Open Roles at World University Service of Canada

The DREEM Grants Officer, Pan-Africa – RLOs is an RLO focused support to ensure effective administration and monitoring of the DREEM Sub-grants, an initiative funded by the Mastercard Foundation. This role also provides operational and technical support to the DREEM Senior Manager, Pan-African in overseeing the full cycle of the DREEM Sub-Award ensuring adherence to contractual, legal, donor and financial regulations. This includes grant reporting, budget monitoring, subgrantee oversight and lead audit preparation to ensure accountability

Key Responsibilities

Grant Management and Administration Support

• Assist in the end-to-end process of handling funding from application to post close out ensuring compliance with regulations, strategic use of funds and achievement of project goals.
• Overseeing activities through progress reports, site visits and expenditure verification to ensure adherence to donor regulations.
• Conducting due diligence assessments of potential partners.
• Filling of key grantee financial documents

RLO Capacity Development and Performance Monitoring.

• Training of staff and partners on donor compliance, rules and regulations.
• Tracking progress and deliverables of RLOs.
• Site visits, desktop/online support and technical assistance to RLOs.
• Develop and implement a grantee performance measurement/assessment tool.
• In collaboration with Grants, Finance and the program team, organize quarterly review/assessment meetings with RLOs.

RLO Financial Reporting and Payments.

• Manage the flow of funds (disbursements) to RLOs and verifying reports to ensure eligible costs are properly documented.
• Prepare inhouse reports, updates, schedules, as required for projections, planning and decision making.
• Support the preparation, reviews and tracking of grantee budgets.
• Coordinate Joint Review and Sign-off of RLO financial and narrative reports.

RLO Compliance, Audits and Risk Management

• Facilitate compliance review meetings, refresher workshops, etc. to foster compliance to donor rules and regulations.
• Conduct spot checks, verifications, visits, reviews of RLO activities and reports.
• Conducting due diligence assessments of potential partners.
• Risk profiling of RLOs by identifying, evaluating and developing risk mitigation strategies.
• Facilitate RLO Audits, both internal and external

Qualifications & Competencies

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Commerce, Business Administration, Project Management, Development Studies, or related fields.
• Over 5 years of experience in Finance & Grant management / Audit & Compliance Management for donor funded programs/projects.
• Familiarity with donor regulations and regulations
• Demonstrated experience in providing coaching and mentoring support to subgrantees on compliance.
• Microsoft Excel expert with strong knowledge of accounting software (e.g., Sage). Previous experience with NetSuite a desirable asset;
• Fluent in English, French Language skills preferred
• Strong organizational skills, with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.

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The DREEM Finance and Grants Assistant, Pan-Africa will support the projects RLO/ financial operations and compliance. This includes supporting RLO Administration and Management, by processing payments, tracking expenditures and managing grant documentation. This includes maintaining accurate records, preparing grants/finance summaries, monitoring RLO budgets and ensuring compliance to both donor and organization policies.

Key Responsibilities

RLO Management & Administration: 

• Assist in preparing and processing RLO proposals, budgets and agreements.
• Assist in coordinating / reviewing RLO financial deliverables ensuring compliance with Mastercard Foundation and WUSC
• Support the preparation of internal RLO related reports.
• Serve as a point of contact for RLOs, answering inquiries regarding applications during RFPs.

Grants and Finance Hard and Soft Copy Record Management: 

• Develop and maintain a unified system records management system for both hard and soft copy centralised physical and digital documents using consistent naming conventions, strict access and controls and secure data back ups to ensure absolute transparency and audit readiness.

Budget Support: 

• Aids in tracking budget lines, reconciling expenditures, and identifying discrepancies in financial RLO reports.
• Assist in drafting project budgets, proposal financial inputs, and budget revisions.

Coordination Support: 

• Focal point in liaising Finance, Grants and Programs team activities, meetings etc for alignment, planning, etc

Note: This job description is intended to outline the general scope and level of responsibilities for the role. As the DREEM programme evolves, duties and priorities may be adjusted in line with programme needs, donor requirements, and team structure, provided they remain consistent with the role’s purpose and level.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience: 2–4 years of professional experience in accounting, finance,grants management or related fields. Experience with donor-funded projects is highly desirable.
• Professional Certification: Partial or full certification in CPA (Certified Public Accountant) or ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel (pivot tables, formulas), and computerized accounting software.
• Competencies: Strong numerical skills, meticulous attention to detail, high integrity, and the ability to handle confidential information

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Role Description:

• Provide technical and operational support across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment coordination, onboarding, contract administration, HR records, and offboarding.
• Ensure HR and administrative processes are applied consistently, fairly, and in line with applicable policies, donor requirements, and local labour requirements.
• Work closely with the Operations lead, Program Leads, Finance, Procurement, and other functional teams to identify operational gaps and support practical solutions.
• Contribute to a positive, inclusive, safe, and well-organized work environment that enables teams to deliver effectively.

Responsibilities

People and Culture Support

• Coordinate and support recruitment, onboarding, staff documentation, contract tracking, and offboarding processes.
• Support the consistent application of HR policies, procedures, and templates across staff and consultants.
• Maintain accurate employee and consultant records, ensuring documentation is complete, up to date, and audit-ready.
• Support safeguarding-related HR processes, including documentation, acknowledgements, onboarding requirements, and follow-up tracking.
• Provide first-level guidance to staff and managers on routine HR and administrative processes, escalating complex issues as required.

HR Compliance and Documentation

• Support the preparation, review, and tracking of employment contracts, consultancy agreements, amendments, and related HR documentation.
• Help monitor compliance with internal policies, donor requirements, and applicable country-level labour requirements.
• Maintain organized HR files and data systems in line with confidentiality and data protection expectations.
• Support audit preparation by ensuring HR and administrative records are complete, accurate, and accessible.
• Flag potential HR, contracting, or compliance risks to the Operation lead for review and action.

Administration, Facilities, and Workplace Support

• Support the coordination of office administration, facilities, logistics, and workplace arrangements.
• Help maintain safe, inclusive, and functional office environments across assigned locations.
• Support workplace safety checks, emergency preparedness processes, and duty-of-care documentation.
• Coordinate administrative workflows to reduce delays and improve service delivery to project teams.
• Liaise with vendors, service providers, and internal teams to support smooth office operations.

Process Improvement and Team Support

• Identify gaps or inefficiencies in HR and administrative workflows and propose practical improvements.
• Support the implementation of tools, templates, trackers, and standard operating procedures.
• Work collaboratively with Operations, Finance, Procurement, and Program teams to resolve routine operational bottlenecks.
• Provide technical guidance and day-to-day support to officers and coordinators where relevant, without carrying full line-management responsibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred;
• 7+ years of progressive experience in HR and office operations, preferably within the international development sector and multi-country programs;
• In-depth knowledge of regional labor laws, HR best practices, and donor compliance standards;
• Proven experience providing operational supervision in cross-cultural and multi-country contexts;
• Exceptional writing, negotiation, and communication skills in English; professional proficiency in French is a strong asset;
• Strong planning, organizational, and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to work independently and collaboratively in fast-paced environments;
• Commitment to WUSC’s mission of supporting displaced and refugee youth, ensuring programs are delivered effectively, ethically, and transparently;
• Membership in a recognized national or regional HR or professional management association is a strong asset.