Grants and Compliance Manager, Ghana APY Program - TechnoServe

TechnoServe seeks an experienced Grants and Compliance Manager for an anticipated APY Program in Ghana. The Grants Manager will manage the administration of grants and the related procurement processes. S/he will lead the design of a Grants Manual and develop criteria for recipients of grants. S/he will also monitor the performance of sub-awardees and compliance, including conducting monitoring visits. The Manager will provide technical assistance to sub-awardees to support their compliance, capacity building, and optimal performance.

Program Overview: 

Agriculture Productivity and Youth Program (APY) is a donor-funded program to improve the well-being and resilience of young women and men as a result of strengthened producers, processors, and agribusinesses in Agriculture & Adjacent Sectors. The program will implement a market systems facilitation approach that will leverage private sector actors to achieve more sustainable impacts.

Program outcomes include a) Increased productivity of value chain actors in agriculture and adjacent sectors; b) Improved policy implementation to support growth in the relevant sectors; and c) Shift in mindset and fulfilment of youth towards employment and entrepreneurship in the sectors and rural futures.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Provide oversight of the entire life of an award from pre-award to close out, focusing on regulatory compliance, assessment, and mitigation of business risk.Produce a Grants Manual that aligns with the needs of the project
• In alignment with donor expectations, prepare contracts and grant agreements, modifications, and extensions for the project
• Review, analyze and provide advice on contract rules and regulations to sub-awardeesServe on technical evaluation committees for sub-award solicitations.
• Ensure the efficient and effective administration of sub-awards to grantees.
• Ensure regular contact with Agreements Management and Finance on any issues surrounding in-country grants management processes and procedures;
• Implement and monitor systems and procedures related to internal risk management and sub-grant compliance to contracts
• Mentor and supervise staff engaged in the activities noted here.
• Provide technical assistance to TechnoServe grantees on administrative policies and procedures for grants management
• Conduct investigations to resolve contractual issues/problems/disputes arising from grants and making recommendations for resolution.
• Maintain current knowledge of donor rules and regulations

Basic Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Law or another relevant field with 7 years of experience in experience in grants or contracts management for a large-scale, complex international development assistance program (or a Master’s degree with 5 years of experience).
• Proven experience making recommendations on the scope, duration and amount of grants.
• Prior work experience in countries in Western Africa. Experience working in Ghana is strongly preferred.
• Experience overseeing a diverse team of grants and compliance professionals on a large and complex donor-funded project

Preferred Qualifications:

Additional qualifications that would make a candidate more desirable. We seek candidates who bring experience with:

• Experience in a grant management role for a program using a market systems development approach.

Required Languages: Fluency in English with excellent oral and written communication skills required.

Travel: Limited travel (up to 20%) to field offices and project sites

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to analyze grantee reports for compliance and make recommendations to strengthen performance.
• Knowledge of diverse donor grant regulations would be beneficial.
• Strong project management skills including the ability to anticipate demand and manage multiple tasks and projects while meeting tight deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills and good computer skills in business software (Excel, MS Project, and PowerPoint).
• Understanding of capacities and constraints of smallholder farming and agribusiness development.
• Strong private sector market orientation, entrepreneurial and innovative thinker.
• Results-oriented, with demonstrated experience achieving project targets.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills.
• Detail orientation, including strong organizational, analytical and quantitative skills.
• Proven ability to prioritize and manage a high-volume workflow, with minimal supervision.
• Proven team player with strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills.
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other administrative applications.

Supervisory Responsibilities – Typically, 3 to 5 mid-level staff including procurement and compliance specialists. Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams is desired.