KEY INFORMATION
Job Title: Fund Officer
Sector: Research
Position Type: Full-time
Duration/Level of Effort: Project period (To 2025)
Position Location: Hybrid (In person & remote), Nairobi Office
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC) is a six-year (2020-2025) £17.6 million research initiative funded by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) focused on supporting livelihoods in the world’s most vulnerable and conflict affected countries. It aims to develop, broker and manage knowledge, in order to enhance the ability of the FCDO, Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) and the broader development community to assist pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and farmers living in the context of climate change, protracted crises and ongoing conflicts. SPARC’s ultimate objective is to help communities in the drylands of East, North and West Africa and the Middle East to increase their resilience to recurring shocks and protracted crises.
SUMMARY OF THE POSITION
The SPARC Fund Officer will work closely with the SPARC Fund Manager in supporting the financial operations, and procurement of a portfolio of SPARC supported sub-research projects. The projects are currently being delivered by the SPARC Consortium as well as third party research organizations/experts.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Fund Management and Operations
Provide support in the financial management of SPARC research subprojects across SPARC countries in the Sahel, East Africa, and the Middle East.
Specific tasks include:
- Work with program partners and the Fund Manager to review expenditures related to sub-project grants for accuracy, adequate supporting documentation, proper authorization, compliance with internal policies and donor requirements, alignment with budget, and availability of budgeted funds.
- Preparation of interim milestone achievements and processing of disbursement requests
- Support to the financial monitoring and evaluation of the grants
- Update of fund management tools and reporting processes, including reporting on Consortium experts Level of Effort and General Economic Development Framework (GEDF) rates application.
- Provide support in financial analysis of the fund across consortium and third-party experts, and intervention tracking.
Procurement
Working closely with the Fund Manager and respective technical leads to carry out procurement activities to support the timely delivery of research activities within the Fund. Specific tasks include:
- Support to the preparation of sub-contracts, grant agreements, and contract amendments for consortium and third-party partners.
- Support in Research procurement roles including preparation and publishing of Request for Proposals (RFPs), administrative support from application process to contracting and implementation of projects.
- Support to the maintenance of SPARC’s procurement management system, Survey Monkey Appy.
Project performance management
Working closely with the Fund Manager and respective technical leads to understand and respond to issues affecting the delivery of the project portfolio. Specific tasks include:
- Respond to queries from partners in a timely and accurate fashion
- Support of Monitoring and Evaluation of sub grants.
- Work to help partners meet our requirements while still holding them to account for delivery
- Liaise with partners on grants implementation, reporting, information sharing and further work planning.
- Offer training and ensure that financial policies and procedures are adhered to by staff and project partners.
- Liaise with and support project partners – either at headquarters or project sites on a periodic basis.
Provide support on programme level compliance and risk activities involving FCDO.
This includes:
- Support in filing and documentation of due diligence assessments for sub-project grant applications based on FCDO’s enhanced due diligence requirements, including compliance screening through third party databases (World Check one).
- Supporting efforts to ensure that SPARC fully complies with Cowater procedures and legal requirements.
- Support sub-project audit and fraud investigations
Administration.
The post holder may need to provide administrative support to the team that may be additional to the financial management role. This means they will need to coordinate closely with personnel in Ottawa, UK and Nairobi offices. To do this, they should be able to work independently and take the initiative to anticipate queries from various individuals. This includes adherence to corporate policies and procedures regarding electronic filing of all documents related to external funding agreements.
Tasks will include invoices/expenses, external events admin and ensures that all documentation is easily accessible on SPARC Teams and Cowater’s SharePoint.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Education:
- University level education with a business/financial management focus.
Minimum Experience:
- Five to ten years’ experience in grants and financial management.
- Financially savvy with experience in budgeting and financial reporting.
- Demonstrable success in managing environmental, social or governance projects in developing countries.
- Project management background.
Essential Skills:
- Highly motivated and growth oriented.
- Strong organizational skills and pragmatic approach.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills with the ability to interact with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels in a tactful yet assertive way.
- A self-starter, innovative, creative, and able to work with little supervision.
Language Proficiency: Professional working proficiency in English
Employment Conditions: The SPARC Fund Officer is a full-time role based out of the Cowater Nairobi office but will work closely with personnel based out of London, Ottawa and Nairobi, as well as grant recipient project teams around the world.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, or by July 4th, 2022 on our Career page.
For your application to be considered, please upload your documents as followed: Candidate Last Name, First Name, date, Title of the Position.
Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.
We thank all applicants, however only those shortlisted will be contacted.
ABOUT US
With more than 35 years’ experience, Cowater International is a global leader in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our yearly award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 2017. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec; London, United Kingdom; Nairobi, Kenya; and Brussels, Belgium, in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.
We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.
