Location: Dar es salaam
Job Summary
The Grants Officer will support the Project staff in the implementation of several grant lines administered by the Project, including grants to 28 SMEs, so called Lead Firms (LF), grants to Small Entrepreneurs (SE) Alliances, grants to SMEs for innovation projects, and grants in form of small subsidies for individual SEs. The Grants Officer must be able to apply existing monitoring and control tools to track funds allocation, ensure efficient funds disbursement (after reconciliation), advise managers on issues, inspect facilities of grantees and provide comprehensive reports. The Grants Office will work closely with the County Finance Manager in ensuring transparent, efficient and effective grants implementation.
By applying a rigid financial control approach, the Officer will ensure that Grantees understand financial management pertaining to the grant awarded, develop and compile financial reports as per schedule and contract terms and exercise a transparent and honest management of the grants funds (as per contract’s terms and conditions). The Grants Officer reports to the Country Finance Manager.
Minimum Qualification: Bachelor
Experience Level: Executive level
Experience Length: 2 years
Job Description
Key Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Grant Contract management
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Verify documentation of the contracting procedures (ensure number of copies for all respective authorities; file contract; update step in the pipeline monitoring tools)
- Ensure documentation relating the grant is filed appropriately both hard copies and electronically.
- Maintain asset register for all assets bought by the grantees
- Monitor contract files and keep it updated weekly (or daily if requested by management or donor)
- For the awarded grants: verification of funding requests from grantees and ensuring that disbursements are made on a timely basis.
- Develop amendments to the grants contract and ensure their endorsement from required authorities.
Grants financial management and control
- Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Preparation of grant allocation schedules including matching funds leveraged by grantees.
- Logging all financial disbursements to grantees.
- Bookkeeping and maintenance of the grant fund financial records including cash books, ledgers and bank reconciliations and supporting documentation for all grant payments
- Drawing up disbursement schedules and cash flow forecasts on monthly basis
- Requesting progress reports (technical and financial) from grantees and availing the necessary templates for their completion.
- Doing reconciliations for all Lead Firms, BDS providers, Alliances and Innovation Grantees and submit reports to management for further approval processes.
- Support Country Finance Manager during the audits and provide sufficient information for the grant fund audits
- Provide capacity building in all financial related matters to contracted partners (LFs, Innovation, Alliances & BDS)
- Any other duties as may be assigned by the Finance Manager on a needs basis
Grants Monitoring
- Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Verifying the Matching component as highlighted in the contract
- Follow up on reports not submitted as per due date by the grantees.
- Provide comments to the Country Finance Manager and Country Director to aid their review of the grantees progress reports.
- Provide feedback to program staff, including Regional Operational Managers (ROM) after the review process has been completed for each of the grantees.
- Follow up with Grantees on feedback and recommendations resulted from reports, visits or management analysis of grants process. Ensure issues raised have been addressed by the grantee.
- Reviewing partners contract amendments to ensure timely review at HQ
Grantees Closure
- Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Doing financial analysis of partners for assessing financial health before contract closure
- Conducting exit evaluation meetings with operations staff and preparation of report for findings and recommendations
- Playing a supportive role in providing capacity building to partners on post-contract financial management trainings.
Qualifications:
Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting.
- Two years’ experience in investment/value chain finance, bank lending or microfinance.
- Experience in value chain development, enterprise development, financial product design, alternate financial solutions,
- Experience in establishing and cultivating successful institutional partnerships with a range of institutional types and levels of commercial enterprises.
- Excellent oral and written communication in English and Kiswahili, including report writing
Desired:
- Experience in business finance to small growing business and small enterprises, value chain finance, agricultural finance and/or agricultural markets
- Experience in the provision of business development services oriented toward finance
- Experience in training, mentoring and institutional capacity building
- Excellent oral and written communication in English and Kiswahili, including report writing
- Computer skills: Microsoft Office Applications, specifically Excel and Word and Access.
How to Apply
Please manually apply for this job using the details below:
To apply, please send (1) your current Curriculum Vitae, (2) at least three references with current e-mail and telephone contacts, (and (3) a cover letter describing your interest in the position.
Send your application to Human Resources at the following: Email : hrtz@meda.org
Application Deadline: 7th October, 2019 – this is a national position. Women are encouraged to apply.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted!