Job Description and Person Specification
Job Title:
Grants and Compliance Manager
Directorate:
Fundraising and
Communications
Unit:
International Partnership
Development (IPD)
Grade and Salary:1
Grade E
Contract Type:
Initially 2 year Fixed Term
possibly converting to
Permanent
Location:
London
Budget Holder:
Yes 
Reports to: (incl
matrix reporting)
Head of International Partnership Development
Direct Reports :
Grants and Compliance Officer
Matrix Reports:
None
Operational Remit:
Global  Regional Country Specific  International Secretariat 
DBS (CRB) / Police
Check:
Yes 
No 
No 
Job Role
Role Overview:
The Grants and Compliance Manager works as an integral part of the IPD
team and collaborates with other functions and ActionAid International
(AAI) members to support effective institutional fundraising and contract
management. This includes developing and embedding best practice to
comply with donor financial rules, supporting donor proposal budgeting,
analysis of institutional income, donor contract expenditure tracking,
monitoring and providing management information on key risks,
contributing to the implementation of improved financial systems and
processes to facilitate better donor reporting and compliance, and capacity
building of IS and country staff with grants and compliance related roles.
Areas of
Responsibilities
Key Activities
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Strategy and
Business
Development
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1
Conduct comparative analysis of past, present and future income
trends against targets to inform countries, senior management and
thematic teams in funding planning and investment decisions.
Collate, analyse and disseminate management information on
performance of institutional donor contracts against defined risks and
financial indicators to inform mitigation actions.
Prepare, review and sign off budgets for large scale, multi-country,
consortium and new donor proposals, ensuring high quality standards
and optimum cost recovery in alignment with organisational and donor
requirements. Develop risk assessment and guidelines for proposal
budgets and submissions.
Develop and implement improved business processes, policies,
procedures and guidelines to facilitate better management of and
accountability for institutional income
Contribute to the Finance Transformation Project and International
Finance initiatives to develop and improve financial policies, guidelines
For entry level salary of the mentioned grade refer to the Remuneration and Benefit Policy or local pay scales as applicable
Job Description and Person Specification
and procedures in order to achieve high standards in management of
institutional income.
Donor relationship
building and
influencing


Programme Led
Funding Planning

Contribute to the development and embedding of the programme led
funding planning approach across the federation

Support relevant donor account managers to negotiate financial
requirements in large multi-country, consortium and new donor
contracts to ensure that AAI signs up to contractual requirements that
are not onerous, including proper cash flow and pre-financing plans
and respond to donor requests for information.
Working closely with Restricted Funding Finance Manager coordinate
financial aspects of project inception workshops for large multi-country,
consortium or new donors contracts.
Working closely with the Restricted Funding Finance Manager and as
member of Internal Project Accountability Teams (IPATs), provide
financial compliance oversight for large scale, multi country and other
high risk donor funded projects.
In liaison with the Restricted Funding Finance Manager, support and
whenever relevant lead on donor audits for large multi-country,
consortium or new donors projects to minimise disallowed expenditure,
including liaison with auditors and negotiating contested findings where
appropriate.
Contribute to the development and roll out of a global Contract
Management System as a grants and compliance subject matter
expert in the project team and/or other defined working group(s).

Contract
management and
information systems




Knowledge
management,
communications
and coordination

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
Managing people,
capacity building
and organisational
leadership
Communicate with institutional donors (directly or indirectly through
relevant AAI account managers) to negotiate financial requirements in
contracts, resolve specific problems or to respond to donor requests for
information
Participate in external NGO networks and other initiatives that seek to
influence the financial rules of institutional donors



Gather and disseminate knowledge to bridge any gap between the
requirements of institutional donors and ActionAid’s processes and
systems helping to ensure alignment and compliance
Prepare and submit institutional grants and contracts information
required to comply with IATI and other donors like DFID, EC and
USAID.
Participate in external NGO networks and other initiatives that seek to
influence the financial rules of institutional donors
A strong commitment to develop, promote and practice AAI’s vision,
mission, values and strategy.
Recruiting staff in line with AAI HR policies, conducting probationary
reviews with staff and annual performance management reviews.
Building and motivating teams and managing effectively from a
distance. Provide strategic direction to team members.
Line manage Grants and Compliance Officer including setting
performance objectives, regular supervision through individual work
plans, conducting periodic appraisals, and supporting personal
development plans
Job Description and Person Specification
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
Other

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Conduct contract management training through inception workshops,
coaching and mentoring in setting up systems to monitor key
accountabilities eg co-financing, exchange rates, interest and budget
rules in line with contractual requirements.
Establish and coordinate a community of practice on institutional
income planning and contract management.
The role holder will from time to time be required to carry out any other
duties that are within the scope of the job.
Value Practice - A strong commitment to develop, promote and
practice AAI's vision, mission, values and strategy.
Women's Leadership and Gender - Committed to Gender issues with a
strong focus on women's leadership.
Collaboration - Proactively leverage on cross functional learning,
participate (where applicable) in international platforms and cross
functional project initiatives within AAI.
Accountability - Promoting, practicing and contributing to the
continuous improvement of transparency and accountability in the
federation in line with the ActionAid Accountability Charter.
Person Specification
Education,
Language &
Qualifications

Essential
Knowledge, skills
and Experience

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

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


Desirable
Knowledge, skills
and Experience



Minimum undergraduate degree and/or professional qualification in
Accounting, Finance, Business Studies, Auditing, Economics or related
field.
English Language proficiency.
Minimum of three years experience with an NGO in progressively
senior finance management positions with cross organisational
perspective.
In-depth understanding and experience of working with proposals and
contracts from institutional donors such as EU, ECHO, DFID, USAID
and UN
Experience of complex. planning and budgeting processes including
the ability to provide clear guidance on donor policies and procedures.
Comprehensive understanding of financial reporting, review and
analysis
Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills to work
effectively in a multi-cultural environment, often at a distance.
Ability to prioritise own workload and work with minimal supervision
Ability to work with, train and coach staff with differing levels of skills.
Experience of working in a global team and providing support from a
distance.
Knowledge of Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA).
Knowledge of French, Spanish and/or Portuguese.
Competency Profile
Strategic
Perspective
Demonstrate understanding of the Organisation’s priorities and goals and
effectively analyses complex problems.
Change
Management
Uses effective strategies to facilitate organisation change initiatives and
overcome resistance to change by involving others, listening and building
commitment.
Job Description and Person Specification
Decisiveness
Prefers quick and appropriate actions in many management situations
Leading Employees
Attracts, motivates, and develops employees.
Building
Collaborative
Relationships
Builds productive working relationships with co-workers and external
parties, whilst valuing people of different backgrounds, cultures and
demographics.
Communication
Expresses ideas clearly and concisely; disseminates information about
decisions and plans.
Leading with
Purpose
Has personal direction and is not easily sidetracked by details or workload.
Credibility
Acts in accordance with stated values; follows through on promises; uses
ethical considerations to guide decisions and actions.
Taking Initiative
Takes charge and capitalizes on opportunities