Grants Officer (Garissa) - Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP) at Education Development Center

Position Description

• KPLP activities will be implemented in all 23,300+ public primary schools across all 47 counties by Education Development Center (EDC) and its partners Aga Khan Foundation, Inclusive Development Partners (IDP), National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and Sesame Workshop in full collaboration with the MOE and USAID. The grants program shall be a key vehicle for delivering objective 3 of KPLP through intensive youth-led and youth managed activities focusing on family and community engagement and reading remediation. The Grants Officer is responsible for grants management at the regional level. The Grants Officer position will be responsible for the administration, management, and monitoring of the grants to the youth led organizations (YLO). Regular communication with each YLO will be required to ensure that the work is of quality, stays on track and is completed strictly within the agreed timelines. The Grants Officer will work collaboratively with other members of EDC’s technical, contractual, and administrative units as well as Ministry of Education team.

This is a full-time position based in Garissa and relocation costs will not be provided. The Grants Officer reports to the Kisumu Regional Education Advisor and works under the technical supervision of the Grants and Partnerships Manager, based in Nairobi.

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Demonstrate diplomacy to foster an atmosphere of teamwork, collaboration, productivity, and innovation.  
• Manage partners engaged through grants, encompassing the pre award phase through closure. The grants officer shall support participatory assessments of grantee capacity and develop and implement capacity strengthening and sustainability plans, in collaboration with technical and operational teams.
• Execute the monitoring plan and conduct visits to grantee sites to ensure that grantees are compliant with award specific requirements and applicable USAID regulations and are on track with milestones deliverables.
• Track all deliverables, ensuring grantees stay up to date on their work, troubleshoot problems as they arise, and keep management apprised of the status of all grants to the Youth Led Organizations.
• In coordination with the technical team, review grantee invoices for compliance and coordinate with technical teams for validation of performance and data quality assurance.
• Maintain grant files including records on monitoring and evaluation and other quality control activities (financial, programmatic, and proof of performance).
• Close-out completed grants in full compliance with USAID regulations and EDC policy and ensure audit trail for all necessary grant documentation.

Qualifications

The candidate for the position of Grants Officer shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field.

Skills and Experience:

• Five to six (5-6) years of directly relevant experience required.
• Prior experience working on USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Knowledge of USAID and USG assistance-related regulations (2CFR200, 22 CFR 228, ADS 303, ADS 591)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office package, especially Excel
• Demonstrated experience providing training and developing capacity building/sustainability plans for local organizations.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, collaborate and meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with employees at all levels.
• Good report writing skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Effective oral and written communication skills in English.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.

Other:

• Applicants must be Kenyan nationals or hold current work authorization.