Challenge fund manager

Job Description

Chemonics seeks a Challenge Fund Manager for its USAID Small and Medium Enterprises Activity (SMEA). SMEA is a 5-year, $35 million project dedicated to improving the financial and operating performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan in selected, high-performing industrial, manufacturing, and service sectors. The Challenge Fund Manager will report directly to the deputy chief of party and design, organize, and oversee the challenge fund’s rounds based on the project work plan’s themes. The manager’s responsibilities will range from research, technical design, financial management, administration, and advocacy for reform to mentoring and providing technical assistance to others involved in facilitating the challenge fund’s rounds. This position is based in Islamabad, Pakistan. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

• Meet with leaders in Pakistan’s public and private sector information and communication technology (ICT) incubators to learn from their experience, incorporate the knowledge acquired from these exchanges into the Challenge Fund plan and report for USAID, and position the fund as a collaborator in the ICT industry
• Establish and work with an advisory committee of eminent academics and ICT professionals; draw from the experience, expertise, and resources of sister initiatives; differentiate the SMEA challenge fund from sister initiatives by maintaining its exclusive focus on SMEA’s priority sectors and their SMEs
• Conduct research and analysis to identify challenges to the project and become more knowledgeable about thematic issues
• Contribute to the Challenge Fund’s technical and financial design; ensure the challenge fund’s design conforms to USAID’s guidelines and targets beneficiary groups
• Lead the design of a Challenge Fund manual that details the funding process (including eligibility and selection criteria, advisory committee constitution, application forms, guidance notes, systems for fund disbursement, governance, transparency, and performance monitoring); work with Chemonics’ home-office grants team and field-office team lead for operations and compliance to incorporate and adapt relevant parts of Chemonics’ comprehensive grants manual into sections of the challenge fund manual
• Establish a USAID-compliant grants database
• Train the challenge fund team and Competitiveness Enhancement Fund staff on grants solicitation, award, monitoring, and closeout
• Manage the grants process — including assessment and oversight — emphasizing due diligence, value for money, and cost effectiveness; manage the competitive selection process for each round of the fund; screen and appraise grant applications for funding from the concept note stage to the full proposal stage
• Manage the grants process including assessment and oversight, with a strong emphasis on due diligence, Value-for-Money and cost effectiveness
• Work with the monitoring and evaluation team and the communications team to promote the Challenge Fund via print, social media, and events to attract grant applicants
• Ensure that grantees’ policies meet USAID’s requirements by overseeing due diligence checks on grantees that evaluate their financial management and accounting practices and systems, environmental protection, and other relevant activities
• Work with the monitoring and evaluation team to ensure that progress toward USAID’s objectives for the fund is measurable and reported at all stages
• Draft periodic reports on the Challenge Fund rounds for the project’s management team and the donors

• Advanced degree in finance, business administration, economics, commerce, or a related field
• At least eight years of experience managing development funds and designing and administering grants programs
• Experience with private sector engagement involving ICT activities is preferred
• Ability to perform successfully in multiple project-related teams
• Strong computer literacy skills; extensive experience with word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, web browsers, and email
• Demonstrated successful interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
• Fluency in English and Urdu; strong writing and communications skills in English; fluency in other Pakistani languages preferred

About the Organization

Owned entirely by employees, Chemonics is an ISO-9001 certified international development company. For more than 40 years, we have partnered with local and international organizations to promote social and economic change around the world.