Regional Grants Manager

Job Details

The Regional Grants Manager provides strategic leadership and oversight of SIHA's regional grants management function, ensuring effective management of institutional grants and sub-granting portfolios across the Greater Horn of Africa. The role leads development, implementation and continuous improvement of grants management systems, policies and practices to ensure compliance with donor requirements while promoting efficient, transparent and accountable grant management. Working with the Regional Programme Director, Finance, MEL, Compliance, Country Coordinators and programme teams, the manager oversees the full grants lifecycle from proposal development and due diligence through implementation, monitoring, reporting, partner accompaniment and close-out, and leads the regional grants team including large-scale flexible funding and accompaniment mechanisms that strengthen women's rights and women-led organizations. Duty station is Remote. Full-time role.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead SIHA's regional grants management function by developing and strengthening systems, policies, procedures and tools that promote accountability, efficiency, transparency and compliance; provide strategic advice to senior management on grants, donor compliance, institutional risk and partner management
• Oversee complete grants lifecycle for institutional grants and sub-grants including proposal review, due diligence, agreement development, budget verification, implementation monitoring, modifications, reporting, audits, close-out and archival in accordance with donor agreements and organizational policies
• Lead regional grant-making processes including partner identification, organizational assessments, due diligence, risk analysis, grant selection, contracting and onboarding; coordinate partner accompaniment, institutional strengthening and capacity development
• Monitor compliance with donor agreements, grant conditions, safeguarding, procurement standards, financial controls and SIHA policies; identify risks, recommend mitigation, coordinate corrective actions and support internal and external audits
• Coordinate grants monitoring systems and oversee timely submission of financial and narrative reports by partners and programme teams; work with Finance, MEL and programme staff to monitor performance, budget utilization, burn rates, reporting schedules and deliverables
• Lead and supervise regional grants and in-country team, providing technical guidance, mentoring, performance management and professional development; strengthen capacity of staff, Country Coordinators and partners through training, coaching and guidance on donor compliance and grants administration
• Serve as focal point on grants management with institutional donors, consortium partners, auditors and implementing partners; support proposal development, donor negotiations, grant modifications, monitoring visits and compliance reviews
• Promote continuous improvement by developing standardized tools, templates, guidance, digital tracking systems and reporting mechanisms; analyze performance data, document lessons learned and contribute to organizational learning on grant-making and partner accompaniment

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

• Master's degree in International Development, Project Management, Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Law, Development Studies or another relevant discipline; professional certification in grants management, project management, procurement or compliance is an added advantage
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience managing institutional grants within civil society, international development, humanitarian or NGOs, including at least 5 years in a senior grants management role
• Demonstrated experience managing complex multi-country donor-funded programmes, large grant portfolios and sub-granting mechanisms essential; experience with women's rights organizations, feminist movements or locally led development highly desirable
• Demonstrated knowledge of full grant lifecycle including proposal development, due diligence, grant-making, partner assessments, contract management, compliance, financial monitoring, donor reporting, audits, risk management and close-out; strong understanding of institutional donor regulations, partnership management, safeguarding and compliance systems; experience with flexible funding and accompaniment approaches an advantage
• Excellent analytical, organizational and project management skills with ability to manage multiple complex grants and competing priorities; strong negotiation, problem-solving, report writing and communication skills; ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and build donor and partner partnerships
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook required; experience with grants management systems, financial management software, project management platforms and online collaboration tools highly desirable; advanced Excel for tracking and reporting an advantage
• Demonstrated integrity, accountability, professionalism, sound judgment and ability to handle confidential information; excellent leadership, mentoring and relationship management skills; ability to work across multicultural teams while upholding SIHA's feminist values and safeguarding principles