Grants Manager at RTI International

Job Summary: The Tusome Senior Grants and Partnership Fund Manager will be responsible for the administration and management of the third round of the Tusome Youth Grants Fund under the USAID-funded Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity in Kenya. The duties under this position will include leadership, management, and reporting functions for a grants component to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract.  The work will involve close coordination with other members of RTI’s technical, contractual, and administrative units. This individual will ensure adherence to RTI financial and accounting policies and procedures and strictly maintain the integrity of grants program.   He/She will report to the Deputy Chief of Party, Operations.
 
Programme Description: The Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity in Kenya is a basic education initiative to improve the reading skills of the approximately 5.4 million individual Kenyan children who will begin primary school during the 2015-2020 school years. The programme has added an additional approximately $280,000 USD to support youth group activities during the final 6 months of the project. . Given the tight timeframe, Tusome will re-engage youth groups previously engaged through the grants program.
 
The Youth Fund is a flexible grants-under-contract mechanism to engage the youth network currently established in over 20,000 villages and additional youth groups in various parts of the country. The anticipated outcome is the use of new and innovative ways of supporting quality education and rapid achievement of project outcomes through intensive youth-led and youth managed support. RTI anticipates issuing up to 23 different grants to youth organizations, worth approximately $280,000 USD total. The programming must be very rapid, with start-up, activities, and closeout completed by the end of November. Regular communication with each youth group is necessary to ensure that the work stays on track and is completed within the tight time frame available.
 
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
 

• General
  • Responsible for day-to-day administration of partners that may be engaged through grant or other contractual mechanisms under RTI policies and procedures, encompassing the solicitation phase through closure.
  • Monitor compliance with (a) award-specific requirements and (b) applicable regulations (2CFR200, 22 CFR 228, ADS 303, ADS 591, etc.) as incorporated in fund awards.
• Pre-Award
  • Create and issue Requests For Proposals (RFPs) with the input and oversight of the project team, including Chief of Party, Deputy Chiefs of Party, and RTI Office of Contracts.
  • Review and negotiate all grant applications and participate in evaluation committee, in coordination with others on the project team.
  • Coordinate and conduct compliance review(s) and pre-award surveys
  • Ensure that the grants package is complete and accurate and uploaded in GMS (Grants Management System).
  • Provide guidance to grantees on rules and regulations applicable to assistance instruments as well as program reporting
• Capacity Building
  • Using the information collected pre-award develop a monitoring plan for grantees
  • Provide capacity building training to local organizations which has been customized to meet the organization’s needs
  • Coordinate and facilitate any capacity building activities among the Technical teams or outside firms/consultants
  • Support partners to account for leverage
•  Post Award:
  •   Coordinate execution of award documents (pre-award authorizations, awards, modifications, etc.)
  • Maintain grant files including records on monitoring and evaluation and other quality control activities (financial, programmatic, proof of performance)
  •   Ensure compliance with award terms and conditions
  • Coordinate field activities and communication among grantees and USAID (e.g., legal, finance, status reporting, procurement)
  • As feasible, make routine site visits to ensure compliance and program objectives are met
  • Support technical staff to undertake visits to grantees, as feasible.
  • Work with communications to ensure there are photos and other media content to report on success stories and other updates from youth groups.
  • Review and process grantee invoices for compliance and coordination with Technical teams for performance measurement
  • Close-out completed grants and ensure audit trail for all necessary grant documentation
  • Facilitate the invoicing/deliverable review process with partners and subcontractors under the Tusome Activity
  • Track all deliverables, ensuring grantees stay up to date on their work, troubleshoot problems as they arise, and keep management apprised of the status of all youth grants.

Desired Skills and Experience

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree and 9 years of relevant experience in grants management/administration and international development projects, or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, International Relations, or related field with 12 years of relevant experience.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• A proven ability to identify high-potential business ideas, demonstrated experience working collaboratively with youth and/or institutional and private partners, and experience implementing activities designed to leverage private investments to support development goals
• At least 8 years relevant experience in grants management/administration and international development projects, preferably USAID-funded, or relevant work experience in projects supported by international organizations (UN, World Bank, IDB), preferably in Kenya or East Africa
• Strong background in management and administration, finance and accounting is highly desirable
• Demonstrated experience providing training and developing capacity building/sustainability plans for local organizations
• Solid knowledge of USAID and USG assistance-related regulations (2CFR200, 22 CFR 228, ADS 303, ADS 591)
• General knowledge of accounting principles and procedures
• Proficient in Microsoft Office package, especially Excel
• Excellent communication and people skills
• Functional fluency in English (both oral and written)