Grants Officer -Ignite Culture at British Council

Role Purpose 

The purpose of this job is to support the Ignite Culture Project Manager in contributing to the effective co-ordination and management of ACP-EU Culture Programme (Eastern Africa) – Ignite Culture grant funds, in line with programme’s strategic direction and in compliance with policies and requirements of the British Council and EU.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following: 

Grants Management

• Support the coordinating, monitoring and the implementation of Ignite Culture programme.
• Support the full cycle of grants management activities from pre-award assessments, monitoring/compliance visits and close-out procedures.
• Maintain a grant tracking mechanism to track all grant management performance indicators for effective monitoring of grant activities to ensure progress and KPIs are met.
• Ensure grant management procedures are followed and EU compliance requirements are met.

Partner management

• Provide technical support (capacity building) to grantees in financial management and EU-compliant reporting.
• Ensure grantees receive funds timely for project implementation and monitor partner budget performance ensuring ineligible expenditures are not incurred.
• Process and follow up on quality due diligence assessments, grantees awards, contracting and onboarding process.
• Monitor monthly the status of the utilisation of the grants; Actively participate in programme or staff planning meetings
• Establish a work plan (monitoring and support) of the financial activities of all grantees and review their budgets to provide advisory and support where necessary.

Role-specific knowledge and experience:
Essential requirements: 

• Strong knowledge of project management 
• Strong organisational and time management skills 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team 
• A keen attention to detail, with the ability to spot errors or inconsistencies in grantees’ narrative and financial reports 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with grantees, partners, and other stakeholders 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex project management and funder requirements to grantees. 

Desirable: 

• The ability to communicate effectively in French will be an advantage