Latest Vacancies at Palladium Group

Job ID.: req11916

Project Overview and Role

• Palladium provides grant management support services to GSMA Mobile for Development's Innovation Fund. The Fund will focus on inclusion, innovation and scale, and will offer equity-free grants for digital solutions that improve the lives of low-income citizens in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia Pacific.
• We are looking for a dedicated individual to join our team, working with the Grants Lead and Grants Manager in the oversight, management and administration of all funded grants. This will involve financial, communication and compliance management. You will be responsible for supporting the delivery of Palladium’s responsibilities in the grant cycle, and tasks will include:
• Act as the first point of contact for applicants, managing all communication (confirmation receipt, notify successful and unsuccessful applicants).
• Work in collaboration with the Grants Team (comprised of a Grants Lead, Grants Manager and other officers) throughout the grant implementation to perform Due Diligence on potential grantees such that the team can take the necessary care, attention and discretion prior to signing grant agreements and during the implementation. These include:
• Ensuring adequate and transparent governance structures, and robust and reliable financial internal controls.
• Assessing the capacity of grantees and subcontractors to effectively implement actions to strengthen their administrative and financial management systems.
• Performing spot check visits and compile visit reports.
• Identifying projects in extreme risk markets that require enhanced due diligence.
• Collating and verifying all documents received (e.g. references, background checks, etc.)
• Confirming eligibility of grantees. Perform formal evaluation of each application.
• Review all proposed budgets and project activities during the proposal stage to assess each applicant’s capacity to utilise budgets in the project time frame and ensure that all budgets are compliant with the guidelines set for the round.
• Review final work plans, evidence requirements and budgets with successful applicants taking into account any conditions imposed by the Panel.
• Contribute to and prepare the grant allocation, disbursements, and forecast schedules, as required. (the GSMA will be responsible for processing payment to grantees).
• Contribute to training all grantees on the grant reporting requirements and the use of the reporting templates.
• Obtain and review evidence submitted by grantees as proof of milestone achievement.
• Contribute to identifying risks and maintaining a risk dashboard at portfolio level highlighting potential risks and issues and mitigation plans for each grant.
• Support in coordinating monthly portfolio review meetings with the GSMA team and provide updates including on the risk dashboard.
• Review of grant reports to ensure accuracy and completion of activities and KPIs against proposals, timelines and project plans, and request additional information if necessary.
• Contribute to the provision and maintenance of portfolio level report per round with analysis on the financial status of each grantee, project progress, and highlighting potential risks (including delays) to the GSMA.
• Maintain relevant filing for key documents. Archive all grant-related documents and share them with the GSMA
• Collect end of grant reports (project and financial).
• Work with team members in the preparation and completion of financial audits as required.
• Write an overall assessment of the grant; provide feedback to grantees.
• Ensure that goods and services are purchased by each grantee according to Palladium Procurement policy and guidelines.
• Develop strong working relationships and regular dialogue on project progress and challenges with the Palladium team working on the project
• Provide necessary training, capacity building and information to grantees to enable compliance with the financial accounting, reporting and procurement requirements of their funding agreements.

Required Qualifications

• Recent experience in a grants/funding or international development role
• Demonstrated financial acumen and experience with budget or project management
• Strong attention to detail and diligent approach to compliance matters
• Experience supporting clients and technical managers in project delivery
• A positive teamwork ethic, and supportive attitude
• Experience communicating with different audiences/stakeholders.
• Fluency in English is essential. Fluency in French is desirable but not a requirement.
• Interest in International Development and/or Digital Technology Development would be an advantage
• Confident working with IT systems, including databases and Microsoft Excel.

Job Information

• This role can be located either in the United Kingdom or Nigeria.
• Our team on this project is based in offices near Bristol, UK and in Abuja, Nigeria.
• We are open to remote working circumstances, but you must be able to travel to the nearest office on an agreed basis.
• Please note that we are unable to sponsor visa applications for the UK or Nigeria.

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Job ID.: req11919
Location: Abakaliki, Ebonyi
Duration: 5 years
Reports to: State Finance and Administrative Director

Project Overview and Role

• The Palladium Group has an opening for a Grants and Compliance Manager within the Financial Management department. The Grants/Compliance Manager will manage grants portfolios, in accordance with Palladium and USAID policies and procedures.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Prepares and processes grant applications, and oversees grant management and implementation for all public-sector opportunities.
• Ensures all sub-awards comply with the rules and regulations of governments and other multilateral donors.
• Strengthens and maintains the necessary administrative structures and interdepartmental processes to ensure grant transparency, smooth implementation, reporting, requisite controls, and monitoring.
• Guide and advise grantees on the interpretation of grant terms and conditions and client rules and regulations as well and training, guiding and mentoring grantee counterparts as needed in coordination with the Technical Leads and Senior Grants and Compliance Manager.
• Provides guidance to technical staff in the development of SOWs, EOIs and RFAs for grants, including the development of program technical description, milestones, deliverables and selection criteria to ensure USAID approval.
• Coordinates with the ACO Senior Grants and Compliance Manager prior to submission to the Chief of Party and or USAID to ensure quality and compliance
• Take initiative and provide creative solutions to complex contractual/compliance problems, working with applicable IHP team members on project-wide initiatives and issues.
• Provide contractual and regulatory guidance, ensuring contract compliance in accordance with terms and conditions of supported Task Orders, and as a result draft client approval request as necessary;
• Lead the grants/sub-awards procurement of goods and services under the Task Order including, but not limited to:
  • Draft EOIs, RFAs, etc.
• Manage the selection process during proposal evaluations including evaluation memos and selection justifications.
• Complete pre-award assessments and due diligence.
• Facilitate negotiations with awardees in consultation with the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager and Technical Leads.
• Draft, review, and finalize the resulting grant/sub-award document in addition to modifications as required.
• Prepare, organize, and maintain grant records and files documenting grant award, modification, performance and compliance.
• Provide grant briefs to document new grant awards, modifications and administrative changes.
• Participate in the implementation and monitoring of grants milestones, tracking grants deliverables and monitoring grants delivery against grants budget.
• Review and process requests for payment of invoices for milestone(s) achieved and verified.
• Maintain the grant portfolio database and project grant data on relevant grant database system and Project SharePoint site for all grants mechanisms, always ensuring up to date records for spot checks and audits.
• Escalate grants risks and issues to the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager or Director of Finance and Administration, Technical Leads and other IHP staff as required.
• Report on overall progress against grants agreed to targets, milestones, outputs, burn-rate and activities.
• Contribute to responses to client’s requests in conjunction with the Senior Grants and Compliance Manager.
• Ensure compliance to set rules and regulations in the organization (i.e. ensuring that all staff take the annual USAID FP compliance requirement course(s), Palladium mandatory courses, COVID-19 compliance maintenance within the office and in all official functions like workshops and meetings);
• Ensure strict adherence to timelines and deadlines of all steps in the grants process as outlined above.
• Process consultancies and sub-contracts, ensuring audit-readiness documentation of the process;
• Other tasks as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Business, Finance, Economics or any other relevant field.
• A Bachelor's Degree with at least 6 years of experience in Grant, Business, Finance, Accounting or any other relevant field can be substituted for an advanced degree.
• Minimum of five years of experience managing grants for donor organizations. Experience with the USAID grants management system is highly preferred.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills, including the ability to manage large budgets and client expectations.
• Able to communicate effectively and excellent interpersonal skills to form effective working relationships at all levels;
• High level of computer literacy;
• Ability to deal appropriately with sensitive issues and maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times