Grants and Procurement Officer- Relationship Management

Job Description

Project Overview and Role

The FCO China Financial Services programme runs between October 2019 and March 2022. The overall impacts the Programme is seeking to achieve are: (1) a more effective regulatory environment for financial services to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in China; and (2) increased trade and investment cooperation between Chinese and international (including UK) business. Together, these two objectives will fulfil the primary purpose and secondary benefit of the Prosperity Fund while also contributing to a third goal of global good through enhanced international economic security and the expansion of inclusive financial solutions beyond China’s borders.

The Programme must be fully ODA compliant and will also endeavour to mainstream strategies for gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) into project design and implementation.

The Programme focuses on five Pillars, including: (I) financial stability & regulatory reform, (II) financial technology (fintech), (III) insurance, (IV) pensions and (V) financial inclusion. These have been developed through rigorous analysis, scoping and consultation with Chinese and UK governments, regulatory, business and academic stakeholders.

In order to achieve objectives, the five Pillars will seek to acquire technical assistance (TA) through Invitation to Tender (ITT) and Competitive Grant Facility (CGF) procurement processes for their projects.

As the programme moves into implementation phase in May 2020 and the first window of procurement is set to open, we seek a Grants and Procurement Officer (relationship management) to provide oversight and management support to grantees and suppliers. This is a fixed-term role through the life of the project, with an end date of March 2022.

Responsibilities

• Communicate with subcontractors and grantees on a regular basis, in collaboration with PGT and Pillar Leads, to manage deliverables
• Support the PGT on procurement regulations and subcontract management in strict compliance with the Programme Grants and Procurement Manual, Palladium policies, and FCO regulations.
• Advise and support the grantee and subcontractor project management throughout the project implementation period
• Analyse and monitor all aspects of grantees’ and subcontractor’s performance, assess compliance with ODA and GESI criteria, identify any high-risk areas within the portfolio and recommend corrective action
• Provide technical support on grantee or subcontractor programmatic issues with regards to development impact, viability and sustainability of projects
• Plan for and conduct project visits to grantees and contractors with MREL team, prior to their project close-outs and ensure project findings from the field are discussed, followed up on and considered in project implementation
• Coordinate engagement of UK experts in providing technical assistance
• Coordinate the review and refinement of the programmatic logical frameworks by grantees and contractors within implementation with support from the MREL team
• Create ITT documents/ calls for proposals in collaboration with the Pillar leads after a Statement of Requirement (SOR) has been developed, finalise the preparation of the ITT/ CGF forms
• Review applications alongside PGT

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in finance, management, procurement
• Experience in grants and subcontract management
• Knowledge of FCO/ UK government or similar donors’ policies and procedures, specifically in grants, procurement, accounting, and financial compliance is an advantage
• Knowledge on GESI mainstreaming is an advantage
• Experience working on international development projects, preferably in China
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and verbal command of English and Mandarin.
• Sound knowledge of Microsoft Office tools
• Ability to work collaboratively and works well individually with minimal supervision
• Legal permission to work in China

About the Organization

Palladium is a global impact firm, working to link social progress and commercial growth. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.

For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved - and is committed to continuing to improve - economies, societies and most importantly, people's lives.

Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.