Grants Administrator (Nairobi, NY or DC

We need an amazing grants administrator

Rapidly-growing organization seeks a lead grants administrator

Industry:          Nonprofit/International Development

Function:         Grants reporting and administration

Employer:        One Acre Fund

Job Title:          Grants Administrator

Job Location:   Nairobi, Kenya ideally (but New York or DC possible)

Commitment:  Two-year minimum

Organization Description

Most of the world’s poor are farmers, representing the largest and most uniform group of poor people in the world. One Acre Fund is a start-up NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential.  Instead of giving handouts, One Acre invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income.  We provide farmers with a “market bundle” that includes education, finance, seed and fertilizer, and market access.  Our program is proven impactful – every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure more than 100% average gain in farm income per acre.  We have laser-like focus on generating better lives for the people that we serve.

We are growing quickly.  In five years, we have grown to serve 70,000 farm families with more than 500 full-time field staff.  We have a $9m budget this year, funded half by donor grants and half by earned revenue. Our approach has won widespread validation, winning grants from the highly competitive Echoing Green and Skoll Foundations, and the global Financial Times/ IFC award for “basic needs financing” in 2010 and 2011. Website: www.oneacrefund.org

Job Description
In eight more years, we will multiply in size by 20-30x, while adding several new countries.  To make that happen, we will need to raise an ambitious level of funds.  To help our development department operate smoothly and effectively, we need a grants administrator to manage the financial and administrative aspects of reporting and compliance with USAID and other grants.  The position will work alongside our program and operations staff to ensure award compliance.

Responsibilities would include:

Initial Tasks:

• Review, interpret and explain all aspects of award documents (i.e. grants and cooperative agreements)
• Design and/or implement internal policies and procedures, with a particular focus on budget management, financial and performance reporting, HR, procurement, record retention, marking, and closeout, to ensure award compliance
• Gain in-depth knowledge of 1AF operations in western Kenya and Rwanda including field activities, operations administration, and M&E deliverables relevant to the award
• Informal training on rules and regulations relevant to the award

Ongoing Tasks:

• Manage internal policies and procedures to ensure award compliance
• Prepare project budgets and projections and track expenditures
• Track program activities against award objectives and ensure record retention requirements 
• Work closely with operations staff – and finance in particular – to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, in accordance with USAID cost principles
• Work closely with project staff to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting
• Manage award audits
• Monthly award administration of financial and performance reporting
• Management of grant bank accounts, advance requests, and financial reconciliations

Keep organized. We are not a boss-employee culture.  We would like to hire someone who can manage their own work, and who does not need to be reminded to do things.  This person should own the role.

Career Growth and Development: One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills.  We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through weekly mentorship and through regular career reviews.  We also have regular one-on-one meetings, where we listen to and discuss career goals, and work collaboratively to craft roles that each person can be passionate about.  Because of our rapid growth, we constantly have new high-level roles opening up.  This results in fast career growth for our staff.

Qualifications

We are seeking an exceptional professional with 2 to 5+ years of work experience, and a demonstrated long-term passion for international development.  We are looking for a truly extraordinary candidate that will help take our organization to the next levels of impact and scale.  This is a competitive posting for a career-track role.  Only 3% of applicants make it to a phone screen.  Therefore, please only apply if you fit these criteria:

• A business mind.  We would like to hire someone who will truly understand our operations.
• A genuine interest in international development.  We are not looking for a “hired gun” – we want someone who genuinely is passionate about providing opportunity to the hardest-working farmers on the planet.
• Top-performing undergraduate background (please include GPA and test scores on your resume); University degree in accounting or similar field preferred
• Experience managing USAID awards desired
• Humility and personal stability.  We have a fantastic and likeable team.  We are looking for passionate professionals that combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service
• Ideally, a willingness to commit to living in East Africa for at least two years – this is a long-term, career-track role.  The ideal candidate will have at least one year demonstrated experience working in the developing world, although this is not a strict requirement
• Ability to cook/ laugh – desirable

Preferred Start Date: Flexible

Compensation: This is not a place to get rich – we often pay less than market rates, and we have a team of people that really believe in our mission.  Our pay starts modestly.  However, we do recognize the importance of personal sustainability, and our long-term staffers all make highly live-able salaries.

Benefits: Health cover, immunizations, flight, room and board (for staffers living outside their home country). Two annual home flights provided.

Career development: Quarterly management consulting-style career reviews and constant feedback. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development.

Sponsor International Candidates: Yes

To Apply

Email cover letter and resume to (Subject line: Grants Administrator + name of the site that referred you).