Job: Grants Compliance Specialist at Plan International Rwanda. deadline 23th August 2021

Career Opportunities: Grants Compliance Specialist (41121)

Requisition ID 41121 - Posted 11/08/2021 - Country (1) - Finance

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

ROLE PROFILE

Title	Grants Compliance Specialist
Functional Area	Finance
Discipline/field	Grants Management
Specialism	Accounting
Reports to:	Country Finance Manager
Office location:	Kigali	Travel required:	No regular travel exists
Geographical scope of role	Rwanda
Effective Date:	January 2021	Grade:	D1

Role PURPOSE

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for better life for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries. 

Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and in particular the goals on gender equality. Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to reach our target of 100 million girls.   

The position holder will be responsible to support the efficient and effective implementation of Programs by ensuring; Program resources are utilized for the intended purposes, Financial reports are accurate, reflecting the reality of transactions incurred at all times, Projects are effectively implemented according to donor requirements, and Development and maintenance of systems within the grants portfolio.

management scope, reporting lines, key relationships

Reports to: Head of Operations

Direct reports: None

Key relationships

Internal:

• Country Finance Manager – Line Manager
• Program Leadership Team
• Head of Programs
• Business Development Manager
• Program Units and Project Managers
• Work closely with the MERL team and Technical Advisors (in-country, region and NOs) and PU Managers to coordinate information and reporting.
• Support technical capacity building of project partners and frontline staff.

External:

• Partners, civil society members and alliances in identifying capacity building needs on donor compliances, financial, Log & Admin and facilitating training
• Other INGO technical staff and networks.
• Technical leads at in-country donor offices.

Level of contact with children

• Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction

Physical Environment

• The position is typical office environment

Accountabilities and MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES

Grants Process Management

• Develop organisational and partner capacity (individual and collective) to manage grants compliance processes by developing and maintaining by designing and deploying capacity building plans.
• Identify the capacity building need and give technical and on job support to plan Partners and sub-grantee Finance staff.
• Create tools, templates and training content to disseminate grants management and compliance knowledge to staff and partners.
• Advise both program and finance stakeholders of any changes made to donor compliance regulations and assess their impact on PIC programs.
• Act as the CO liaison with other Plan International offices (NOs, RH and GH) on all grant’s management and compliance issues.
• Participate in regional and global platforms/forums/workshops and any other skills-building opportunities and obtain information best practice, models, innovations, approaches in grants management and compliance.
• Prepare and give technical presentations on grants management and compliance strategies, models, activities and achievements at various platforms as needed.
• Lead start-up and close-out workshops so that all functions and partners understand contractual obligations and donor compliance requirements.
• Prepare and disseminate quality and accurate grants management and compliance reports.
• Update indicative grants and pipeline information in the ERP system and other applicable platforms in collaboration with the BDM.
• Ensure donor requirements are complied with before closure of projects;
• Engage with Implementing Partners (IPs) as needed to provide input and develop solutions on major donor compliance matters.
• Report regularly to the CFM and PLT on progress/results achieved in internal and partner grants compliance and management.
• Provide on-site grants management and compliance support through audit support, on-site verification and field visits.
• Provide grants compliance and management input in the technical capacity-building support of local implementing partners with specific focus on strengthening institutional & individual capacity, enhancement of management systems and governance of regulatory functions and activities.

Fundraising and Financial Management

• Work in coordination with the Business Development Unit to validate proposals and budgets for consistency and accuracy in line with donor requirements.
• Work with the finance team to monitor and support income recognition and reporting in coordination with NOs, RH and GH.
• Carry out research and analysis on the compliance requirements of potential donors in the pipeline and prepare reference materials.
• Identify donor related grants compliance and management policy decisions and strategic directions that have the potential to affect Plan International Rwanda’s opportunities and operations.
• Be part of the team engaged in donor engagement activities such as donor visits where required to obtain necessary information that is critical for PIR’s grants management processes.
• To contribute to the successful management of Plan Ethiopia’s Grants Portfolio by offering timely and appropriate support to respective grants projects such that high standards of compliance are maintained.
• To develop and maintain systems for tracking and promoting compliance across all relevant departments and staff involved in the grant management cycle.
• To coordinate with other departments and staff to ensure donor compliance, (including compliance with implementation timeframes, and implementation requirements such as procurement conditions, expenditure eligibility conditions, reporting requirements, budget amendments, cost or no cost extensions, and so on).
• Handle Grant Management Meeting proceedings and project reports to donors for consistency and compliance to donor requirements – before submission to National Offices / donors.
• Prepare reporting schedule; and share with relevant staff and review the report from compliance perspective;
• Ensure donor requirements are complied with before closure of projects.
• Keep the grant document in soft for all grants as well as hard copies for specific documents
• Monitor the budget utilization per each budget in the agreement and give the timely advice to the programme team about the budget status.

