Grants Management Officer at Mara Elephant Project (MEP)

This position is central to securing financial resources for MEP’s conservation programs and ensuring donor expectations are met across the grant lifecycle. The successful candidate will play a key role in grant identification, proposal development, donor compliance, and internal coordination, while maintaining strong relationships with donors and partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Research and identify new funding prospects including foundations, institutional donors, and corporate CSR programs aligned with MEP’s mission.
• Monitor grant opportunity platforms and networks for calls for proposals and requests for concept notes.
• Support the preparation of concept notes, letters of interest, full grant proposals, and ensure submission by deadlines.
• Work with program teams to design project objectives and with finance teams to develop detailed and donor-compliant budgets.
• Ensure proposals meet donor guidelines regarding format, content, and attachments.
• Interpret donor rules, contractual obligations, and communicate them clearly to relevant internal teams
• including finance and procurement.
• Ensure project activities, expenditure, and procurement adhere to donor requirements and MEP’s internal policies.
• Coordinate with departments and finance teams to enforce compliance — including verifying eligible costs, following procurement rules, and meeting donor branding or visibility requirements.
• Track donor communications, disseminate any updates to terms, and support preparation for donor audits or evaluations through proper archiving of compliance records, receipts, and documentation.
• Identify and flag compliance risks early (budget reallocations, procurement delays) and coordinate corrective action with relevant teams.
• Maintain up-to-date grant files including agreements, proposals, budgets, amendments, and key donor correspondence for easy retrieval during audits or reviews.
• Manage a comprehensive calendar of proposal submission and grant reporting deadlines, ensuring timely internal follow-ups and smooth information transition post-award.
• Liaise with program managers, field staff, and finance officers to gather project targets, technical approaches, and cost estimates during proposal development.
• Facilitate internal proposal review and approval processes, incorporating feedback from relevant departments and leadership.
• Monitor grant expenditures in collaboration with finance teams, flag potential budget realignments, and process no-cost extension requests as per donor procedures.
• Support donor cultivation and stewardship, provide additional information during proposal review processes, and draft donor correspondence for grant start-up, compliance, or project scope changes.
• Utilize MEP’s Bloomerang CRM system to log and track all grant-related interactions.
• Collaborate closely with the Grants Officer (M&E and Reporting) by sharing grant agreements, log frames, and donor M&E expectations post-award.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor from time to time.

Qualification & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Communications, Environmental Science, Business Administration, or a related discipline (Master’s degree is an advantage).
• 3–5 years of proven experience in grant writing, fundraising, or resource mobilization for non-profit organizations, with a successful track record in securing funding from institutional donors such as foundations, governments, or multilateral agencies.
• Strong knowledge of major donor requirements, compliance standards, and experience in grant management post-award. Familiarity with conservation or environmental sector donors is an added advantage.
• Proficiency in project budgeting and financial planning for grant proposals, and experience working with finance teams on grant-funded projects.
• Excellent English writing and editing skills, with the ability to develop clear, compelling, and donorready proposals.
• Strong research and analytical skills for identifying funding opportunities and supporting proposals with credible data and evidence.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple proposals and deadlines while maintaining comprehensive documentation.
• A passion for wildlife conservation and understanding of environmental protection and community development is highly preferred.