Grants Manager

***Only candidates with the relevant right to work will be considered*** 

KEY INFORMATION
Job Title: Grants Manager
Sector: Governance and Economic Reform
Position Type: Full-time
Duration/Level of Effort: Full-time until September 2025.
Position Location: Ramallah with travel to the field expected.
   
BACKGROUND
Tasdeer is a Trade Facilitation and Customs Support programme (2020-2025; £15m) funded by  UK Aid from the British Government and implemented by a consortium led by Cowater International.

Our objective is to improve the Palestinian private sector’s competitiveness and Palestinian Authority (PA) capacity in trade, customs and import policy regulation and administration. We aim to increase sustainable private sector-led economic growth and job creation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, supporting the PA’s fiscal sustainability while promoting equitable access to the benefits of increased trade and improved institutional capacity.    

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION
Tasdeer is looking for a Grants Manager. The Grants Manager, based in Ramallah will be responsible for overseeing grants disbursement and management, including adherence to policies, procedures, and practices as described in the Grants Manual for Gaza and the West Bank. This will include managing the grantee pipeline, preparing grant agreements, monitoring and forecasting grantee expenditure, reviewing grants payment requests, Due Diligence, and record keeping. In general, the Grants Manager is responsible for ensuring grantee implementation is on-track, and ensuring new grantee implementation timelines are realistic.

The role will be expected to support Tasdeer procurements, and candidates with procurement experience are preferred.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Grants Manager’s duties are expected to include: 

1. Implement the Grants Manual, managing and overseeing the grants implementation activities to ensure compliance with the applicable laws, regulations Tasdeer programme policies and procedures.
2. Propose updates to grants processes for new and existing windows, for review by the Project Manager.
3. Identify issues related to grant, grant subcontracts and programme implementation in a timely manner and propose appropriate programme adjustments.
4. Be accountable and responsible for documentation at every stage of the grants award and disbursement processes, including maintaining records for minutes of meetings, securing and countersigning approval and award documents, conducting and quality assuring Due Diligence and related activities (as per the Grants Manual).
5. Draft the grant agreements and grant amendments and ensure it is arithmetically accurate and in line with the programme policies.
6. Implement the Grant Manual and where necessary propose changes required to improve compliance and/or operational efficiencies.
7. Monitor progress against each activity or milestone in the grant agreements. Work with grantees, anticipating possible delays to get implementation back on track.
8. Work with the WS3 Lead and Business Advisors to progress concepts through the grant award process, as well as through their implementation milestones in workplans.
9. Maintain the master grants management trackers, including pipeline and implementation.
10. Monitor and control grant expenditures assigned to activities against the approved budgets.
11. Review disbursement requests and supporting documents, and ensure the requests are compliant with the Grants Manual.
12. Following the thorough review of the payment requests and supporting documents, sign the payment request, submit it for approval and finance and operations for processing the payment.
13. Conduct period reconciliation of disbursements against approved budgets and the actual payments processed by finance and operations. Identify issues and take timely and necessary actions to rectify the irregularities.
14. Prepare accurate forecasts for the grants management workstream and present them to Project Management
15. Be the focal point for Due Diligence of grantees at every stage of the grant cycle, supporting the finance and operations lead in conducting due diligence for the selection of applicants.
16. Maintain a list of approved and rejected applicants.
17. Ensure comprehensive grant files are up to date and available for audit at any time.
18. Ensure that grants reports are prepared in compliance with requirements specified by the programme management and/or the client and are submitted on time and in the proper format.
19. Prepare quarterly reports in collaboration with the Project Manager.
20. Assist the Project Manager and project team in budget preparation where necessary.
21. Liaise with internal and external auditors and follow up any audit queries/management letters.
22. Periodically visit grantees' sites with the programme teams to observe the progress in the activities stated in the grant agreements.
23. Support Tasdeer with non-grant/general programme procurements as needed.
24. Support to the Workstream 3, Finance and Operations Lead/Project Manager, and collaboration with the Business Advisor on other tasks as required.

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JOB REQUIREMENTS 

• Experience working with grants is required. Demonstrated grants financial reporting skills required.
• Experience of working in procurement is preferred.
• Seven years of experience in grants or more is preferred, particularly with FCDO. Candidates of all experience levels are encouraged to apply.
• Strong verbal and written communication in Arabic and English are required.

 GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE AND DUTY STATION

Ramallah with travel to the field expected.

APPLICATION PROCESS 
Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible via this job advert and/or [email protected], or by Sunday 14th January 2024. 

Candidates must submit the following to be considered:

• A full CV
• A cover letter (two page limit, A4) which explains their suitability for the role.

For your application to be considered, please upload your documents as follows: Candidate Last Name, First Name, date, Title of the Position. 

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.
   
We thank all applicants, however only those shortlisted will be contacted.

ABOUT US
With more than 35 years’ experience, Cowater International is Canada’s global leader in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec; London, United Kingdom; Nairobi, Kenya; and Brussels, Belgium, in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.