Kenya and Madagascar: Regional Grants Manager

Aug 21, 2018 | Wildlife Conservation Society
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The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is an international conservation NGO headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City working to save wildlife and wild lands and to meet global conservation challenges in over 60 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. To support the regional programs in East & Southern Africa and Madagascar & Western Indian Ocean, WCS seeks a dynamic, well-organized, hard-working, and committed team player to oversee grant administration in the region. The Regional Grants Manager will continually assess the status of grant implementation in the Regional Programs. This position reports to the Regional Business Manager, with a dotted line of responsibility to the Director of Grants and Contracts Management. This position will liaise closely with country program staff and the country office finance/administrative staff. There will be some travel to WCS country offices within the region, and to WCS headquarters in New York (NY). The East & Southern Africa and Madagascar & Western Indian Ocean Regional Programs have country offices in the Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Oversee the administration and finances of grants in the region.
  • Review country and regional-level grant and contract proposal budgets, ensuring that the budgets cover costs and contribute to strengthening the Country and Regional Programs, working closing with the country office Finance Directors, noting that in some cases the Grants Manager will lead budget development; that budgets are in line with long-term financial plans for the Country and Regional Program; and that budgets comply with WCS policies and undergo appropriate reviews.
  • Working with relevant NY and Regional departments, ensure that grant proposal budgets are reviewed and approved in accordance with WCS signature authority policy.
  • Review all grant agreements and contracts within the regions and work with NY and Regional departments that are involved in the grant making process, such as fundraising, legal and finance, to support negotiation and final signature.
  • Prepare sub-agreements and regional sub grants, using the applicable template for the donor.
  • Working with sub grant manager in NY provide, support in the assessment and monitoring of sub grantees. Coordinate sub grant compliance in the regions.
  • Ensure regional grant administration is on track and support country-level grant administration.
  • Responsible for tracking compliance to donor requirements with the assistance of NY-based compliance managers. This will include financial, human resources and procurement regulations, visibility and branding, etc., from proposal through grant close out.
  • Prepare financial reports for regional grants, and review those completed by country offices which includes verifying the reports to the WCS Financial System.
  • Support grant audits in coordination with NY Finance and the Regional Controller, which can include working with the external auditors.
  • Support Country Programs in understanding WCS grant management processes, systems, tools and donor compliance requirements.
  • Engage as part of the WCS grants management team by collaborating with NY compliance managers and grants managers from other WCS regions, sharing and drawing from lessons learned.
  • Following up with country office to ensure effort reports are on time and costs are properly allocated.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The successful candidate must have excellent written and oral communication skills and be comfortable participating both as an effective contributor, leader and listener in group settings. 

S/He must be well organized, self-motivated, resourceful, effective and efficient at coordinating multiple resources to get things done, with strong attention to detail; can work on multiple tasks at multiple levels and switch between them; can foresee and plan around obstacles.

  • Bachelor degree required. Related program of study such as finance, accounting, or business required.
  • Proven grant and financial management experience in an international organization (3+ years) in a multi-funder and multi-currency environment required.
  • Experience in managing substantial (>USD 1million) USAID, EU and/or other bilateral/multilateral grants required
  • Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse team. Must be solution-oriented, and have strong problem solving and analytical skills.
  • English fluency required and a strong working knowledge of French language preferred. Competency in Portuguese is a plus. 
  • Excellent computer and systems skills required with respect to MS Office applications (advanced skills in MS Excel required) and major financial accounting and reporting software (SAP or equivalent)
  • Ability to work and live in challenging environments

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply by sending an application letter and CV together with the names and contact information of three references to: africaapplications@wcs.org. Please include “ESA & MWIO Regional Grants Manager” in the subject line of your email. 

Candidates must also apply online via the WCS career portal at: http://www.wcs.org/about-us/careers  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews. The job will be filled when a suitable applicant is found, so interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, and before 6 September 2018.