Description

The IPA Director of Grants and Contracts directs all aspects of award functions and establishes the annual priorities for the IPA Grants team. The candidate is responsible for overseeing day-to-day award and subaward administration, including but not limited to, partner negotiations, monitoring award and sub award funder compliance, required, and deliverable administration, from a diverse funding pool. The candidate establishes and maintains internal controls, and policies and procedures consistent with best practices and in compliance with audit, legal and statutory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Manages the Grants Department to ensure timely and effective award management and administration of a diversified portfolio of awards; assign or reassign award portfolios within the Department to ensure a balanced workload and timely service delivery.
• Directs the daily operations of the team whose responsibilities include:
  • Leading funder due diligence requests for all post-award grants and contracts.
  • Working closely with in-country project Teams and members of Grants, Global Finance, Grants Financial Management, IT, and Legal Teams to review, negotiate, and accept incoming awards and set them in IPA’s software systems (Salesforce, Box, and Replicon.)
  • Reviewing and analyzing incoming awards; interpreting, clarifying and specifying terms and conditions of these incoming awards to IPA’s benefit as well as any applicable regulations.
  • Maintenance of active awards including funder engagement, the set-up of pre-spends, timely preparation and submission of deliverables, monitoring award end dates, requesting, reviewing, and processing award amendments, approving cost transfer, where required, and set-up of at-risk spending approvals.
  • Acting as a subject matter expert in grants administration operations that emphasize assessment and mitigation of risk, compliance, and enforcement of OMB circulars and institutional grant-related policies and procedures.
  • Managing the issuance of all sub-awards on a timely basis ensuring terms and conditions are in compliance with applicable regulations and funder requirements and ensuring standards are established to monitor compliance.
  • Overseeing timely and accurate closeout of awards by ensuring all contractual requirements have been fulfilled, reconciling award payments with award expenses, initiating internal closeout requests, and routing to Global Finance for official closeout
• Advises business development and country proposal teams with technical and contractual input as required; including potential review of proposal submissions for compliance with donor regulations; develop responses to contractual questions.
• Serves as in-house expert on compliance issues with award provisions and/or routes award provisions to the relevant IPA expert or policyholder (e.g., data processing, data protection, safeguarding, audit standards, recruiting practices, etc.)
• Plays a key role in the development and implementation of improved systems and “best practices” for all contractual award types intended to provide restricted project support to IPA (cooperative agreements, grants, contracts, subawards, purchase orders, professional services agreements, and consulting agreement) Plays a key role in the development and implementation of a improved systems and “best practices” for IPA-managed subawards. Collaborates with IPA staff globally to ensure the Grants team is meeting and adapting to the needs of the organization with the creation and/or refinement of existing grant-related policies and procedures
• Conducts, participates, and/or designs training on grants-related topics for IPA staff.
• Assists with internal and external organizational and IRS Form 990 requirements as required.

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in a relevant field.
• 10+ years of relevant grant and contract management experience with a variety of funding including US Federal agencies, FCDO and other governmental, multilateral and private foundation; 5 years in support of an international not for profit/non-profit organization
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to manage and motivate a team, including ability to lead staff and promote productivity in a diverse, multi-national and multi-location work environment.
• Ability to interact effectively with all staff levels as well as ability to work independently and as member of a team.
• Ability to mentor and guide professional growth and development for the Grants team.
• Experience providing contractual or compliance guidance to new business plans, proposals and budget development.
• Consistently works within internal process and procedures and ensures others do the same
• Expert knowledge and ability to apply standard terms and conditions of major funders such as USG, FCDO, EU, IGC, Wellspring, and Gates.
• Experience as a subject matter expert in grants administration operations that emphasize assessment and mitigation of risk, compliance, and enforcement of OMB circulars and institutional grant-related policies and procedures
• Exercise sound judgement in independently interpreting and adapting policies and regulations for application to specific grant awards as well as develop solutions to substantive challenges affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of the grant agreement process.
• Proven negotiation skills, including the ability to negotiate effectively, make sound decisions and apply creative problem solving.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills; ability to make effective and persuasive presentations to small and large groups.
• Excellent organizational skills, strong analytical skills and problem-solving skills; culturally sensitive; ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment, keeping multiple priorities moving and not losing track of details.
• Demonstrated track record of establishing and sustaining interpersonal and professional relationships with donor representatives and partners.
• Ability to speak and comprehend Spanish or French a plus.