Job Description
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Grants and Contracts Officer will use their expertise in donor compliance to ensure that projects are delivered with minimized compliance risk, in addition to other duties as assigned.
We are looking for a Grants and Contracts Officer to provide cradle-to-grave award compliance guidance and support for a diverse portfolio of Project HOPE projects. This position reports to the Director of Contracts and Grants and will focus on guiding country teams, project management, and sub-awardees to ensure their understanding of the terms and conditions of their awards.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Review prime and subawards issued to Project HOPE or subawards issued by Project HOPE thereunder; this includes federal and non-federal awards.
- Serve as subject matter expert, providing guidance on award and subaward management during implementation to ensure compliance with donor requirements, working directly with field, program, and support staff.
- Ensure that staff understand prime award prior approval requirements and follow up to ensure that they are met.
- Contribute to development of Contracts and Grants department operations and compliance guidance documents as requested, reinforcing donor requirements, reflecting best practices and award monitoring tools and templates.
- Strengthen understanding and knowledge of compliance issues amongst relevant Project HOPE program management and support staff.
Pre-Award Administration Support
- Review RFPs/RFAs and Teaming Agreements for Project HOPE’s new business opportunities, providing support as it relates to pre-award, compliance-related questions.
- Contribute to the development of compliance-related proposal questions for submission to the Contracting Officer/Agreement Officer.
- Review pre-award assessment questionnaires and supporting documentation for subrecipients identified at the proposal stage, to ensure due diligence, document level of risk, and determine special condition terms and conditions related to the identified level of risk.
- Advise the business development team on subaward mechanisms in the context of new project designs and proposals to ensure accurate definition, budgeting, and management of agreement types.
Post-Award and Implementation Support
- Upon receipt of a new project award, review terms and conditions and advise on negotiation strategies with the donor/client (or with the subrecipient, as applicable) prior to signature to ensure terms that are most favorable to Project HOPE, mitigating potential risk.
- Review terms and conditions of all new awards, modifications, and subawards issued thereunder.
Compliance Oversight
- Provide support for day-to-day grant and contract administration of large project awards, proactively reinforcing prime and subaward compliance requirements throughout the project period.
- With project support staff, co-organize awards launch meetings, preparing and presenting on Awards Compliance Matrix.
- Provide project and sub-partner staff with the tools (already in place) and information required to ensure proper administration and compliance with donor requirements.
- Support project management with grant and contract modifications as required and conduct reviews and approvals of subawards amendment requests.
- Review, enhance and oversee subrecipient monitoring processes and procedures.
- Work with program support staff to standardize and manage project closeout processes in accordance with the applicable awards and subawards requirements and tools.
- Using appropriate checklists and guidance documents, ensure that teams verify the following close-out in accordance with the required closeout checklists and tools in place.
Capacity Strengthening and Administration
- Assist in developing and/or developing training modules and tools and deliver trainings for improving knowledge and understanding of grants and contracts compliance amongst program management and support staff as well as sub-awardee partner staff.
- Enhance and maintain awards and subawards filing system for quick and complete access to all awards and subawards documents.
- Participate in Monthly Program and Finance Reviews to stay abreast of current project activities in order to proactively flag and address grant/contract compliance-related matters.
- Contribute to the design and formation of a new Grants and Contracts Unit.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- BS in Accounting, Business and Compliance, Contracts, International Development (or international equivalent), or in a related field. Graduate degree welcomed.
- Minimum of five (5) years’ of increasingly responsible experience in federal and/or private grants/contracts management.
- Ability to compose reports, presentations, memos, emails, awards, solicitations, and other written documents in an organized, logical, and concise manner. Ability to write well is extremely important, as are attention to detail and correct grammar usage.
- Solid knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the prime award and subaward management lifecycle.
- Solid knowledge base regarding different subaward mechanisms and the applicability of various donor/client flow-down requirements.
- Experience preparing staff for external audits and anticipating and mitigating potential audit findings.
- Demonstrated expertise in researching, interpreting, and applying donor regulations. Knowledge of the Uniform Guidance, Standard Provisions, FAR/AIDAR, and other donor rules and regulations regarding the implementation of Federal awards.
- Previous experience working with other donors’ regulations and related laws.
- Demonstrated project management and organizational skills – especially with time-sensitive work.
- Ability to collaborate and participate in teams with a can-do, positive attitude.
- Skilled in developing strong partnerships, especially in a diverse, global environment.
- Previous experience in training and experience coordinating and facilitating in person and virtual training.
- Proficient in MS Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, SharePoint, and basic knowledge of graphic design and Adobe Acrobat.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical demands:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be mobile in an office environment and able to use standard office equipment.
- Must be able to communicate in verbal and written form and must be able to travel internationally.
- Project HOPE employees may be required to travel or work in countries where working conditions are classified as “hardship.”
Work environment:
- Typical office environment with exposure to a minimal noise level.
- Emergency deployments may be in resource-deprived environments with austere living conditions.
- Travel for extended periods may be by air and/or other modes of transportation.
- While international travel is not a regular part of every job, programmatic needs may require it intermittently.
- Project HOPE employees may be required to travel or work in countries where working conditions are classified as “hardship.”
About the Organization
Project HOPE is an international NGO of engaged employees and volunteers who work in more than 25 countries, responding to the world’s most pressing global health challenges. Throughout our 60-year legacy, Project HOPE has treated millions of patients and provided more than $3 billion worth of medicines to local health care organizations around the world. We have helped build hundreds of health programs from the ground up and responded to humanitarian crises worldwide.
Code of Conduct
It is our shared responsibility and obligation to treat each other with respect, take affirmative steps to prevent matters involving Sexual Exploitation & Abuse and Trafficking in Persons, and to disclose all potential and actual violations of our Code of Conduct, which may include Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption, Discrimination or Harassment. Together we can reinforce a culture of respect, integrity, accountability and transparency.
