Awards Manager - Partnership Management at Save the Children Nigeria

Job ref.: 190001S5
Location: Abuja
Employee Status: Permanent

Role Purpose

• This role will coordinate implementation of Country Office Partnership framework, work collaboratively with members and other departments of the Country office programme to ensure smooth management of development and humanitarian programme awards, sub awards and contracts
• The person will manage a small team responsible for a discreet portfolio of awards. The position will be also responsible for capacity building of staff and improving internal ways of working.
• In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

Scope of Role

• Reports to: Director of Award Management
• Staff reporting to this post:
  • Direct: Awards Management Officer
  • Indirect: Awards Management Coordinators

Key Areas of Accountability
Developing self and others; Working effectively with others:

• Support the Award Management Director to support the development and performance of the Award Management team
• Support the delivery of capacity building both within the AM team and across the Country Office
• Carry out orientations and staff trainings for award management procedures, donor requirements etc… for Save the Children staff and partner organisations.
• Build relationships across the Country Office, the Region and the Centre and escalate issues as required

Communicating with impact, negotiation and coordination:

• Provide coordination support to proposal development and review processes, ensuring all staff inputs happen in timely and effective manner. Also provide advice on donor compliance requirements to ensure high quality proposals.
• Coordinate the processes for donor reporting to ensure that reports are high quality, delivered on time and supported by auditable records.
• Maintain effective communications with Save the Children members regarding donor related issues
• Lead Award Kick off meetings to ensure that all award information is shared effectively with relevant staff, including field offices and partners
• Lead Close out process and work with members to ensure awards are closed out on time
• Coordinate with auditors as necessary

Compliance (Systems, Processes, Donor):

• Clear understanding of SCI processes and key donor requirements, and support teams across CO to ensure all opportunities, proposals, contracts and amendments follow SCI processes
• Ensure that all appropriate donor formats are available in-country and staff have a clear understanding of donor requirements/expectations throughout the award cycle.
• Ensure potential issues and amendment requests are flagged promptly to the Head/Director of Awards, then to donors via the relevant member. Prepare donor waiver/derogation requests.
• Ensure all AMS records are an accurate reflection of current award status at all times, and have all required documentation attached.
• Ensure all partners and sub-award agreements undergo legal vetting, are input into and approved through AMS, and work with relevant staff to ensure relevant donor requirements are understood by implementing partners (this may include capacity building)

Monitoring and Analysis:

• Co-ordinate the development of fully costed budgets for award proposals
• Co-ordinate with respective budget holders (PM/AM) in order to ensure budgets are correctly allocated and aligned.
• Ability to analyse financial issues i.e. variances and resolve by collaborating with other teams
• Strong financial skills including budget development, and monitoring of spend across award portfolio

Award Management leadership, portfolio management and strategy:

• Ensure award management systems and processes are successfully implemented, and key controls are in place to support effective portfolio management and compliance with donor requirements.
• Ensure regular award monitoring across the country office and facilitate regular meetings with key stakeholders to ensure individual award performance is being tracked effectively, and that risks and issues are being recognised and action taken.
• Provide regular management information to the Awards Director/Head on the performance of the allocated portfolio.
• Support the Director/Head of Awards to in the implementation of plans to address any performance issues identified through management information and KPI results.

Behaviours (Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

Qualifications

• Postgraduate or Master's Degree in International relations, Social Sciences, Project Management and Development relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years work experience in the development sector/with NGOs, with at least 3 years’ experience in partnership based programming
• Professional qualification relating to business, finance, accounting or international development

Experience and Skills
Essential:

• Proven track record of in-country award portfolio management and knowledge of major donors’ compliance requirements
• Experience communicating with impact in a complex stakeholder environment
• Experience of staff management, supervision and capacity building in Award Management
• Proven track record of supporting a senior management team
• Problem solving skills to identify and lead the resolution of issues
• Good attention to detail and analytical skills
• Computer literate (i.e. Word, advanced Excel, Outlook, financial systems).
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, flexible, able to improvise and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities
• Basic understanding of operational programming, including the realities of the context
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English, with experience in managing multicultural teams

Desirable:

• Significant experience with NGOs in an international environment
• Experience with Save the Children Award Management System (AMS)
• Experience on GAC, EU, USAID, ECHO, and DFID funding program.