Portfolio Manager at Girls Not Brides

ABOUT YOU 

• You are a proactive and organised self-starter with experience supporting coordination across complex, multi-grant portfolios within a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. You bring strong experience coordinating deliverables across teams, supporting high-quality donor reporting, and ensuring clear tracking of grant requirements, timelines, budgets, and reporting expectations. You are confident managing competing priorities, identifying gaps, anticipating needs, and helping teams stay aligned and accountable.
• You build strong working relationships across Programmes, Finance, Fundraising, MEAL, and Operations, and communicate clearly and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. You bring structure, clarity, and efficiency to complex processes, with a solution-focused and adaptable approach. You are motivated by collaborative ways of working and by contributing to an organisation advancing the rights and opportunities of girls globally.

Job location

• Nairobi (Kenya), New Delhi (India) or London (UK).  
• The successful candidate must have the right to work in their selected country of residence at the time of applying, and for the full duration of the 18-month contract 
• Working as a global team, all Girls Not Brides’ team members may from time to time be expected to work outside normal working hours (e.g., early morning or early evening) this is not a regular occurrence and is only to accommodate collaboration of teams across different time zones. This role may require some international travel, as necessary.

Accountable to

Head of Impact and Strategy Performance. 

Salary range

• Market competitive based on a detailed survey by the Birches Group of comparable national NGO salaries in selected location. Payments will be made in local currency of where it is located.

Contract

• This is a fixed term contract for 18 Months
• The successful candidate must have the right to work in India, Kenya or the UK at the time of applying, and for the full duration of the 18-month contract 

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 Portfolio Standards, Coordination and Alignment

• Maintain an organisation-wide view of the donor-funding portfolio, providing visibility across projects, timelines, requirements and interdependencies.
• Lead the development and coordination of a unified coordination and accountability model for donor‑funded grants, setting clear standards, roles, responsibilities, and ways of working across the grant lifecycle.
• Promote consistent grant management practices across teams, recognising different delivery models and levels of grant complexity.
• Work closely with colleagues managing projects and sub-grants, ensure alignment between donor requirements and sub‑granting processes.

Grant Delivery Coordination and Quality 

• Support staff responsible for managing projects and budget holders to track progress against agreed objectives, timelines, KPIs, and budgets, reinforcing accountability with those leading delivery.
• Provide coordination support for complex, multi-team grants where there is no single project manager, helping to consolidate inputs, sequence activities, and surface interdependencies. Take a lighter touch, quality assurance role for narrower grants with a clear, single project manager. 
• Help identify emerging delivery challenges early and facilitate cross‑team coordination to keep grant commitments on track.
• Support staff managing project and budget holders by clarifying financial requirements and timelines, and help identify emerging financial risks or variances, supporting timely coordination and communication where needed

Donor Reporting and Compliance Coordination

• Coordinate donor reporting processes, ensuring clarity on reporting requirements, timelines, and quality standards, leading consolidation and drafting for complex, multi-team grants, and providing light-touch review and quality assurance where a single staff member is accountable.
• Working closely with Development and Finance teams, support shared understanding of donor compliance and reporting expectations across teams. 
• Maintain strong documentation and audit-ready files, supporting due diligence processes and donor audits as required.

Systems Strengthening and Capacity Building

• Strengthen grant management systems, tools, templates, and workflows to support consistent, efficient grant management across donor-funded grants, collaborating closely with colleagues leading sub-granting management to ensure alignment of tools and processes. 
• Build organisational and staff capacity by embedding project management best practice and collaboration tools (e.g., Monday.com or equivalent) improving visibility, coordination, and reducing duplication. 

Wider Organisational Responsibilities

• Commit to the mission and vision of Girls Not Brides, putting these at the forefront of all planning, work and actions.
• Uphold the core values of Girls Not Brides in all areas of work and interactions with colleagues, members, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Line manage roles and consultants as necessary, delegating responsibilities and tasks as appropriate.
• Comply with Girls Not Brides’ policies and processes, with note for safeguarding, diversity and inclusion, the code of conduct and data protection.
• Ensure that internal databases and monitoring information are kept fully up-to-date.
• Commit to ongoing personal development and learning.
• Fulfil any other reasonable requests for the advancement of Girls Not Brides.

Essential 

• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-grant portfolios in an international development or similar context, including coordinating delivery across multiple teams and, ideally, countries.
• Proven experience managing portfolios involving multiple concurrent grants (typically 3+), with responsibility for tracking budgets (ideally £1m+), timelines, and deliverables, and coordinating across Programme, Finance, and Fundraising teams.
• Proven experience in grant portfolio management and donor reporting, including coordinating inputs and deliverables across multiple cross‑functional teams.
• Familiarity with project/portfolio management methodologies and systems, or equivalent practical experience applying structured approaches to coordinating delivery across multiple projects.
• Strong ability to manage and synthesise portfolio‑level information, including grant requirements, timelines, reporting obligations, and budgets across multiple projects.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate donor requirements and compliance expectations into clear, practical guidance for colleagues.
• Proven ability to build effective working relationships across Programme, Finance, Fundraising, MEAL, and Operations teams in a matrixed environment.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance and reporting standards, and how these differ across funding types and donors.
• Experience using portfolio management or project‑management tools (e.g. Monday.com, SharePoint) to support cross‑team coordination and visibility.
• Ability to work independently and proactively, with strong attention to detail and confidence managing competing priorities across a portfolio.
• Collaborative team player with an inclusive and respectful approach to working with others. 
• Proactive and organised, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities confidently and independently. 
• Experience working in international and diverse working environments, including ability to work remotely and across different time zones. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.

Desirable 

• Experience working on gender equality, girls’ rights, or related thematic areas.
• Fluency in French and/or Spanish.
• Familiarity with programme/project management methodologies