Grants and Compliance Manager

Position Overview:

The Grants and Compliance Manager (GCM) for the DRC Country Office is primarily responsible for grant management for the MobileAid for IDPs in DRC Project, funded by BHA-USAID, we also have another USAID funded project in the pipeline which would also fall under this role. This role encompasses the comprehensive compliance support and oversight across the entire project lifecycle, spanning project start up, execution, monitoring, and reporting. The individual in this position will assume the central role in addressing compliance considerations across various domains, including finance, procurement, HR, and operations. As a recently instituted role, this position will engage in close collaboration with the global grants management, contracts, and compliance teams to bolster local policies, streamline processes, and enhance systems, ensuring alignment with organizational protocols and donors’ prerequisites. Reporting to the Country Director DRC and receiving technical guidance from the Senior Manager Compliance and Grants Management in the US, this position will collaborate across all functions of the country program. 

The GCM will be a resource person on donors’ regulations, sharing expertise and oversight throughout the country office. This will include training and developing capacities within the country team, reviewing and amending policies and processes to ensure compliance, designing and carrying out internal checks and the associated reviews, coordinating and writing donor reports, and contributing to the concept notes and proposals.The GCM will act as a key resource in DRC to ensure that grants are being implemented in line with donor compliance rules and regulations. As needed, the Grants and Compliance Manager will assist the CD with liaison across the internal audit and payments verification functions, reinforcing vigilance over programmatic activities and financial matters, as well as the prevention of potential irregularities.              

Responsibilities:

Policies and processes:

Collaborate closely with global grants management, contracts, and compliance teams to develop, enhance, and implement local policies, processes, and systems that align with organizational standards and meet donor expectations.:

• Improve the way in which current processes and procedures are implemented and documented in order to increase compliance.
• Where required, work with the Country Director and Global compliance team to draft new policies and procedures.
• Ensure comprehensive  records and documentation in country across departments in order to meet USAID audit requirements

Internal checks and audits:  

Liaise with internal audit and payments verification teams to facilitate regular monitoring of project activities and finances, proactively identifying and mitigating potential instances of misconduct or non-compliance.:

• Provide a structured coordination across various teams for regular checks to be made and documented by the Country Director, Programme Director (SM Progs), Finance Manager and the global risk and compliance staff. 
• Extensively collaborate with the relevant staff to plan and prepare for audits.Provide support and input to external or internal audits carried out on the DRC office.
• Gather documents and provide information to the internal and external auditors. As directed by the DRC Country Director, assist with the programmatic, operational, and financial investigations.
• Document findings from the internal checks and observations after the internal and external audits. Collaborate with the global risk and compliance staff to systematically act on the areas of improvement.
• Provide comprehensive guidance and support to the DRC staff to improve any gaps and vulnerabilities in the internal controls. 

Grants Management and Compliance:

Oversee all aspects of grants management and compliance, including assistance with the smooth implementation oversight of the MobileAid for IDPs in DRC Project. 

• Guide the lifecycle of awards, from the project start up to its closure, ensuring compliance with organizational policies, USAID regulations, and donor requirements.
• Provide clear check lists to the project implementation, HR, procurement and finance staff to ensure effective donor compliance.
• Travel to field offices to ensure that operations are running in a manner that is compliant and audit-ready.
• Provide support to the Programme Director (SM Programmes) to ensure that projects are running to time and to budget and act as a thought partner to Senior Management concerning action to be taken when there are delays or issues.
• Maintain accurate and organized records of grant-related documents, compliance activities, and correspondence regarding donor regulations waivers and the associated approvals. 

Training and capacity development: 

The GCM will be responsible for building capacity across departments in the DRC country office so that all staff understand the compliance rules and requirements for the in country donors:

• Provide comprehensive guidance on donors regulations to the finance, procurement, HR, and operations staff, fostering a culture of comprehensive adherence to established protocols and regulations.
• Provide training and accompaniment to department heads and other staff as needed from time to time, in particular, assisting the USAID/BHA staff on all matters of compliance. 
• Induct new staff explaining to them the requirements of current donors relevant to their roles.
• Collaborate with the global grants, contracts, risk and compliance staff and identify innovative ways to grow the capacity of the DRC country office on donor compliance.
• Contribute to new funding applications by providing expertise in ensuring alignment with donor-specific prerequisites. As needed, assist the Country Director to develop comprehensive budgets for securing donor funding.

