Grants Management Consultant

NPI EXPAND Overview

The New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Expanding Health Partnerships—NPI EXPAND Project—is a global five-year (2019-2024) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project that supports locally-driven efforts to increase the availability and utilization of high-quality health and education services. NPI EXPAND invests in new and underutilized local partners (NUPs) and strengthens their capacity to strategize, plan, and implement programs with USAID funds. Enhanced participation of capable local organizations to increase demand for and to deliver high-quality, high impact services will enable governments to meet crucial goals equitably and sustainably. NPI EXPAND will also catalyze opportunities to scale up innovative interventions by strengthening the capacity of NUPs with varying levels of capabilities and exposure to USAID.

Purpose and Description of Consultancy:

NPI EXPAND is seeking a consultant with Grants Management experience to replace the NPI EXPAND Grants Management Director for the next 4 months. The NPI EXPAND Project is currently implementing a global project with activities in 10 countries across Africa, Asia, and South America, focused on capacity building, COVID response, education, family planning, and maternal and child health. This consultancy is taking place approximately mid-way through the 4th year of the project implementation. NPI EXPAND HQ staff is based in Washington, DC and across 10 countries. The Grants Management consultant will be responsible for overseeing grants (and subawards) awarded under the EXPAND program and ensuring that they comply with the USAID requirements and Palladium Contracts and Compliance policies and procedures. The consultant will work in close coordination with the home office team leadership as well as the local Capacity Development Director, Country Team Leads, and Field Staff, and the respective Project Management Unit (PMU) team members during the selection, implementation, monitoring and closeout of the Grants Making Process. The consultant will ensure that the EXPAND project goals are achieved, while the measurable program results are reported in accordance with the agreement, work plan, and monitoring, evaluation and learning plan.

In preparation for the consultancy, the consultant will collaborate with the Grants Management Director and HQ Grants staff to review current relevant project and country activities information, identify objectives and desired outcomes of the consultancy, and handover of the roles and responsibilities and current activities under the Grants Management Director’s supervision. Additionally, the consultant will develop a log of all actions taken during the Grants Management Director’s absence. The Grants Management consultant will provide brief biweekly grants update reports to the Project Director with insights and recommendations for the team if necessary. This consultancy will entail liaising with the NPI EXPAND senior leadership, the PMU and key staff at the field level.

Only applicants currently eligible to work in the United States will be considered. Location for this consultancy is in Washington, DC. The work is expected to be remote. The Grants Management Consultant will report to the NPI EXPAND Project Director, based in Washington, D.C.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Provides guidance and advice to grantees/subawardees on the interpretation of grant terms and conditions and client rules and regulations with minimal oversight, as well as training, guiding and mentoring grantee/subawardee counterparts
Takes initiative and provides creative solutions to complex contractual/compliance problems. Works with Palladium team members on project-wide initiatives and issues.
Provides contractual/regulatory guidance and ensures grants/contract compliance in accordance with terms and conditions of supported projects, and as a result drafts requests for client approval as necessary;
Drafts procurement documentation, including RFQs/RFPs, evaluation memos, and selection justifications.
Manages the procurement of goods and services including, but not limited to:
Draft RFQs, RFPs, and RFAs,
Manage the selection process during proposal evaluations;
Facilitate negotiations with awardees;
Draft, review, and finalize the resulting grant/subaward document;
Remains current on changes within the industry through resource sites, publications, and continuing education, with the ability to provide training and refresher sessions on pertinent topics to project staff and grantees/subawardees.
Prepares, organizes, and maintains grant records and files documenting grant award, modification, performance and compliance;
Provides contract briefs to document new grant awards, modifications and administrative changes;
Participates in the implementation and monitoring of grants milestones, tracking grants deliverables and monitoring grants delivery against grants budget;
Processes request for payment invoices for milestone achieved and verified;
Maintains the grants database system up to date and maintains project grant data on relevant grants database system and Project SP for all grants mechanisms;
Manages the development and presentation of internal and external reporting (for example: Internal grants reviews, grants risk assessments, grants annual reviews, and grants deliverables);
Escalates grants risks and issues to Project Director and EXPAND Compliance leadership, as required;
Ensures all corrective actions for assigned grants are implemented and reports back to confirm their completion via the grants database system;
Manages together with field grants support services and address grants matters as required;
Supports grants procurement procedures compliant with internal and client’s rules and regulations;
Creates reports on grants status;
Reports on overall progress against grants agreed targets, milestones, outputs and activities;
Issues Grants amendments as required;
Contributes with responses to client’s requests in conjunction with the Project Director;
Ensures that the grants manual guidelines for financial management are implemented in compliance with Palladium policies and procedures and with the client’s rules and regulations;
In conjunction with the Project Director, and the Manager, Project Delivery, engages in educating field new staff on grants policies, procedures, tools, etc.;
Conducts research to support the project, audits and other inquiries;
Assists with other tasks as assigned

Required Qualifications

A minimum of 10-15 years of international grants management experience, managing large complex multi-million-dollar USAID grants is essential;
A background ensuring compliance on large complex donor funded programs and current knowledge of USAID regulations
A track record of working collaboratively with various stakeholders
Strong interpersonal skills to maintain good relations with the relevant partners and counterparts
Well organized, able to work independently, skilled in handling multiple tasks, able to adhere to deadlines
Strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to develop and communicate a common vision and foster collaboration across an interdisciplinary team.
Strong management skills to guide all project human, technical, and financial resources.
Strong interpersonal, writing, and oral presentation skills in English.
Experience working on USAID-funded or donor-funded projects strongly preferred

Anticipated Period of Performance and Level of Effort

This engagement is anticipated to be part-time from April/May 2023 to August/September 2023 for up to 50 days of LOE

Application Requirements

Please submit in one file:

CV
1 page description of approach
Three references