Grants Manager – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Objective:

The Grants Manager, under the direct supervision of the Country director, and in close collaboration with Programme Director and Operation Director, coordinates proposal development from identification to submission stages, in line with donors’ rules and regulations; collaborates actively on grant writing processes; ensures grants monitoring and reporting’s planning, coordination and quality in a timely manner, including active backstopping in report writing; assists Country Director and Programme Director in identifying funding opportunities and donor intelligence as well as fundraising and positioning the organisation vis-à-vis donors; provide technical training and backstopping to field teams and local partners, to ensure fulfilment of the donors’ requirements. Acts as Focal point for HQ as well as for National Office team, for all grants-related aspects.

Responsibilities:

Project implementation

• Ensure development, update and implementation of internal technical and financial monitoring tools, including respective monthly submission to headquarters and regular orientation sessions to team and partners to ensure quality and timely compliance to internal procedures
• Ensure systematic technical training and backstopping to field teams and partners for every grant, at the beginning of every project, for all new staffs and when gaps are identified along the implementation
• Participate in project implementation, to ensure strong, consistent and permanent alignment donor’s rules and regulations
• Participate in field visits, collect information regarding donor and organisational compliance and provide direct support to implementing teams if gaps are identified.
• Plan, inform and coordinate project reporting calendar, modalities etc. for all financial and narrative internal and external reports.
• Actively support internal and external project reporting writing to ensure quality and timely submission
• Prepare communication with donors and project partners such as requests for no-cost extension and similar.
• Update database of the implemented projects and the archives with project documentation as per the established knowledge management structure.
• Support external audits and other external exercises such as mid-term and final evaluations.
• Act as the focal point regarding project implementation in the country programme for the headquarters.
• Build the capacity of AeA and partner staff on donor compliance, proposal development, and reporting requirements.

Proposal development:

• In charge of coordinating the whole proposal development process at country and headquarters levels
• Coordinate project design processes, including support during field needs assessments, budgeting and completion of documentation in line with specific calls for proposals.
• Actively participate to grant writing process, including overall technical backstopping and rewriting if needed, to ensure strong alignment to donors’ priorities, rules and regulations, and ensure autonomous writing for specific sections.
• Ensure all proposal supportive documents are identified, communicated to field team, and gathered in quality and timely manner.
• Lead coordination with prospective project partners during the formulation process, including coordinating work with consultants, local partners and other stakeholders, in coordination with Programme Director and Country Director.
• Regularly update the database with new proposals planned to be submitted or submitted to donors (Octavia) and provide updates on donor communication to the country Senior Management Team.
• Act as the focal point for proposal formulation for the headquarters.

Fundraising and positioning:

• In collaboration with Country Director and Programme Director, identification, scanning and mapping of new funding opportunities and mechanisms, and respective updates to the country Senior Management Team for final decision-making.
• Coordinate with the headquarters to identify potential new donors or funding opportunities relevant for the country programme.
• Support Country Director in managing the country office communication and positioning strategy, including formulating positioning products, and assist in their dissemination to relevant audiences.

Perform additional tasks requested by immediate supervisor