Grants Management/Due-Diligence Consultant

Job Description

Who We Are

Resonance is an award-winning frontier market solutions firm based in Burlington, Vermont that helps a variety of donor, commercial and investor clients around the world to catalyze lasting impact. We envision a prosperous and just world of thriving markets, healthy ecosystems, and vibrant communities where business, governments and citizens work together creating a better world for all.

Resonance seeks to catalyze large-scale social, environmental, and economic change by fostering new and dynamic forms of collaboration. We do this by fostering public-private partnerships, facilitating sustainable investment, and providing deep analytical insights in frontier markets. We strive to merge strategic insight with practical on-the-ground knowledge into an integrated approach that emphasizes results.

Resonance was recently named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing privately-held companies. We seek candidates who are ready to apply their analytical and problem-solving skills to some of our planet’s greatest challenges in an entrepreneurial, fun, and fast-paced environment. We are looking for passionate and committed people who can work in a highly collaborative environment to deliver results for our clients and stakeholders around the world.

Position Mandate

USAID Catalyst Project Background

The USAID Catalyst project (Catalyst) supports the design and implementation of the USAID/Nigeria COVID-19 Food Security Prize. Catalyst Project expects to issue 25-35 fixed amount awards (FAAs) to winners of this Prize.

Catalyst is led by Resonance and managed by the Innovation, Technology and Research (ITR) Hub in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI). The objective of the project is to provide support and technical assistance to the design and implementation of Innovation and Challenge programs within USAID.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Catalyst Project to complete the pre-award due diligence processes for awardees under a new Challenge competition being launched to address food security in West Africa, efficiently, effectively, and compliantly.

This is a part-time consultant contract based remotely reporting to Director of the Catalyst project.

OUTCOMES / ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• The consultant will work with the Catalyst Grants Team to complete the following tasks for applications moving to grant awards in June and July 2021. Note: Catalyst anticipates issuing fixed amount award (FAA) grants to local companies:
• Conduct pre-award organizational assessments.
• Complete the required compliance checks (SAM, OFAC, and UN Sanction List) on applicant personnel.
• Conduct the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG), to evaluate potential environmental, climate, and gender impacts of the proposed project.
• Complete the budget review, review of supporting cost documentation, and cost negotiation to ensure all costs are reasonable, allowable, and allocable.
• Working with the Catalyst Director, negotiate grantee milestone deliverables that align with the approved scope of work and the vision of the Prize.
• Draft grant approval package for submission to USAID including the negotiation memorandum.
• Manage the award process for the Challenge grant portfolio in compliance with the approved Grants Management Plan, ADS303, and best practices.
• Maintain audit worthy grant files.
• Other tasks may be assigned by the Catalyst Program Director.

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum one-year experience managing donor funded grants programs, including completing grantee pre-award due diligence.
• In-depth working knowledge of U.S. Government rules and regulations
• Practical experience in project financial management, budgeting and budget quality assurance, contract administration, compliance, and other project operations
• Effective oral and written communication skills, including strong writing
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to multitask, and ability to work well under pressure
• Eligibility to work in US

PREFERRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Experience working in West Africa

The consultant is expected to complete this work up to 30 days LOE between June and July 2021. Note the LOE may be adjusted depending on the number of applications recommended for award.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No phone calls please. Resonance is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the Organization

Resonance is an award-winning frontier market solutions firm based in Burlington, Vermont that helps a variety of donor, commercial, and investor clients around the world to catalyze lasting impact. We envision a prosperous and just world of thriving markets, healthy ecosystems, and vibrant communities where business, governments and citizens work together creating a better world for all.

Resonance seeks to catalyze large-scale social, environmental, and economic change by fostering new and dynamic forms of collaboration. We do this by fostering public-private partnerships, facilitating sustainable investment, and providing deep analytical insights in frontier markets. We strive to merge strategic insight with practical on-the-ground knowledge into an integrated approach that emphasizes results.

Resonance was recently named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing privately-held companies. We seek candidates who are ready to apply their analytical and problem-solving skills to some of our planet’s greatest challenges in an entrepreneurial, fun, and fast-paced environment. We are looking for passionate and committed people who can work in a highly collaborative environment to deliver results for our clients and stakeholders around the world.