Grants and Partner Capacity Development Advisor

Company Description

Stichting SNV Netherlands Development Organization is a global development partner working in more than 25 countries in Asia and Africa. In Rwanda, SNV has been working for more than 30 years to improve people’s livelihoods by strengthening the capacities of public and private sector organizations and catalyzing partnerships. It does so by contributing to the national development goals in three sectors: Agri-Food, Energy, and Water. SNV supports development in these sectors by working with the government, civil society, and private sector organizations.

Job Description

SNV Rwanda is recruiting a Grants and Partner Capacity Development Advisor for an anticipated program focused on youth employment within agriculture value chains. The Youth Entrepreneurship in Agriculture – Rwanda (YEA-R) Program aims to increase resilience and quality of life for young women, men and persons with disabilities through dignified, fulfilling, and equitable work opportunities. The incumbent should be a professional with experience and expertise in corporate grant management, compliance and partner capacity building. 

The position holder will be responsible for overseeing internal audit, compliance, and grant management within the country office. This involves ensuring that both the country office and project comply with SNV policies & guidance, donor rules & regulations, and government laws. The key aspect of this role is capacity development for the partners, alongside grants management. The position holder will manage a work plan for eight (8) partners, outlining development milestones and mobilizing internal and external resources to support partner capacity development.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

• Contract Type: Full time, National Employment
• Duty Station: Kigali – Rwanda
• Reports to: YEA-R Program Manager with dotted reporting lines to the Country Finance Manager (CFM)
• Collaboration: Collaborates with the PM, Sector Lead, CFM, Country Human Resource & Operations Manager and Global Internal Audit Team and Risk and Compliance Team.
• Contract Type and Duration: Two years with the possibility of extension based on performance.
• Anticipated Start Date: TBD

KEY TASKS:

I. Grants Management

• Oversee the selection and on-boarding of grantees in line with program objectives.
• Draft, and negotiate incoming, and outgoing legal instruments and modifications (Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), pre-teaming, grants, cooperative agreements, contracts with sub-awardees / sub-grantees ensuring the applicable flow down of donor requirements) in consultation with SNV in-country Finance & Operations Teams and Headquarters Grants & Contracts Team and with approval from the Country Director.
• Coordinate execution of outgoing subawards and modifications in accordance with contracts and grants procedures.
• Conduct regular site visits to monitor the progress of sub-recipients, assess their performance, and ensure accountability in line with the sub-recipient monitoring plan and document findings and outcomes appropriately.
• Work closely with the PM and CFM to ensure timely disbursement and reporting of grants, including reviewing sub-recipients’ annual work plans and budgets for consistency with overall program goals and objectives, alignment with donor technical and spending requirements, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness.

II. Partners Capacity Development

• Take lead in conducting needs assessments to identify capacity gaps in partner organizations, particularly in the areas of financial management, procurement, project implementation, financial reporting and documentation.
• Develop tailored training programs and coordinate regular sessions to provide capacity building to local grantees in grants management and reporting, as necessary.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and exchanges between partners and implementation teams on donor guidelines, best practices, compliance and risk management, and mitigation strategies and tools to promote learning and collaboration. 
• Provide ongoing mentorship and support to partners to ensure they meet performance targets, understand and comply with SNV and donor requirements.