Compliance and Monitoring

• Attend project start-up workshops and ensure that compliance matters are brought to the attention of all relevant staff.
• Monitor the budget utilization per each budget in the agreement and give the timely advice to the programme team about the budget status.
• Coordinate with PAs and CO staff to ensure donor compliance are maintained;
• Track grant budget portfolio.  Identify challenges or potential delays in implementation/management early, and escalate as required to ensure timely achievement of project goals
• Work closely with the Program, Business Development and finance to develop Grant, guidelines, tools and templates as needed to ensure optimal implementation of donor compliance requirements.
• Assess current contracts, systems, and procedures against donor requirements and develop donor compliance track sheet to support contract readiness and compliance adherence;
•  Support or lead negotiations with NOs/donor, as needed.
• Assist the Business Development Manager and Head of Programs in the preparation and documentation of donor project visits for PIR and Partners.

Risk Management

• Ensure systems and processes are in place to identify and manage risks including developing, updating and reviewing the CO risk register in line with the Global Risk Management Policy and the Global Risk Management Toolkit, and ensuring that risks are adequately identified, assessed, mitigated and reported on.

Safeguarding Children and Young People & Gender Equality and Inclusion  

• Promotes and abides by internal policies and procedures including but not limited to:  Child Protection Policy; Code of Conduct; mandatory reporting responsibility.  
• Ensures that all staff signed safeguarding policies; 
• Implement Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work. 

LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES 

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES 

• Courageous in taking a lead, focused on Plan International's purpose and making the most effective contribution within my own work context. 
• Behave in line with our values and safeguarding practices, inside and outside work. 
• Challenge own attitudes, unconscious bias and behaviour and speaks up when they see wrong doing, especially by those who use their power over others to create fear or abuse. 
• Understand and adhere to the policies, processes, practices and standards relevant to own work and keeps their knowledge and skills up to date. 
• Honest and efficient in use of resources, including own time. 
• Take responsibility for own performance and development: reflecting; seeking and listening to feedback; learning from mistakes; finding people or resources to help them learn. 
• Constructive and optimistic in facing setbacks, challenges and change, using own initiative to analyse issues and improve things. 
• Good team player, communicating effectively and being open and supportive towards those around them.  

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES  

• Understands responsibilities, level of decision making and how my role contributes to the wider team. 
• Works in accordance to the policies and procedures relevant to my role and responsibilities 
• Uses the personal development tools available 
• Creates channels of communication with other individuals and teams. 
• Identifies with the Plan International logo and brand and understand what they represent. 
• Applies the brand guidelines to all forms of written and verbal communication 
• Considers the audience, purpose and accessibility of all communications, taking the local context and culture into account.  Where necessary, adjusts the tone, style, complexity and level of technical detail of communication accordingly.    
• Evidence-based management: Understands the importance of high-quality data and the implications of poor data.  Understands what data Plan International needs to inform decision-making. Interprets a range of sources to inform evidence-based decisions relevant to my role. 
• Digital working: Identifies ways to use digital to improve the effectiveness of work activities. Understands how digital enablers can contribute to achieving Plan International’s purpose.  Utilises the digital tools available in line with privacy and safeguarding guidelines.   

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS 

Qualifications/ experience essential: 

• Proven understanding of “child rights” and “gender in development” concepts and the promotion of girls’ rights in the context of relevant International Conventions (Convention of the Rights of the Child, Convention for the Eradication of Discrimination against Women) and the Global Goals (SDGs).
• At least 3 to 5 years in Grants Quality and Compliance or Grant Project Management.
• Experience of International NGO or demonstrated equivalent combination    
• Sound planning, time management and administrative skills.
• Knowledge of several donor regulations.
• Experience in working in culturally diverse setting.
• Experience in working in Humanitarian and/or development spheres
• Proven track record of coaching and capacity building.
• Experience and understanding of the concepts of sustainable community development and participatory approaches and practice in development interventions.
• Excellent organisation and communication skills. 
• Ability to multitask and deal with a range of incoming enquires – organisation is key to the success of this role. 
• Knowledge of Word, Excel and Outlook, also keen knowledge and experience of the importance of databases and their role in providing accurate management information.   
• Able to form and maintain effective working relationships  
• Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, 
• Excellent communication skills
• Fluency in English language is essential 
• In additional to Kinyarwanda, knowledge of French language would be an added value 

Qualifications/ experience desirable: 

• Education at First Degree in fields such as Accounting and Finance
• ACCA/ CPA or partial completion will be an advantage 
• At least 3 years of work experience in accounting stream;
• Experience of International NGO grant management systems and financial regulations
• Knowledge of Grants Administration especially system management and donor compliance in reporting of diverse institutional donors (EU, USAID, etc.)  

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organization by being open, honest and transparent. We hold ourselves and others to account for the decisions we make and for our impact on others, while doing what we say we will do.

We strive for lasting impact

We strive to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused and innovative.

We work well together

We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organization, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams, across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities and our partners.

We are inclusive and empowering

We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge inequality in our programmers and our workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential

Location: Kigali

Reports to: Country Finance Manager

Grade: D1

Closing Date: 23-08-2021

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

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