CI-GCF Senior Grants Manager

“Hiring for this position is contingent on funding. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview as we prepare for this effort.”

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Suva, Fiji

The CI-GCF Senior Grants Manager, is a manager of the grants management team within the Conservation International Unit that serves as an Accredited Entity of the Green Climate Fund. This position will initially focus on the Adapting Tuna-dependent Pacific Island Communities and Economies to Climate Change (Tuna) program that may be approved at the start of the calendar year 2025. The CI-GCF Senior Grants Manager oversees the Grants Management cycle for this program but will also be expected to support other GCF projects and aspects of the whole project cycle, including project development and risk management. The Tuna program is $107 million in GCF financing with $50 million in co-financing and spans 14 countries in the Pacific, involving 14 government sub-awardees and 2 technical partners, and has an implementation period of 7 years. The Senior Grants Manager will support the administration of the project from an oversight perspective from the CI-GCF Agency. This includes providing online and in-person training and tools to country teams and ensuring that program staff and partners are trained on CI-GCF policies and procedures, especially during the first year. Based in Fiji, the position requires travel to other Pacific nations. Subsequent to the initial year, which will focus on training, start-up support and oversight, the role will focus on monitoring financial reports, GCF compliance requirements, and conducting site visits. This position will also support the CI-GCF Agency in various aspects of the proposal development process and other projects under implementation on an as-needed basis. The Senior Manager is a member of both the CI-GCF Agency and the CI-GEF/GCF Grants Management teams and will report to the CI-GCF Grants Director.

The successful applicant will show competencies for grants management and proposal development while working closely with a diverse team; excellent communication skills with grantees/clients, colleagues, and donors; attention to detail; and flexibility, adaptability, and ability to manage competing priorities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Grants management (outgoing):

• Provide financial and operational oversight to projects to verify compliance with strict CI and donor fiduciary standards and grant agreement terms by approving and monitoring annual project budgets, procurement plans, and grants-management plans; reviewing detailed quarterly and annual financial reports; coordinating with the Project Manager to ensure expenses are in line with project delivery and targets; and conducting in-depth transaction testing, desk reviews, and/or site visits to projects and grantees.
• Review annual financial reporting to the donor (GCF) and respond to donor inquiries.
• Prepare complex and clear disbursement requests to the donor.
• Support the kick-off and start-up of the Tuna program, which spans 14 countries in the Pacific, involving 14 government sub-awardees and 2 technical partners.
• Review and approve Tuna program procurements and sub-grants as required by CI policy.
• Identify grant implementation challenges and issues and propose solutions collaboratively with grantees.
• Manage the grant closeout process with grantees and donors, and coordinate with other divisions of CI to ensure compliance with CI’s and donor policies.
• Build grantee financial and operational capacities through regular communications, training on donor and CI requirements, and the development of tools and guidance materials for grantees.
• Continue training and support to the EE to prevent prohibited practices both within the EE and among subgrantees.
• Draft, negotiate, and monitor grant agreements with grantees and track agreements in CI systems.
• Assist in the development, review, and updating of grant management templates, tools, policies, and procedures. This includes agreement and amendment templates, budget and reporting templates and tools, procurement and grants reporting templates, grantee selection, and due diligence processes, and other grant monitoring or compliance requirements.
• Participate in interdivisional coordination for best practices for GEF/GCF grants management
• Provide support to portfolio or project audits.
   

Proposal Preparation and Negotiation; Portfolio Management:

• For CI-GCF proposals, support as needed in reviewing and guiding the development of budgets and contractual arrangements and contribute detailed review and editorial review on all proposal content in coordination with project development directors. For full GCF Funding Proposals (typically $30 million+), support the review of proposals and their detailed finance, operations, and legal annexes and develop multiple Funding Proposal annexes.
• Develop and conduct or review capacity assessments for grantee and subgrantee due diligence and determine appropriate risk mitigation measures; support coordination of legal due diligence process with project proponents, GCO, and Finance.
• Support in responding to donor reviews with written responses, revised documents, and donor calls, with multidivisional coordination.
• Support the development of training materials for proposal development teams and deliver trainings or consultations on the proposal development process and proposal requirements.
• Support the development and update guidance documents, templates, and resources for 3 stages of proposal development; provide guidance, expertise, and feedback to funding-proposal development teams in written form or in meetings; contribute to SharePoint site for grantee access.
• Support the maintenance of the team’s portfolio (pipeline) tracker and oversee pipeline updates in CI’s fundraising software.
• Support as needed to the development and implementation of the Portfolio and Project Management System (salesforce).

Donor management (incoming grants):

• Support the Grants Director as the grants-management liaison with PPF donor UNOPS (reporting, disbursement, grant agreements) and supporting role with GCF for budget and finance.
• Support the drafting of term sheets and support the interdivisional process for the development and approval of term sheets and donor agreements.
• Support with cash management of the GCF portfolio.
• Prepare and review annual financial reporting to the donor and respond to inquiries for projects in its portfolio.
• Support reaccreditation applications and negotiations; lead development of sections of the application; and support annual accreditation reporting with consultant.

Risk Management and Compliance

• Lead for assuring GCF grantees meet compliance requirements of donor and CI policies.
• Project management for compliance updates, including supporting the development of eCourses or other initiatives.
• Ensure that all CI-GCF policies and procedures are compliant with the GCF including annual reporting to the GCF providing evidence of such compliance as needed.
• Identify operational and financial project risk areas and develop the necessary tools to mitigate them.

Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Employee must have authorization to work in Fiji. 
• Travel is expected internationally up to 35%. 
• This is a hybrid position and full-time office presence is not mandatory, except as required by the country office or supervisor.
• This role is a 7-year fixed term assignment. 

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5 to 7 years of experience in grant management, proposal development, and due diligence.
• Direct experience with GCF policies or similar donors in the management of the grants cycle from start-up to close out, and/or funding proposal development focusing on budget, due diligence, and operational aspects.
• Experience in monitoring and managing grantees, and donor reporting experience with multilateral or bilateral funders.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills to address challenges as they arise.
• Strong organization skills; Ability to prioritize and manage high volume and varied tasks and meet competing deadlines across time zones, including short turnaround times from donors and partners.
• Resourcefulness and ability to work proactively and independently.
• Service focus. Courteous, professional, tactful, and proven ability to work effectively with others from a variety of disciplines, cultures, and backgrounds, including with multilateral donors.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with the ability to edit the work of others (including non-native speakers) to a donor-focused audience.
• Cultural sensitivity and willingness to engage with diverse communities.
• Attention to detail in quantitative tasks (budget and finance) and writing (proposal, donor responses).
• Strong work ethic and willingness to take ownership of wide-ranging responsibilities.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office package (especially Excel) and web researching skills.

Preferred

• Master’s Degree
• Project management training or experience.
• Affinity with environmental or climate-related issues.
• Experience with CRM or fundraising software (Salesforce, Blackbaud).
• Proficiency/fluency with Microsoft SharePoint and Teams.
• Proficiency in other languages spoken in the Pacific region.
• Knowledge of regional languages (e.g., Tok Pisin, Bislama, Samoan, or Tongan) is an advantage.
• Experience with work for highly restrictive funding from public-sector donors.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

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