Grants Officer, Littorals Regional Initiative (LRI)

Job Description

Creative Associates International Inc. is a dynamic and fast-growing professional services firm that specializes in international development in the areas of education, democratic transitions and stabilization in post-conflict environments. Based in Washington, DC, the firm has a field presence in 30 countries worldwide with a strong and diverse portfolio that includes global contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other clients including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense. The firm has earned a solid reputation among its clients and missions worldwide and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.

OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative (LRI) program is able to provide support to local counterparts across specific West African coastal states to withstand the increasing pressures of VEOs by addressing instability factors including: localized conflict, ethno-religious marginalization, lack of understanding of the VEO threat, local grievances against governance structures, and weak social cohesion. LRI complements the broader USAID presence in the region by providing short-term, targeted programming that reduces windows for VEO expansion and helps national governments and local communities build prevention capacity.

The Grants Officer will ensure effective and efficient management of grants administration and design flexible, innovative, and rapid-response mechanisms to target key zones. S/he will also ensure that the Grant Management and administration function is always in compliance with Creative and USAID’s policies and procedures; and will work towards capacity building of grant recipients as well as the other staff members in the area of grants management.

Location Note: This position is based in Tamale, Northern Ghana.

The Grants Officer reports to the Senior Grants Manager.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Activity Development

Contribute actively to internal discussions on programmatic strategy and activity ideas.
Conduct research and outreach to identify potential partners, consultants and grantees for the program.
Support the Senior Grants Manager in developing targeted scopes of work and solicitations (Requests for Applications, Annual Program Statements.).
Work in close collaboration with the Senior Program Development Officer and Grantees on the development of activity Implementation Plans and Budgets.
Conduct on-site grantee capacity assessments, including reviews of financial and administrative systems.
For each activity under development, ensure that the activity background, implementation plan, budget, and monitoring & evaluation plan are coherent and consistent.

Activity Implementation

Ensure compliance with Creative’s grants policies as detailed in the Field Manual and the program’s Activity Manual Addendum (Grants Manual).
Update and maintain grants files in Creative’s grants management system, SharePoint, as well as the USAID/OTI online database.
Mainly regular contact with LRI grantees under the grants officer’s portfolio, at a minimum through a weekly call.
Work with the Snr. Grants Manager in drafting Grant Agreements and related grant management documents (negotiation memorandum, environmental compliance forms, etc.) according to Creative’s policies and procedures.
Conduct ad hoc activity site visits to understand how grantees are implementing their award. Write concise activity notes documenting such visits.
Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team and Snr. Grants Manager to ensure that activity notes have been uploaded to the USAID/OTI database on a weekly basis.
Facilitate grant kick-off meetings, coordinating with finance, procurement, and program staff.
Ensure quality control and the integrity of the data in Creative’s and USAID/OTI online grants databases and ensures that the data in the system is always up to date.
Monitor activity budget and timelines, coordinating with the Programs, Procurement and Finance departments to ensure activity-level spending is on track and provide quality control on any required modifications. Maintain a budget tracker for each activity, updating them on a bi-weekly basis in close collaboration with Finance staff.
Participate in grants regional department weekly meeting and provide updates for the site

Activity Close-out

Conduct a financial reconciliation of the activity budget in partnership with Procurement and Finance staff and advise the Senior Grants Manager funds need to be de-obligated.
Conduct final review of the grant files including media files (photos, videos) and ensure they have been uploaded to Creative’s grants management system (SMART), SharePoint as well as the USAID/OTI online database.

Teamwork and Relationship Management

Work in close collaboration with Senior Program Development Officer, the Procurement & Logistics Officer and the Finance Officer.
Function as part of a larger, multi-lingual program team operating across Benin, Togo, and Ghana, sharing experience and learning from the experiences of others.
Present activity updates directly to USAID/OTI during weekly meetings; prepare Powerpoint slides documenting the latest activity updates.
Assist the SGM to provide guidance and interpretation for program staff as well as grantees of Creative’s grants policies and procedures and USG regulation.
Assist the SGM to provide training and support in grants compliance to Creative staff.
Other duties as required from the Senior Grants Manager (SGM).

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or professional accounting/financial qualification required.
Minimum of 4 years working experience with three (3) years professional experience working in complex and challenging field operational contexts.
Minimum one (1) year working on an international donor program with a grant component. Previous USAID grant experience strongly preferred.
Competence in computers and using financial software.
Understanding of budget and cost control management.
Excellent written and spoken English skills.
Must be willing to be based in Tamale, Northern Ghana.
Proficiency in languages spoken in Northern Ghana desired.
French language proficiency is desired but not required.
Must have existing work authorization for Ghana.