Grants Officer, West Africa - Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Reporting to the Associate Director of Grants and Contracts, the Grants Officer will work closely with Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone country offices to support their awards portfolios throughout the entire lifecycle. Responsibilities include reviewing and negotiating award agreements, compliance and financial monitoring, and contractual and financial reconciliation during award close-out. 

The Grants Officer will work closely with the country office staff to set up their grant codes in Salesforce and NetSuite and assist with post-award management.  The Grants Officer will ensure adherence to proper due diligence and sub-recipient monitoring requirements.

The Grants Officer will also play a key role in developing materials and facilitating training aimed at building the capacity of program and country staff in the area of compliance with grants and sub-award terms and conditions. Among other qualifications, the ideal candidate shall have:

a) Minimum of 5 years experience managing US government grants and/or contracts for international programs, preferably with at least one of those years in a compliance or finance role;

b) good command of the OMB Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards as well as multilateral institutions and foundations standard terms and conditions;

c) proven ability to work effectively with program teams and with a high degree of customer service orientation;

d) experience drafting clear and concise guidance documents and training materials; and

e) excellent spoken and written communication in French and English.

Responsibilities

• Guide West Africa staff and country offices on grants and subawards compliance issues related to US Government and sponsor rules and regulations, as well as IPA’s policies.
• Provide procedures and policy guidance and interpretation for program staffers as well as sub-grantees to ensure adherence to grant management procedures.
• Ensure post-award management following relevant regulations, including but not limited to reporting, audits, etc. following USAID and Program directives, policies, and procedures.
• Support the evaluation of grant applications, proposals, and awards to ensure adherence to grants management procedures.
• Liaise with subgrantees and relevant IPA teams to complete due diligence checks, negotiate subgrant agreements, and process amendments.
• Review grants and subaward expenditures and other financial analysis on a monthly/ quarterly basis as required.
• Supports the design and implementation of IPA grants database systems, workflow processes, and procedures related to procurement and sub-awards.
• Ensures sponsor prior approvals and other grants management record-keeping is filed and complete.
• Assists with financial inquiries and preparation for annual audit review

Qualifications

• At least five years’ experience working in a grants/contracts, sponsored research, or finance department.
• Bachelor’s degree in Management,  Business Administration, Finance or any related field.
• Knowledge of typical grant award/contractual documents such as grant agreements, subcontracts, modifications
• Experience with international, non-profit organizations (larger than $10M), as well as a multi-office, multi-national environment
• Written and spoken proficiency in French and English is a must
• Understanding and interpretation of OMB, CFR and US government regulations
• Experience with financial analysis, financial reporting, cash flow analysis, budget development and forecasting
• Proficiency in the use of financial software applications, databases, spreadsheets, including MS Office
• Team player with a positive attitude and ability to build strong working relationships.
• Excellent customer service skills (oral and written communication) in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to focus on technical work and ability to work on simultaneous projects
• Attention to detail, and excellent time management
• Experience with Salesforce and NetSuite is a plus/added advantage.