III. Compliance

• Monitor grant compliance, coordinating with technical, MEL teams and finance teams; approve modification requests as, as needed.
• Identify potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk, developing and implementing corrective action plans for resolution of problematic issues and providing general guidance on how to avoid or deal with similar situations in the future.
• Ensure that all SNV activities are in line with contractual obligations and in agreement with the donors’ rules and regulations and maintain a compliance dashboard for the Youth Employment in Agriculture Rwanda (YEA-R) Project and other projects.
• Analyze high risk and complex issues and provide practical and appropriate advice, including escalating to the appropriate senior levels or forums and recommending methods to proactively manage those risks.
• Ensure that the organization establishes and maintains a robust compliance and ethics program, to prevent and detect violations of law and other misconduct, and to promote ethical practices and a commitment to compliance with the law as well as with internal and external policies.
• Coordinate reporting processes, formulate audit findings, lead discussion on findings with relevant management, gather feedback, track and follow up on audit findings, and help the management to formulate corrective recommendations to address identified control gaps & risks.
• Laise with Headquarters Internal Audit Team to maintain and update draft audit & compliance policies and provide guidance and answer queries thereof.
• Engage with internal and external auditors on relevant risk and compliance matters and mitigation plans.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or a related field.
• Certified with a relevant professional body such as ACCA, CPA, CIA or compliance certification is preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience in internal auditing, compliance and risk management, establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with reputable International NGOs.
• At least 2 – 3 years of experience in grants and contracts Management in a donor-funded project (e.g. with institutional humanitarian and development donors).
• At least 2 years of experience leading capacity development initiatives with partner organizations.
• Good understanding, interpretation, and ability to deliver trainings on different reputable donors’ rules and regulations.
• Ability to operate comfortably within a complex cultural and global environment.
• Previous work experience with donor-supported projects will be an added advantage.
• Ability to review and analyze financial records, financial reports, and statements.
• Ability to think both tactically and strategically.
• Ability to multi-task effortlessly and manage competing priorities under demanding deadlines.
• Possess sound judgment, flexibility, and agility in changing courses and solving problems swiftly.
• Demonstrated experience in building the capacity of staff in compliance and internal audit-related policies and procedures.
• Willingness to travel to field offices and work in difficult environments according to travel requirements. 
• Proficiency in English & Kinyarwanda is required (written and spoken), while knowledge of basic French is an added advantage. 
• Above average computer skills, particularly in Microsoft Windows Word, Advanced Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, and managing resources efficiently, holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities.

Additional Information

COMPETENCIES:

Conceptual thinking: Having and gaining insight into situations, problems, and processes. Deconstructing problems and systematically investigating the various components. Having a complete picture of the context and overview of the whole problem. 

Coaching: Encouraging and guiding partners and staff to make their performance more effective and to enhance their self-perception and problem-solving skills. 

Focus on quality:

• Familiarity with results chains and monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Familiarity with inclusive business models and application to resource-constrained smallholder farmers.

Result orientation: The ability to take direct action to attain or exceed objectives. 

Persuasiveness: The ambition to win over other people for one’s views and ideas and to generate support.

HOW TO APPLY:

The application file containing the following documents should be consolidated in one PDF file & submitted to the Country Director via our recruitment portal – via Smart Recruiters at https://smrtr.io/kHvss , no later than November 9, 2024.

The application file includes a motivation letter and an updated CV which has 3 professional references, including current and previous direct supervisors with their full names, phone numbers and email addresses.

SHORTLISTING:

Shortlisting and interviews will be done on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates are highly recommended to submit their applications as soon as they can. Only applicants fulfilling the above requirements will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within one month from the submission date of your application, consider your application unsuccessful.

WORKING AT SNV: 

SNV is a great place to work and prides itself in its comprehensive benefits package. We offer competitive salaries and a dynamic inclusive work environment.

SNV is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, and requires affirmative action to ensure equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. This is also to include inquiries about, disclosing, or discussing their compensation or the compensation of other applicants or employees.

SNV offers a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit from, and contribute to, an internal and global network of experts. For more information on SNV, please refer to our website: www.snv.org

VETTING:

SNV carries out rigorous background and reference checks concerning possible safeguarding incidents for all candidates applying for international determined positions. As SNV participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a request to past employers to fill in a questionnaire regarding misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment), the “Statement of Conduct”. This Statement of Conduct adopts the definitions used in the Scheme. 

DATA PROTECTION ASSURANCE:

SNV will not retain your personal data for longer than is allowed by law or is necessary for the Purposes.

If you are selected and offered employment, the personal data you have provided will be used by SNV for the purpose of human resource management and administration. If you are unsuccessful on this occasion to secure employment with SNV, SNV will retain your personal data for one (1) year for the purpose of considering you for other suitable positions as and when they arise. If you do not wish to be considered for other suitable positions by SNV, please indicate accordingly in the acknowledgment section.

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