Small Grants Fund Administrator - Alinea International

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Alinea is an international development consultancy providing technical and management expertise that helps people improve their lives. We work with governments, investors, companies, and communities to create lasting changes. In 40 years, Alinea has successfully delivered more than 1000 projects worldwide. alineainternational.com

At Alinea International we value diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility and belonging in everything we do. We are an equal opportunity employer opposed to all forms of discrimination. We actively seek and encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds recognizing that an inclusive workforce enriches our organization and achieves smarter, more innovative results.

Alinea is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Due to the nature of our work, all candidates will be subject to due diligence checks and extensive background checks where appropriate.

Job Purpose

This opportunity is designed for a highly motivated and organized professional to join our team as a Grant Fund Administrator. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who is passionate about program management, stakeholder engagement, and making a meaningful impact through grant funding initiatives.

In this role, you will be responsible for the operational management and coordination of the Fund, ensuring that all activities are implemented efficiently and in compliance with established policies and procedures. Working closely with the Field Manager, project team, and relevant committees, you will play a key role in planning, coordinating, monitoring, and reporting on small grants fund activities.

• Project Name: United for Care-sensitive Approaches to Rights and Empowerment (UCARE)
• Location of Position Tamale, Ghana
• Reporting to: UCARE Project Director & Project Field Manager
• Remuneration: Salary and benefits will be offered according to the approved budget allocation for this position.
• Indicative LOE/Time Frame: Fixed-term contract for one (1) year, with the possibility of renewal based on performance, organizational needs, and funding availability.
• Citizenship: Ghanaian Citizen
• Language Requirements: English

UCARE Project Description

United for Care-Sensitive Approaches to Rights and Empowerment (UCARE) is a CAD $9.8 five-year project funded by Global Affairs Canada which will run from April 2024 – March 2029. The project seeks to enhance the well-being of women and adolescent girls in northern Ghana by redistributing and reducing the heavy, unequal and unfair burden of unpaid care and domestic work (UCW) they perform.

The UCARE project is implemented by Alinea International with local partner organizations SEND Ghana, NETRIGHT and their northern member women’s rights organizations (WROs), and with the participation of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the National Development and Planning Commission (NDPC) as well as national ministries, regional coordinating councils (RCCs) and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs). Alinea will manage the project and provide technical expertise in gender equality, institutional strengthening and capacity building, monitoring and evaluation systems, reporting and financial and contractual compliance. 

UCARE’s ultimate outcome (UO 1000) is Enhanced realization of women and adolescent girls' rights to equal distribution of domestic work and reduced burden of unpaid care in Northern Ghana.  It is supported by two inter-related intermediate outcomes INO 1100: Enhanced evidence-based, gender-responsive and care-sensitive policy and priorities by government stakeholders that recognizes, responds to and redistributes the burden of UCW on women and adolescent girls (W&AGs); and INO 1200: Improved agency and decision making of women and adolescent girls to exercise their rights related to recognized and valued unpaid care. UCARE seeks to contribute directly to the redistribution and reduction of UCW unequally borne by W&AGs in northern Ghana. 

The project operates within the Canadian Feminist International Assistance Policy and supports the objectives of the Government of Ghana in meeting its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 5.4

The project has successfully completed two years of implementation with remarkable results including the establishment of 18,000 Gender Model Families and the integration of UCW in the Medium-Term Development Plans of Municipal and District Assemblies in the 10 districts where the project operates. The third year will mark a significant step forward with the introduction and establishment of a small grants fund.

About the Fund

The UCARE Small Grants Fund has been established as a targeted grants mechanism to catalyze district-level investments in projects and services that reduce unpaid care burdens for women and adolescent girls in Northern Ghana. The Fund is intended to support clearly defined, procurement-ready project components through in-kind co-investment working with MMDAs. The Fund is linked to immediate outcome 1230 which seeks to improve women’s and adolescent girls’ access to labour- and time-saving technologies, products, services, and information.

Objectives of the Fund

The objective of the Fund is to support district-prioritized, care-reducing public or community-facing projects that can improve women’s and adolescent girls’ access to time- and labor-saving infrastructure, equipment, or services.

Secondary objectives include:

• Strengthening the integration of unpaid care work considerations into district planning and investment decisions;
• Leveraging complementary MMDA and partner contributions to expand the effective value of Fund support; and
• Generating practical examples of local public investments that reduce unpaid care burdens and can inform future UCARE learning and scale-up.

The fund will contribute to achieving the following results:

• Increased availability or improved functionality of selected public- or community-facing assets, services, or infrastructure that reduce unpaid care burdens;
• Improved access for women and adolescent girls to time- and labor-saving solutions;
• Reduced and/or redistributed time burden, drudgery, or access constraints associated with selected unpaid care tasks;
• Stronger MMDA ownership of care-related investments and clearer integration of unpaid care issues into district decision-making; and
• Strengthened documentation of co-investment and complementary contributions that may support broader program cost-share objectives.

The Role

The Grant Fund Administrator will be responsible for the operational management and coordination of the Fund. Working closely with the Field Manager, team and relevant committees, the Grant Fund Administrator will be responsible for effective planning, communicating, monitoring and reporting of the small grants fund activities. The Grant Fund Administrator will be responsible for implementing the Fund’s activities and processes in accordance with the Operations Manual. 

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Manage and coordinate all processes/steps to manage the Small Grant Fund as outlined in the Operations Manual 
• Manage and coordinate the implementation of all active grants approved 
• Prepare all materials including bidders’ packages, promotional materials and any other documents required to launch the Fund
• Laise with MMDAs and the project appraisal committee regarding progress for each grant is communicated between the MMDA and the project committees 
• Manage the dedicated Grant Fund email documenting all correspondence and issues according to the processes outlined in the Operations Manual
• Ensure the administration of the Small Grant Fund remains aligned with the UCARE program objectives, donor requirements, and Alinea internal controls
• Coordinate all Fund administration activities, organizing relevant appraisal committee reviews and scoring while maintaining all relevant minutes from meetings and reviews 
• Coordinate the provision of technical assistance to MMDAs as required
• Manage the documentation and maintenance of all records, ensuring complete records for each grant are complete and meet the requirements outlined in the Operations Manual 
• Serve as the primary point of contact for communication between UCARE and participating MMDAs
• Working closely with the Field Manager, document internal approvals and any changes agreed to during the various processes as they evolve 
• Working with the team, leading the co-creation process and negotiation with MMDAs following the direction of the appraisal committee;
• Liaise with procurement, finance, and program management functions as required to ensure the effective management of the Fund, including procurement
• Working closely with the M&E Specialist support grant monitoring, tracking and reporting
• Ensure issues of transparency, accountability, and audit readiness of the Grants are communicated effectively with the Field Manager and the Finance Team
• Working closely with the Field Manager to identify and escalate any emerging risk
• Coordinate closeout documentation and related reports effectively 

Required Skills or Experience

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Management, Procurement or related field 
• 5 years of direct work experience in Grant Fund Management in an NGO, private sector or development organisation 
• Proven process management skills and administrative/organisational skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Experience and knowledge of procurement processes with strong coordination and attention to detail 
• Understanding of the local governance system and how MMDAs function and operate
• Familiar with gender equality and social inclusion issues   
• Strong interpersonal, networking and teamwork skills 
• Strong computer literacy skills (Word, Excel) 

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