Grants Manager / Менеджер/ка з грантів

Background

Global Communities is implementing the Community-Led Emergency Action and Response (CLEAR) program with support from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) to respond to humanitarian needs in Ukraine. The program is designed with the goal of saving lives, reducing suffering, and addressing needs while supporting communities to lead their own response.

• Purpose 1: Provide gender-sensitive protection services while strengthening capacities of local protection actors to increase safety and well-being of 20,000 displaced and war-affected people.
• Purpose 2: Provide safe, habitable, and gender-sensitive shelter and settlements (S&S) solutions to 12,900 displaced and war-affected people, including improving access to suitable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, while strengthening the capacities of local actors.

CLEAR will focus on 20 communities Chernivtsi and Chernihiv Oblasts, to be selected jointly with our local partners and based on a rapid needs assessment conducted during co-creation. However, the emphasis will be on communities outside of major city centers that are underserved by the international response.

Since 2016, the Global Communities organization has been implementing the DOBRE Program in Ukraine (“Decentralization Offering better results and efficiency”, “DOBRE”), financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This program is designed to help TC leaders effectively manage resources, improve the quality of public services, and expand citizen participation in solving issues of local importance. During 2023-2025, DOBRE will continue to provide comprehensive assistance in support of local self-government to deepen democracy, improve conditions for the development of TC and promote stability in Ukraine. Over the next two years, DOBRE will provide direct technical support to 60 territorial partner communities in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, and Chernivtsi regions.

Position Description

The Grants Manager is responsible for managing subawards, including FAA, in accordance with donor’s and Global Communities policies and procedures. The Grants Manager is responsible for developing grant applications based on inputs developed by the CLEAR, DOBRE technical units responsible for engaging community stakeholders to design activities. The Grants Manager prepares, finalizes, and manages all grant timelines, deliverables, and budgets for a diverse portfolio of activities and grantees, including civil society organizations, local government units (in-kind), private businesses, among others. The Grants Manager manages of the full cycle of the grants making process, beginning with solicitations for subgrantees, pre-award assessments, monitoring actions, ensuring compliance with rules and regulations, analyzing the budgetary and financial aspects of subawards and payment of invoices, supporting close-out procedures, and maintaining audit-ready files for each award. The Grants Manager reports to the Director of Grants in Kyiv. 

Essential Duties

• Establish and manage the grant application, review and approval, documenting negotiation process for all prospective subawards, preparation of subgrant documents, administration, monitoring and close out processes and ensure compliance with Global Communities policies and procedures.
• Support the technical and program teams to develop grant activity descriptions, timelines, deliverables, and budgets and ensure proper allocation, reasonableness, and allowability.
• Oversees the assessment of administrative and financial capacity of grant applicants, including Pre-Award Financial Reviews.
• Ensure proper negotiation of the terms and conditions for grants, including community cost share, where appropriate and allowable.
• Work closely with the Program Directors, Director of Grants, Sr. Partnerships Manager, technical staff, and the operations and logistics unit to ensure smooth implementation and administration of grants and grants processes and reporting requirements.
• Work closely with the Sr. Partnerships Manager and the various CLEAR units to develop and implement capacity building opportunities for grantees, especially hands-on training and mentoring throughout implementation and grants management and reporting processes.
• Conducting kick-off meetings and training for sub/recipients related to sub-award/grants administration, terms and conditions of agreements, and applicable donor regulations;  
• Provide guidance on policies and procedures for projects staff as well as grantees to ensure adherence to grant management policies.
• Maintaining a tracker, complete and accurate files for all subawards.  
• Ensure and control complete backup documentation for payments to grantees is submitted to the finance unit.
• Assist and collaborate in external or internal audits as necessary.
• Supervise grants officers if required.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications / Skills

• Master’s Degree in economics, finance, business administration, public administration, management, or relevant field.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in USAID or other donor-funded programs in Ukraine required.
• At least two years of experience directly involving grants management, including standard, fixed amount awards, and/or in-kind grants preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills: ability to plan, prioritize, track files, and effectively manage information.
• English language proficiency.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively within fluid team frameworks, to collaborate with colleagues to achieve quality results on time.
• Clear willingness and ability to take initiative with minimal guidance.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to obtain, organize, analyze, evaluate, and present information and to organize and draft clear and concise factual and analytical reports.
• Computer literacy, minimally in word processing and spreadsheet development and manipulation, and preferably in presentation software consistent with the need to work independently.

Interested candidates are asked to send CVs and Cover letters to [email protected] as soon as possible, indicating position title in the subject line. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Position is open until filled.

Global Communities is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.