Grants & Contracts Associate at World Resources Institute (WRI)

About the Program:

The Office of Grants and Contracts supports WRI Programs, Centers and international offices with funding award and subaward administration support, as well as procurement and compliance guidance. This position will closely support WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative (GRI), a flagship initiative of the Food, Land and Water program at WRI that works with governments, grassroots community organizations, entrepreneurs and international partners to inspire, enable, and implement restoration on degraded landscapes, returning them to economic and environmental productivity. Our programmatic work centers on ensuring that restoration practitioners have access to technical assistance, financing, enabling policies and robust monitoring systems they need to be successful.

Job Highlight:

The Grants and Contracts Associate works with Global Grants and Contracts (G&C) Managers in overseeing the due diligence and administration of WRI’s sub-granting and procurement activities. This position will be embedded in the Grants & Contracts department and work closely with Global Restoration Initiative’s Operations and Management team to support the delivery of funding to local restoration practitioners, with an initial focus in Africa. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the Global Restoration Initiative’s commitment to invest significant capital and capacity in the restoration of Africa’s farms, forests, and pastures. You will join a growing team of finance, public policy, project management, product development, and monitoring experts that are working to turn the goal of AFR100 – Africa’s ambitious commitment to restore 100 million hectares of land by 2030 – into a reality.  You will report to WRI’s Director of Grants & Contracts and GRI’s Operations Manager.

What will you do:
Grants & Contracts Administration (80%): 

• Ensure that program staff have the tools and information to ensure proper governance and compliance with funder requirements and WRI policies Support WRI’s push for a more diverse partner and contractor portfolio, expanding the Institute’s work with small organizations and entities from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups
• Review subgrantee organizational assessments and recommend monitoring and controls based on risk categorizations
• Maintain and enhance the subrecipient monitoring tracking system and work with G&C and program staff to ensure timely collection and review of all subgrantee audits
• Work with Program staff to plan high-integrity procurements and establish contracts that ensure value for money
• Review and approve grant, contract, and amendment requests to ensure application of WRI policies and sound agreement formation
• Advises WRI staff and partners on requirements for accurate progress and financial reports
• Ensure that the closeout of subgrants is timely and efficient; that all required documents are obtained and filed; and that subgrantee files meet legal and auditing requirements
• Contribute to communications and trainings about Grants & Contracts policies, practices, and procedures

Financial Capacity Building (20%): 

• Create and maintain a pipeline of financial capacity and grant administration needs of the local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community-based organizations receiving WRI restoration funding
• Provide technical support to build the capacity of these local organizations to receive and manage increasingly larger sums of funding
• Work with Program-identified partners to bolster their compliance, operational, and administrative capacities

What will you need: 

Education: 

• You have completed a Bachelors’ degree in business management, finance, public administration or related field preferred. Grant or Contract Administration certification desirable

Experience:

•  You have 5+ years of experience in financial management and administration, preferably in a non-profit setting
• You have experience working with complex and detailed donor agreements, contracts and other legal documents
• You have experience using tools such as MS Office, Salesforce, and/or Sharepoint
• You have experience communicating complex issues to colleagues and partners

Languages: 

• Verbal and written proficiency in English required. Fluency in French preferred. Fluency in any of WRI's other languages is a bonus (Mandarin, Bahasa, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.)