Western Kenya Strategic Activities Funds (SAF) / Grants Manager at RTI International

Project Description

• The purpose of the USAID-funded Western Kenya Sanitation Project (USAID WKSP) is to create a financially sustainable, transformative, replicable, and locally owned sanitation marketplace in the eight counties of western Kenya. The main objectives of the project are (1) increased access to and uptake of market-based improved sanitation and fecal sludge management (FSM) products and services; and (2) increased access to and uptake of market-based improved menstrual hygiene management (MHM) products and services at the household level. The target counties for this activity are: Bungoma, Busia, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kisii, Kisumu, Migori, and Siaya.

Responsibilities
Position Description

• RTI is seeking a Strategic Activities Fund (SAF)/Grants Manager for USAID WKSP. The SAF/Grants Manager will be responsible for providing the day-to-day supervision, guidance, and monitoring of all grant funds and SAF activities. This position will work with the Market Engagement Team and Market Facilitation Teams. The SAF/Grants Manager will additionally support capacity-building for new and underutilized grantees and other partners. This position will report to the Finance and Administration Director.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provides day-to-day supervision, guidance, and monitoring of all SAF
• Works with Market Engagement Team and Market Facilitation Teams and SAF awardees on concept development, subaward development, compliance, and implementation.
• Supports capacity-building efforts for new and underutilized awardees; collects paperwork and monitors progression of activities.
• Oversee and manage the full SAF award cycle for both grants and subcontracts, including conducting market research, ensuring technical requirements are accurately captured in the solicitations, responding to questions, organizing and leading technical evaluation committee and cost reasonableness reviews, preparing approval documents, assisting technical leads with implementation management, ensuring monitoring and evaluation and learning agenda requirements are captured in subawards, providing capacity building support to non-traditional and underutilized partners in subaward administration, and ensuring proper subaward closeout.
• With the Market-based Sanitation Team (MBS), design challenge and innovation grants and awards to source local solutions to address specific market-based sanitation and MHM products and services barriers/challenges.
• Lead capacity building activities, identify capacity building needs, and develop individual institutional development plans for SAF awardees.
• Monitor implementation and progress of sub-awardees, together with technical teams, via frequent collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) feedback loops and a remote help desk.
• Maintains robust financial management filing system for SAF activities, including accurate tracking of cost-share and ensure audit trail for all necessary SAF documentation.
• Coordinate with technical team to ensure deliverables stay on
• Ensure that grantees respect their cost sharing obligations as per grant agreements
• Implement sound mechanisms that facilitate the grant funds disbursement and justification of
• Analyze grantees’ funding requests and technical reports as
• Develop a database of all SAF awardees with all pertinent
• Collaborate in the preparation of SAF activities audits as
• Contribute to regular results reporting for SAF activities, including providing required information for annual and quarterly reports, as well as other work planning and monitoring and evaluation reports.
• Ensures timely financial disbursements and compliance with SAF financial management policies, monitors all SAF expenses, and provides regular updates on SAF subaward status.
• Performs other SAF or related tasks from time to time as assigned by

Qualifications
Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and eight (10) years of experience; or Master’s degree and six (6) years of
• Minimum six (6) years of relevant work experience in finance, grants, and/or procurement
• Experience with USAID or other international donor agency regulations
• Experience with international non-profit organizations
• Experience in grant and subcontract learning and knowledge
• Must be proficient in English and have excellent communication and interpersonal
• Should exhibit excellent organizational and have the ability to work under difficult circumstances with limited resources.
• Must have strategic thinking and planning ability and possess dependability, reliability, and high
• Ability to work effectively, responsively, and collaboratively with government counterparts, development and private sector partners, civil society organizations, and academic/research institutions. Able to work without supervision and take initiatives while maintaining a collaborative approach.
• Ability to develop and implement various grants management
• Experience in reviewing and negotiating budgets, reviewing financial reports, preparing for and monitoring audits of grantees, and file management.
• Experience in assessing organizational capacity and conducting capacity building
  • Flexibility to occasionally work outside of normal hours and to travel and work in any of the target counties and difficult terrain/conditions at times.
  • Proficiency in English is
• Work experience in Kenya