responsible for the portfolio of awards. The position will be also responsible for capacity building of staff and improving internal ways of working and will lead start-up and closeout meetings/workshops.
• In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

Typical Responsibilities - Key End Results of Position:
Key Responsibilities:
A) Developing self and others; Working effectively with others

• Support the Director of Operations to support to development and high performance of the Grants Management team.
• Support the delivery of capacity building both within the Grants team, partners and across the Country Office.
• Carry out orientations and staff trainings for grants management procedures, donor requirements (rules, regulations, reporting and compliance) for Plan KCO staff and partner organisations. Build relationships across the Country Office, the Region, National Offices and the IH and escalate issues as required.

B) Communicating with impact, negotiation and coordination

• Provide coordination support to proposal development and review processes, ensuring all staff inputs happen in timely and effective manner in collaboration with the Business Development Manager.
• Provide advice on donor compliance requirements to ensure high quality proposals.
• Coordinate the processes for financial donor reporting to ensure that reports are high quality, delivered on time and supported by auditable records.
• Maintain effective communications with Plan International National Offices and Regional Office regarding donor related issues.
• Lead Grants “Kick off” meetings to ensure that all grant information is shared effectively with relevant staff, including field offices and partners.
• Lead Close out process and work with National Offices to ensure grants are closed out on time (assets, final financial accounts).
• Coordinate with auditors as necessary.

C) Compliance (systems, processes, donor)

• Clear understanding of Plan processes and key donor requirements, and support teams across the Country Office to ensure all opportunities, proposals, contracts and amendments follow Plan processes.
• Ensure that all appropriate donor formats are available in-country and staff have a clear understanding of donor requirements/expectations throughout the grant cycle.
• Ensure potential issues and amendment requests are flagged promptly to the Operations Director, then to donors via the relevant National Offices. Prepare donor waiver/derogation requests.
• Ensure all SAP records are an accurate reflection of current grants status at all times, and have all required documentation attached.
• Ensure all partners and sub-recipient agreements undergo legal vetting, are input into and approved through SAP, and work with relevant staff to ensure relevant donor requirements are understood by implementing partners (this may include capacity building).
• Review all final reports before submission to the donor.

D) Monitoring and analysis

• Co-ordinate the development of fully costed budgets for grants and contracts proposals.
• Co-ordinate with respective budget holders (Program Managers) in order to ensure budgets are correctly allocated and aligned.
• Ability to analyse financial issues i.e. variances and resolve by collaborating with other teams.
• Strong financial skills including budget development, and monitoring of spend across award portfolio.
• Develop a dashboard of all impending donor reports and support the program team to ensure timely delivery of reports.

E) Award Management leadership, portfolio management and strategy

• Ensure grants management systems and processes are successfully implemented, and key controls are in place to support effective portfolio management and compliance with donor requirements.
• Ensure regular grants monitoring across the country office and facilitate regular meetings with key stakeholders to ensure individual grants performance are being tracked effectively, and that risks and issues are being recognised and action taken.
• Provide regular management information to the Operations Director on the performance of the allocated portfolio.
• Support the Operations Director in the implementation of plans to address any performance issues identified through management information and KPI results.

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
• Knowledge, Skills, Behaviors, and Experience Required to Achieve Role’s Objectives:

Education Qualification:

• Professional qualification relating to business, finance, accounting or international development

Knowledge and Experience:
Essential

• 8 years of leadership and financial management experience in a similar position in INGO
• Proven track record of in-country award portfolio management and knowledge of major donors’ compliance requirements
• Experience communicating with impact in a complex stakeholder environment
• Experience of staff management, supervision and capacity building in Grants Management
• Proven track record of supporting a senior management team
• Problem solving skills to identify and lead the resolution of issues
• Good attention to detail and analytical skills
• Computer literate (i.e. Word, advanced Excel, Outlook, financial systems).
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, flexible, able to improvise and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities
• Basic understanding of operational programming, including the realities of the context
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English, with experience in managing multicultural teams

Desirable

• Experience with any recognised grants management system, knowledge of SAP will be desirable
• Significant experience with INGOs in an international environment

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Plan values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Plan, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, National Offices and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.
• Physical Environment and Demands:
• Typically office environment with moderate field visit demands.

Level of Contact with Children:

• Low contact: Very low frequency of interaction.