Grants Officer

Job Description

Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture Activity

Position Summary:

Position Title: Grants Officer

Reporting to: Grants Manager

Grade: K/9

Position Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization Overview:

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 5,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI’s Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI’s experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world.

SG&R’s Global Food Security and Agriculture portfolio is working to strengthen agricultural markets, engage youth and women as critical leaders of the on- and off-farm workforce, and tackle the dual burden of malnutrition around the globe. RTI’s work is helping foster stronger food systems, reduce malnutrition in all its forms, build resilience and engage the next generation of food security leaders. RTI is currently partnering on nearly 30 projects in East Africa, including activities focused on private sector-driven agricultural growth in Rwanda and market systems development in Kenya.

Project Description

The purpose of the Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture (ETA) Activity is to increase access to healthy diets, particularly for women and children, by improving competitiveness, inclusiveness, and resilience of the Ethiopian food and agriculture system. ETA will also increase incomes gained from agriculture by as much as 40 percent over the next five years. To achieve its goals ETA must collaborate intensively with other USAID funded projects working in the food and agriculture sector.

Position Description

The Grants Officer will be responsible for implementing the Catalytic Investment Portfolio (CIP) grants program. The CIP will work with smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs, and rural consumers and issues grants under three categories: Innovation, Capacity Building, and Impact. Grants Officer will support capacity building efforts for new and underutilized grantees. The position will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will report to the Grants Manager.

Position Roles and Responsibilities:

• Collect paperwork and monitor progression of activities.
• Ensure project strictly adheres to all USAID, U.S. Government, Government of Ethiopia, and organizational rules and regulations; identifies and mitigates any project risks before they occur.
• Collect and file required paperwork from proposed and awarded grantees and monitor progression of activities; keep all grants-related files up to date.
• Receive, prepare for review, and circulate to reviewers complete grant applications and supporting documents.
• Create a tracking system for all grant applications received; maintain complete records from grant review meetings, messages, etc.; properly record approval or non-approval. Keep the tracking system up to date: approved grants and deliverables, grants pending USAID approval, grants in the concept paper stage, potential grants.
• Create a tracking system for awarded grants, with information relating to each signed grant, progress against workplan schedules, and funds disbursement, including pipeline review for each respective grant project.

Minimum Skills and Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Commerce, or related field and 3 year of experience, or a bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least three years of experience supporting operations of grant programs is required. Prior experience with USAID-funded projects is highly desirable.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Verbal and written fluency in English required.
• Ability to travel and work throughout Ethiopia in difficult terrain/conditions at times.

About the Organization