AWARD & PARTNERSHIP MANAGER

PRACTICAL ACTION
ABOUT US
We are an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.
We are committed to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment through all our work. This includes programmes, knowledge sharing, advocacy, external communications, and our own organisational development. At a minimum, we ensure that all our work is gender sensitive, seeking gender transformative approaches as our overall ambition and in accordance with context.
We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

OUR AIMS
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:
• Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living
• Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
• Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
• Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods.

PRACTICAL ACTION IN KENYA
In Kenya, Practical Action has a long history of addressing systemic barriers that prevent people from accessing energy that transforms their lives, helping communities and government make cities healthier and safer, making agriculture and markets work better for small holder farmers and supporting communities and government to become more resilient.
We use a mix of programming with communities and consultancy services with shapers of policy and practice to achieve our aims in Kenya, with offices in Nairobi, Lodwar and Kisumu.

ABOUT THE ROLE
The Awards and Partnership Manager will contribute to achieving high quality programming by delivering an efficient and effective award management function. S/he provides support to Project Managers from start-up to close out of awards, takes leadership in monthly budget review meetings, leads on any amendments, cost/no-cost extensions and timely reporting in accordance with donor and Practical Action’s policies and guidelines. S/he supports proposal development and ensures effective channels of internal and external communications relating to awards are established and respected. This role also supports budgetary management processes for sub-awardees, conducting expense reviews and ensuring budgets are aligned with organizational guidelines and policies.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
Proposal development, Budgets management and Donor contracts.
• Support the development of concept notes and donor proposals by providing inputs to the budgetary components.
• Work with the relevant budget holders, project managers and other relevant team members to ensure an award inception phase is delivered successfully with clear reporting structures laid out once the award contracting process is completed.
• Review donor contracts, flag any issues that might need alignment regarding existing organizational procedures, and support contract negotiations.
• Work closely with Budget Holders, program teams, and finance as well as other stakeholders to compile accurate proposal budgets, budget narratives and assess whether all necessary costs have been included.
• Work with other Finance team and relevant technical staff leads to monitor rate of spending including charges such as personnel, travel, consultancy, sub-grant agreements, and troubleshoot and escalate as needed.
• Work with Project managers and Finance to monitor co-financing reporting when required by donors.
• Work with Project managers and Finance to ensure expense charges are allowable, allocable and reasonable; and follow up to ensure errors are corrected.
• Assist with budget planning and monitor monthly budget versus actual expenditures; compile and analyze budget revisions/re-allocations.
• Prepare Project budgets using the system budget upload template for posting into the system.
• Ensure all donor communications, requests, amendments, etc. are communicated effectively, responded to and quickly to the relevant team members and recorded/stored for future reference.
• Track and monitor project-specific Level of effort (LOE) reporting as needed for all awards portfolio and/or departmental sharing of LOE as required.
• Ensure award files are kept up to date in a consistent manner to support backstopping and handover process.
• Monitor award implementation, reporting and procurements to ensure donor guidelines for compliance.
• Ensure prompt donor claim preparation in reference to donor contracts, timely submission and reconciliation.

Partnerships
• Support the development of and manage sub-award agreements for partners as needed in collaboration with project managers and other relevant team members.
• Participate in the partner/sub award due diligence process and ensure issues identified are promptly addressed.
• Ensure timely disbursement of funds to sub awardees, review partner liquidation reports and prepare partner advance reconciliations.
• Contribute to partner capacity building as required and follow up issues identified in partner assessments.

Donor Reporting, Monitoring and Compliance
• Facilitate communication and ensure timely, accurate reporting to donors ensuring consistency between narrative and financial reports and that they meet quality standards as per donor templates.
• Highlight critical financial issues such as under/overspends to budget Holders and ensure clear and concise commentary is provided.
• Coordinate prompt response to donor queries as they arise.
• Monitor grant payment schedules and income requests for respective portfolio, working closely with other finance team to ensure this is done in a timely manner.
• Be familiar with all organizational and donor portfolio compliance requirements and ensure high quality management of awards through meeting of Key Performance Indicators and deadlines.
• Support and advise program teams with queries related to donor compliance on awards.
• Work with other departments (i.e. Programs, Finance, Admin & Procurement, M&E and Communication) to ensure all documentation required is ready and available for audits (e.g. vouchers, distribution lists)
• Assist in training and capacity building for both staff and partners in relation to the organizational awards management procedures/donor compliance as required.
• Prepare an up-to-date awards Funding Tracker to help in donor reporting, auditing and reconciliation.
• Coordinate all donor project audits in a timely manner and in line with the agreed deadlines and ensure audit findings are implemented and resolved.

Project Close-out
• Coordinate Close Out of grants in respective portfolios.
• Ensure completion of Closeout checklists and that awards in awards management system and financial system are closed/deactivated.
• Prepare up to-date award reconciliation statement to establish funding status and balances before close out.

Sensitivity on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion:
Should have respectful beliefs regardless of their gender, age, sex, race, ethnic background, culture, different ability, nationality, religion, and marital status. Is sensitive and adaptable to gender and social inclusion and adopts inclusive practices. Responds and behaves appropriately in different situations.

PERSON PROFILE
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:
Experience & Knowledge
• Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting/Finance, BBA or any other relevant bachelor’s degree. Must be a CPA finalist.
• At least 4 years of relevant experience in a related field especially practical experience in awards and partnership role.
• Experience of donor relations and grants management (e.g. with institutional humanitarian and development donors).

Essential
• Proven skills and experience in report and proposal development and working with multiple donors.
• Good personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organisational and team working skills.
• Good cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Knowledge of the NGO operations and the dynamics of the development sector.
• Practical experience of computer software like MS Dynamics, Microsoft excel.
• Should be self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, holding the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities.

A detailed job description can be accessed on Practical Action Website- JD-Award-Partnership-Manager.pdf (practicalaction.org)