Vision & critical thinking:

The GCM will be expected to be a strong contributor to overall vision of the country office, engaging with the Country Director in country problem-solving especially around donor funded projects.

• Conceive, develop and test new protocols and methods prior to overseeing scale up of donor funding in country
• Anticipate areas of risk and create and update mitigation plans

Donor reporting and collaboration:

Work in close coordination with the Country Director DRC and the Senior Manager Compliance and Grants Management in the US, providing timely updates on project progress,potential risks and/or performance gaps, and strategies for improvement:

• Assist the Country Director with hosting visits from in-country donors and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including donors, partners, auditors, and governmental agencies to ensure transparency and continued support for the country program.
• Contribute to donor reporting content and provide management oversight and coordination on donor reports and proposals seeking input from global teams and in country staff. 

Communication:

• Meet the GD “bar” for online communication responsiveness (slack, email, google calendar, phone)
• Present effectively to the management team (focusing on key insights, etc.)
• Communicate concisely and clearly across a variety of forms (written, presenting, verbal)
• Work closely and communicate regularly with the global compliance team (who will matrix manage this role)
• Support in communications to in-country donors when required.

Support for auxiliary projects:

• Assist the Country Director and Senior Managers with specific projects or work packages as required.
• Assess potential compliance and operational risks, recommend mitigation strategies to the Country Director, and assist with their implementation.
• Any other responsibilities as required by the Country Director from time to time. 

Qualifications

• 5 years of professional experience, with at least 3 years of demonstrated expertise in grants management and compliance, ideally focusing on government and institutional grants and contracts.
• Demonstrated experience of managing deliverables and overseeing compliance on grants and contracts obtained from the US Government agencies, Governments of other countries, multilateral agencies, and other donors.
• Strong preference for someone who has completed training on USAID and other high compliance donors and provided training to others.
• Clear and exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage with a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Ability to identify opportunities to make existing systems more efficient and accessible.
• Familiarity with Google Suite, Salesforce, Asana, Guru and Slack would be a plus.
• Demonstrated success in a high-performance work environment.
• Experience of coordinating and leading work packages.
• Strong interest in advancing the values and mission of GiveDirectly.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and analytical skills, including a high level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel
• Excitement about owning challenging management tasks, including mentoring and motivating direct reports and the broader field team
• Demonstrated ability to work in a highly independent and self-directed manner, while effectively communicating upwardly about gaps and risks.
• Ability to manage day-to-day operations while simultaneously building more robust and efficient systems.
• Professionally proficient in French and English.

GD Values

• Recipients first. We prioritize recipient preferences over donor preferences or our own.
• Team Next. We do what is best for the success of the organization - not the individual.
• Be proactively candid. We say what we believe and are honest in sharing information.
• Create positive energy. We strive to be a source of energy - not drain it - for our colleagues.
• Think rigorously. Act Quickly. We are intellectually rigorous and oriented towards action - not debate.
• Know yourself and grow. We recognize and accept our imperfections with a focus on growth
• Accept reality. Propose solutions. We don't dwell on problems. We are actively working to create solutions.
• Be productively ambitious. We take the risk of pursuing industry-changing successes, not marginal advancements.

To Apply:
Interested candidates are asked to go to the GiveDirectly website https://boards.greenhouse.io/givedirectly search for DRC offers, and submit their applications no later than September 22, 2023.

File contents:

• Up-to-date curriculum vitae including three references
• Letter of motivation
• ONEM card (for the unemployed)
• End-of-service certificate from previous or current employer
• Copy of diploma

NB: Incomplete applications will not be accepted.