Jobs at Plan International in Senegal- Grants Coordinator

Job Title: Regional Grants Coordinator, Dakar
Closing Date: Tuesday, 29 November 2011

This position is on local contract and will work under Senegalese labour law .

Plan International is a humanitarian, child centred development organisation without religious, political or governmental affiliation. Plan is committed to protecting and promoting child rights , and to improving the lives and futures of poor children, their families and communities through a child-centered community development approach.

With a rapidly growing grants portfolio in West Africa and a diversity of donors, the Regional Office of Plan International in West Africa based in Dakar is looking for a dynamic and results oriented person to fill the position of Regional Grants Coordinator to provide the Regional Office and Country Offices with information, training and technical support required to comply with donor requirements and Plan's policies and procedures; to ensure that for all large grants, i.e. exceeding the Country Director's approval limit, the Country Office has in place adequate systems, processes and procedures to meet donors and Plan's requirements and to maintain trust of Plan's offices and partners in Plan West Africa's financial and administrative grants management capacity.

About the role

Key responsibilities

* Develops the capacity of country and regional office staff to comply with requirements of main donors;
* Provides management with information to facilitate strategic decision-makings in resources mobilization;
* Leads grant budgeting and contract review processes (pre-award);
* Provide post-Award oversight and support;
* Ensure that administrative, financial and compliance aspects of Regional Office grants (Regional office portfolio) are timely and consistently maintained.

Criteria for Success
* Comprehensive and easily accessible information material on donor requirements is available to all offices in the West Africa Region
* Updated and new information on donor requirements is shared with grants staff and others as appropriate
* Specific training modules are prepared and delivered as required on grants management and donors requirements
* RO staff, in particular Program staff are oriented to grant related system, processes and procedures and contribute to integrating RM into RO program strategy
* Periodic multi criteria analysis are realized on grants portfolio at country and regional office level
* Potential compliance-related issues, trends, risks are analysed and recommendations made
* Large grant proposal budgets are prepared and reviewed to ensure cost recovery and meet Request for Proposals requirements (overall timeframe, maximum budget, eligibility criteria, etc.)
* Plan's internal grants documentation approval process is followed
* Grant contracts and Memorandums of Understanding from donors (local/Country Offices/National Organizations) are reviewed, risks are identified and subsequent recommendations made to management
* Appropriate grant-funded projects financial administration procedures are developed, recommended and implemented in keeping with National Organization/donor requirements (e.g. purchasing, branding/visibility)
* A tracking tool is developed and maintained to ensure that reporting requirements (reports, evaluations, audits) are met; project spend is monitored
* Regional Office Monthly, quarterly and annual grants financial reports are prepared and submitted to the agreed reporting timetable
* Spot checks are conducted to ensure that grants are being tracked correctly in corporate applications
* Grant files and documentation are maintained
* Adequate levels of support are provided to audit teams and Audit Actions Lists are followed up
* Specific grant closing requirements are met

About you

Knowledge, Skills, Behaviors, and Experience Required to Achieve Role's Objectives:

Essential skills:
* Professional preferably with a degree in a relevant area and experience in finance, accounting, business administration, audit or related field
* Familiarity with financial and administrative requirements of a variety of large grant donors
* Proficient in computer skills and use of relevant software and other applications, e.g. word processing, spreadsheet, database, web-based system
* Fluent in English

Desirable skills and competencies:
* Good training and coaching abilities
* Experience in management of grant audit processes
* A commitment to human rights and social justice
* Extensive experience in finance, accounting, budget analysis
* familiarity with laws that govern grants administration in the Region
* Capacity to plan, prioritize and execute autonomously with a strategic approach
* Capacity to work under pressure
* An excellent eye for details
* Good knowledge of databases, data extraction methods, report presentation and strong quantitative skills
* Fluent in French

How to apply:

Please forward all applications to WARO.Recruitment@plan-international.org

Your application should include:-

* A covering letter
* A comprehensive CV
* Details of 2 referees.

closing date for applications is Tuesday 29th November 2011 Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. Plan is an equal opportunities employer, committed to the protection of children and gender equity and our recruitment procedure reflect this.