PURPOSE:
The Grants and Compliance Officer will support the effective management of donor grants and sub-grants, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, organizational policies, and applicable regulations. The role will provide grants administration, donor reporting coordination, budget monitoring, partner capacity strengthening, compliance oversight, and grants information management across COVAW's portfolio.
The position plays a critical role in ensuring that project implementation, financial management, reporting, and partner engagement meet the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and stewardship.
Key Responsibilities
Grants Management and Compliance
Coordinate the administration of donor-funded grants throughout the grant lifecycle, from award to close-out.
Maintain an up-to-date grants management system, including grant agreements, reporting schedules, compliance requirements, and key deliverables.
Track donor reporting deadlines and coordinate timely submission of narrative and financial reports.
Review grant agreements and donor contracts and advise project teams on compliance requirements.
Ensure adherence to donor regulations, COVAW policies, procurement procedures, safeguarding standards, and contractual obligations.
Monitor grant implementation against approved work plans, budgets, and donor commitments.
Sub-Grant and Partner Management
Coordinate sub-grant management processes for partner organizations, including CBOs, networks, coalitions, and implementing partners.
Support partner due diligence, organizational capacity assessments, and risk assessments.
Prepare sub-grant agreements and monitor compliance with contractual obligations.
Review partner budgets, work plans, financial reports, and supporting documentation.
Conduct regular monitoring visits to partner organizations and document findings.
Support the development and implementation of partner capacity-strengthening plans in grants management, financial management, compliance, procurement, and reporting.
Budget Monitoring and Financial Oversight
Work closely with Finance and Program teams to monitor grant expenditure and budget utilization.
Ensure expenditure is aligned with donor-approved budgets and grant agreements.
Review budget modification requests and support donor approval processes where necessary.
Maintain accurate grant records and supporting documentation for audits and donor reviews.
Donor Reporting and Documentation
Coordinate the preparation and consolidation of donor narrative and financial reports.
Ensure reports meet donor requirements, quality standards, and submission timelines.
Support documentation of project achievements, lessons learned, success stories, and best practices.
Maintain a central repository for grant documents, reports, contracts, amendments, and correspondence.
Support donor communications and information requests.
Audit, Risk Management and Internal Controls
Support internal and external audits of donor-funded projects.
Ensure audit recommendations are implemented and tracked.
Conduct compliance reviews and spot checks on grants and partner expenditures.
Identify potential grant management risks and recommend mitigation measures.
Support organizational efforts to strengthen internal controls and compliance systems.
Resource Mobilization Support
Support proposal development processes through budget preparation, donor compliance reviews, and grants input.
Contribute to donor mapping and funding opportunity tracking.
Support development of grant management tools, templates, and standard operating procedures.
Participate in project design discussions to ensure donor compliance and operational feasibility.
Safeguarding and Feminist Accountability
Promote compliance with COVAW safeguarding, anti-fraud, anti-corruption, and protection policies.
Support partners to integrate safeguarding and accountability mechanisms within project implementation.
Ensure grants management processes reflect feminist principles, inclusion, accountability, and partnership.
Required Qualifications , Competencies and Experience
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Project Management, Development Studies, or a related field.
CPA (K), ACCA, or equivalent professional qualification is an added advantage.
Experience
Minimum of five (5) years' experience in grants management within an NGO or donor-funded environment.
Experience managing sub-grants and partnerships with community-based organizations and civil society organizations.
Previous experience with a grants management system preferred.
Experience developing manuals and tools for grant and sub-grant management.
Substantive experience working in the NGO sector, dealing with multiple donor funds, and meeting different donor reporting requirements.
Competencies
Technical Competencies
Grant management and donor compliance.
Proposal budgeting and donor reporting.
Risk management and internal controls.
Partner capacity strengthening.
Core Competencies
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
High level of integrity and accountability.
Strong organizational and time management skills.
Ability to manage multiple grants and deadlines simultaneously.
Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
Commitment to gender equality, women's rights, and feminist principles.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Timely submission of 100% donor reports.
Compliance issues identified and resolved within agreed timelines.
Successful management of all partner sub-grants.
Improved partner compliance and reporting quality.
Accurate grant tracking and budget utilization monitoring.