Grants Officer at Community Engagement & Social Development Initiative (CESDI)

Project: Lake Chad Inclusive Economic and Social Recovery Project (RESILAC*2)

Location: Damaturu, Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria

Contract Duration: 23 Months (Fixed Term)

Reports To: Finance Manager / Project Manager

Funding Partner: Action Against Hunger (ACF) / CARE International

Position Summary

The Grants Officer will oversee the management, compliance, and reporting of all grant-related functions under the RESILAC*2 project. The post-holder will ensure that grant management obligations to the consortium partners (ACF and CARE) and donors (AFD and EU) are met, and that sub-grant processes (if applicable) are managed with transparency, accountability, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate the overall grants management cycle for the RESILAC*2 project in line with ACF/CARE and donor requirements.
• Monitor grant compliance including adherence to grant agreements, donor rules, project timelines, and budget utilization.
• Prepare and submit timely, accurate narrative and financial grant reports to ACF/CARE as required.
• Maintain a grants tracker/calendar to monitor key milestones, reporting deadlines, budget burn rates, and compliance obligations.
• Review project budgets, track expenditure against budget lines, and flag under- or over-spending to management.
• Support budget monitoring, budget vs. actual analysis, and prepare budget revisions as needed.
• Liaise with ACF/CARE grants teams to ensure alignment on reporting formats, compliance requirements, and documentation standards.
• Manage sub-grant processes (if applicable), including preparation of sub-grant agreements, monitoring of sub-grantee compliance, and review of sub-grantee reports.
• Support capacity building of sub-grantees or community-level partners on grants management, reporting, and financial compliance.
• Maintain a comprehensive grants filing system (physical and electronic) for all grant documents, reports, and correspondences.
• Coordinate with the MEL team to ensure that programmatic data for reporting is accurate and aligned with grant requirements.
• Support preparation for donor audits, due diligence assessments, and project reviews.
• Flag any grant-related risks, compliance issues, or irregularities to management immediately.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of grants management experience with an NGO, INGO, or development organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing EU, AFD, USAID, or similar donor-funded grants.
• Strong understanding of donor financial compliance, grant rules, eligibility requirements, and audit processes.
• Experience in sub-grants management and partner capacity building is an advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel for budget tracking.
• Knowledge of grants management software or ERP systems is an advantage.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong financial analysis and budget management skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong written communication and report writing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Integrity, transparency, and commitment to accountability.