Job Reference: GO/04/2018

About AGRA 

Founded in 2006, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), is an African-led African-based organization that seeks to catalyze Agriculture Transformation in Africa. AGRA is focused on putting smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. As the sector that employs the majority of Africa’s people, nearly all of them small-scale farmers, AGRA recognizes that developing smallholder agriculture into a productive, efficient, and sustainable system is essential to ensuring food security, lifting millions out of poverty, and driving equitable growth across the continent.

AGRA is rolling out a new 5-year strategy to catalyze and sustain an Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa to increase incomes and improve food security for 30 million farmers. Under this strategy, AGRA will deliver through an approach that simultaneously catalyzes change at farmer level, strengthens input and output market systems and puts government at the center to enable and champion private-sector-led agricultural growth at national level.

To support this transformation from a country perspective, AGRA is seeking to recruit (5) experienced and exceptional individuals to the role of:

1. Grants Officer – Nairobi, Kenya;
2. Grants Officer – Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania;
3. Grants Officer – Accra, Ghana;
4. Grants Officer – Bamako, Mali;
5. Grants Officer – Maputo, Mozambique.

Only nationals of the above countries are eligible to apply against the specific role location. 

The Position

Reporting to Head of Grants with and with a dotted line relationship to the Regional Head, the Grants Officer will have overall responsibility for providing administrative support to AGRA’s grant making process by ensuring that the AGRA’s grant making procedures are adhered to by program staff and grantees.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Ensure that all grant and contract documentation assembled by program staff is complete and accurate and complies with all AGRA and donor policies and procedures and with local laws and regulations that govern AGRA.
• Maintain a grant tracking database to monitor the flow of project proposals within the GST from the time full grant documentation is received in the grants unit to the time a grant award is issued, and the first payment is made.
• Support the Country team in review of concept notes, proposals, organization capacity assessment and budgets.
• Coordinate the Country Charter Committee.
• Ensure that incoming proposals and declinations are properly recorded in the grants management system.
• Schedule reporting requirements and payments for all new grant investments.
• Coordinates with Country Program staff to analyze, revise and formalize any necessary modifications and/or amendments to grants and contracts.
• Provide onboarding training and technical backstopping on reporting and general compliance
• Monitor grants for closure and make follow up with program staff and grantees.
• Assist the Head-Grants in identifying grantees requiring technical assistance and provide training as needed, including providing assistance in compliance with AGRA grant application and reporting requirements.
• Reviewing and analyzing financial compliance, expenditure reports and support documentation.
• Monitor grantee budget utilization and advise Head of Grants on variances and forecasts.
• Monitor and follow up on grantee compliance requirements including but not limited to AGRA and Donors’ flow-down compliance requirements, audit recommendations etc.
• Timely update of the grant management system on all reports received from grantees.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a commercial domain and equivalent experience in a related field.
• Rich experience and good understanding of “end to end” Grants making and management
• At least 7 years demonstrated experience in grantee monitoring and support.
• Good understanding of compliance requirements and experience in monitoring and providing support-supervision to grantees on Donors’ and AGRA’s compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to provide training and on-site support to grantees on compliance
• Working knowledge of key Donor agencies including USAID, Rockefeller Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, KfW etc.
• Knowledge of GIFTS or other Grants Management Systems is desirable.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a team orientation and strong collaborative skills.

An attractive remuneration package commensurate with the responsibilities of the position will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV (indicating your nationality, e-mail, telephone contacts and preferred role location based on nationality).

Applications should be submitted to recruit@agra.org noting to quote the job reference number and to be considered, applications must be received by 11 May, 2018.

For more information on AGRA, applicants can visit www.agra.org 

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer