Grants and Compliance Specialist-Programs

Job Description

Position Summary

The Grants Management & Compliance Specialist is an integral member of CNFA’s Program Management Unit and will work on a dynamic team to support CNFA’s portfolio of agricultural development programs globally by providing administrative backstopping support from the CNFA Washington, DC office. Under the supervision of the Program Director, the incumbent will work with a dynamic team of Field Office (FO) and HQ staff to support CNFA’s program implementation, with a specialization in operations – specifically, related to grants, contracts, procurement, administration, operations, and compliance. Responsibilities include providing operational and administrative support and mentorship to field staff. While this position is specialized in providing operational support, it may be required to provide other programmatic backstopping related to reviewing program deliverables and technical documentation based on workflow and at the request of their supervisor.

General Responsibilities
The GMCS will be responsible for a wide range of functions, including but not limited to:

• Assist with program implementation by providing technical support that includes, but is not limited to: input toward program strategy development; assistance developing technical program materials and deliverables; monitoring and evaluation of program activities; development of strategic relationships with donors, implementing partners and other stakeholders; leadership in critiquing and reviewing project documents such as grant and project proposals; development of scopes of work for short-term assistance and other technical contributions;
• Oversee procurement processes including, drafting/reviewing RFPs and RFQs, drafting procurement contracts, local and international consultancies and reviewing contract deliverables;
• Understand the technical objectives and expected MEL results sufficiently to provide strategic support to operationalize program activities through complex procurements;
• Serve as a FO and HQ PMU resource on how to use CNFA tools to achieve project goals, procurements, and operational tasks to serve the overall objectives of these activities;
• Backstop programs, including reviewing/editing program documents and reports, tracking and reports program events;
• Provide mentoring and training support to FO and PMU staff on CNFA procurement policies, grants administration, and other operational and compliance requirements;
• Monitor projects to ensure programmatic compliance and contractual and financial compliance in collaboration with the Operations and Compliance Department, as well as achievement of project deliverables and impact;
• Serve as a key liaison between the FO and ACU to problem solve and present solutions to challenges related to program operations;
• Work with HQ PMU and FO to develop, monitor and implement close-out plans for assigned projects;
• Work closely with PMU and COPs to manage subaward/subcontractors’ contractual deliverables and ensure that subaward/subcontract evaluations are completed annually;
• Temporary international assignments will be required to conduct program site visits, to assist in field office work efforts, conduct general evaluation of program progress and collection of program information;
• Perform a variety of other related duties as required.
  

Job Requirements

Qualifications:

• Bachelors’ Degree in a relevant field (Business, agricultural economics, international relations) required; a Master’s Degree is strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years international development experience with a minimum of 2 years of experience backstopping complex international economic development programs is required.
• Experience managing USAID contracts of sizeable value is strongly preferred;
• Experience managing USAID compliance issues specific to contracts is required;
• Demonstrated experience with backstopping grants-under-contract programs and in working with programs to build local partner capacity required;
• Demonstrated expertise in project budget development and management, including experience conducting operational and financial audits of field offices;
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills, and clear, concise written communication skills required;
• Strong budgeting and analytical capacity are expected;
• Outstanding organization skills with a high level of attention to detail;
• Ability to maintain composure and flexibility under tight deadlines;
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize effectively and manage multiple competing priorities;
• Ability to engage with organizations and individuals from various cross-cultural contexts; and
• Highly skilled in coordination and project management.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite required.
• Fluency in English and French language (reading, writing, speaking) is required.
• US Work Authorization Required, CNFA does not provide sponsorship.

CNFA IS PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER It is the policy of CNFA to provide equal employment opportunity to all persons, regardless of age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, veteran status, or on the basis of personal favoritism or other non-merit factors, except where otherwise provided by law.

REASONABLE ACCOMODATION & CONTACT INFORMATION CNFA provides a reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact the CNFA Home Office Human Resources Department via email at accomodation@cnfa.org or via phone at 202-296-3920 if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job with us.

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About the Organization

About CNFA:

CNFA is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to stimulating economic growth in the agricultural sector by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise and market linkages. CNFA specializes in fostering private sector investments in training, new technologies and marketing as a means to increase the overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains, to expand exports, and to develop skills in the rural workforce. CNFA assists smallholders in increasing household-level food security and nutrition through improved agricultural practices, introduction of new varieties, diversification of crop production, food preservation and storage, development of farmer-based organizations (FBOs) and strengthened linkages to markets.