Strategic Activities Fund (SAF) Manager at I Choose Life - Africa (ICL)

Summary

The purpose of the USAID-funded Kenya KIWASH collaboration is to achieve sustainable water and sanitation services in Western Kenya through 1) County-wide approach to strengthening markets for sanitation and hygiene products and services and 2) Ensuring county-wide sustainable drinking water services to households, including effective management of water resources. Target counties for this activity are: Bungoma, Busia, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kisii, Kisumu, Migori, and Siaya. 

Strategic Activities Fund (SAF) Manager for the anticipated KIWASH project. The SAF Manager implements and provides oversight and technical direction to the SAF and Grants portfolio for the USAID/Kenya KIWASH Activity. This position supports both Research and Development and Operations to manage the overall SAF subawards, grants, and the Activity’s required cost share, while supporting technical teams to carry out innovative sustainable water and sanitation services. The position will supervise the Grants Officer and be based in Kisumu, Kenya.

Responsibilities of the SAF Manager include, but are not limited to: 

• Oversee and manage the full award cycle for SAF subawards and USAID/Kenya KIWASH’s required cost share, including conducting market research, ensuring technical requirements are accurately captured in the solicitations, responding to questions, organizing and leading technical evaluation committee and cost reasonableness reviews, preparing approval documents, assisting technical leads with implementation management, ensuring monitoring and evaluation and learning agenda requirements are captured in subawards, providing capacity building support to non-traditional and underutilized partners in subaward administration, and ensuring proper subaward closeout.
• With the Market-based Sanitation Team (MBS), design challenge and innovation grants and awards to source local solutions to address specific WASH market barriers/challenges.
• Development of the SAF with the input and oversight of the COP, Research and Development Lead, Finance and Administration Director, and RTI’s Contracts Office.
• Oversees SAF subaward management process & subcontracts for local organizations, including SAF proposal tracking, review, and approval process.
• Maintains robust financial management filing system for SAF and cost share and ensures audit trail for all necessary SAF and cost share documentation.
• Ensures timely financial disbursements and compliance with SAF financial management policies, monitors all SAF expenses, and provides regular updates on SAF subaward status.
• Keeps the relevant staff informed about upcoming deadlines and deliverables, thereby ensuring smooth completion of work responsibilities.
• Oversees the job of invoicing, accounting, reporting, and other administrative functions to ensure successful execution of SAF and cost share processes.
• Regularly and consistently tracks cost share for the Activity, including cost share from subawardees and prepares inputs on cost share for reporting.
• Performs other SAF or cost share related tasks from time to time as assigned by Supervisor.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree and eight (8) years of experience; or Master’s degree and six (6) years of experience.
• Minimum six (6) years of relevant work experience in finance, grants, and/or procurement management.
• Experience with USAID or other international donor agency regulations required.
• Experience with international non-profit organizations preferred.
• Experience in grant and subcontract learning and knowledge management.
• Must be proficient in English and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Should exhibit excellent organizational and have the ability to work under difficult circumstances with limited resources and ability to form productive relationships with host country counterparts and training institutions.
• Must have strategic thinking and planning ability and possess dependability, reliability, and high integrity.
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside of normal hours and to travel and work in any of the three provinces and difficult terrain/conditions at times. 
• Work experience in Kenya required.