Grants Officer

Background

Founded in 1975, Chemonics International Inc. (Chemonics), is a US-based international development consulting company, operating in over 75 countries worldwide. Chemonics was recently awarded the five-year, $44.9 million USAID-funded Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project in Ethiopia.The purpose of this Activity will be to support accelerated access to safe, adequate, inclusive, and resilient WASH services targeting urban and peri-urban areas. The Activity will work to achieve this through four complementary objectives: 1) Enable and professionalize WASH service providers; 2) Foster markets for pro-poor and inclusive WASH services; 3) Strengthen WASH planning, budgeting, and service delivery oversight; and 4) Strengthen accountability among urban WASH sector actors.

Purpose

The Grants Officer will be responsible for supporting the Senior Grants/Subcontracts Manager in administration of technical subcontracts and the Grants Under Contract (GUC), ensuring compliance with USAID regulations relevant to GUC and adherence to Chemonics policies and procedures as stipulated in the Activitys grants manual. This position will report to the Senior Grants/Subcontracts Manager.

Responsibilities

• Assists in the design, development,and implementation ofthe Activitys grant-making and grants management policies, procedures, and practices, in coordination with theprogram services directorand other technical and support staff in concert with the Activitys grants manual.
• Lead in organizing the evaluation of subcontracts and grant concepts, proposals,and grant agreement/award documents to ensure adherence to established grants management policies and best practices.
• Ensure proper negotiation of the terms and conditions for subcontracts and grants (both cash and in-kind) and review and analyze budget estimates (for cash or in-kind grants) for allocability, reasonableness, and consistency.
• Provide guidance to potential grantees through formal training, coaching, and other support in line with our ethnical practices.
• Review draft budgets before they are approved and further flesh out budget notes to ensure clarity and auditable records.
• Ensure full compliance with all applicable USAID and Chemonics policies, practices and procedures in place for the Urban WASH activity, for all subcontracts and grant agreements including grant solicitation and selection procedures, grant awards, grant implementation, grant monitoring and evaluation and grant close-outs.
• Ensure the proper preparation and execution of subcontracts and grant documents and grant disbursements consistent and compliant with USAID and Chemonics requirements, procedures,and best practices. Documentation required includes negotiation memos, grant activity forms, required certifications and assurances,brandingand marking plans, and others.
• Work withother staff as appropriate to develop and provide additional training for grantees if and as needed, such as in budget development and program coordination.
• In coordination withtechnical staff, assess grantee capabilities related to activity implementation and advise them on how to enhance them.
• Analyze and assess budgetary and financial aspects of grant proposals, recipient financial management capacities and planning for implementation/procurement and cash disbursement needs for grants implementation throughout the life of the program.
• Clearly define any special conditions for grantee compliance and follow up on that compliance throughout each grant.
• Assemble subcontracts tracker and grantee tracker to include all subcontracts, grants, budgets, special conditions, deliverables, and timelines.
• Serve as an effective liaison between Activitystaff and grantees, provide grantees with technical advice and assistance related to grants administration, including financial documentation and management, procurement requirements and implementation planning.
• Works with relevant technical teams and leadership to help draft RFPs/RFQs/RFAs/APS aligned to the Activitys subcontracts and GUC criteria and programmatic parameters.
• Facilitates processes for subcontract and grantee selection, agreement negotiation, and reporting and coordinates with the finance and operations director to ensure timely disbursement of grant funding to recipients.
• Maintains complete and accurate subcontract and grants files in hard and soft copy.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Location of Assignment

• This position will be based in the projects Addis Ababa, Ethiopia office with some travel to the projects regional offices anticipated.

Qualifications

• BA/MA in business administration, finance, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Has 7 years of working experience in grant management of USAID and other donor funded projects
• Minimum of two years of experience in management of USAID-funded programs in Grant under Contract and Procurements.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, to prioritize multiple assignments in an extremely fast-paced environment, to meet deadlines, and to exercise good judgment that reflects positively on the Activity.
• Demonstrated high proficiency with Excel spreadsheet applicationsis required.
• Fluency in English. Professional working proficiency in Amharic strongly preferred.