Grants & Compliance Manager – Nigeria

Location	Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Summary	Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Brussels, Belgium and Washington, DC, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict – away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 400 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 39 offices in 28 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The organization is an exciting and rewarding place to work, with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff who love their work. You will be joining a highly motivated staff with a good team spirit and there will be opportunities to grow in the role. Within Sub-Saharan Africa, SFCG works in fourteen countries: Angola, Burundi, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Summary of SFCG Nigeria Since 2003, SFCG has worked through its multi-media division, Common Ground Productions, in Nigeria, from 2004 to 2008 producing and broadcasting a TV series targeting a youth audience. In 2010, SFCG began building its engagement in Nigeria, initiating a multi-year conflict transformation program, utilizing media and support to civil society in order to expand and deepen the impact of the Common Ground approach in Nigeria. SFCG has established a permanent presence in Abuja as an operational base for a number of initiatives comprising the country program. SFCG works to support peaceful resolution of conflict in the areas of Nigeria such as the Niger Delta and Jos. SFCG Nigeria recently began a new initiative which focuses on the community reconciliation phase of the amnesty provided by the Government of Nigeria in three core states of the Niger Delta: Delta, Rivers, and Bayelsa States. Based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, the project will be implemented through a series of partnerships with Nigerian NGOs, local experts and international NGOs. The 18 month project has three streams of work: community level reintegration work, community radio development and media work. Additionally, there is a trauma healing element. The community reintegration work entails working with partners who have existing institutions in the Niger Delta. Summary of Position The Grant and Compliance Manager will support SFCG Nigeria progammes in the key areas of grants management of local partners, with particular focus on the Niger Delta project. S/he will be responsible for the timely implementation of the systems focused on implementing partner grants and compliance management with the four implementing partners and in the six communities. With this position, SFCG seeks to strengthen its foundation from which good programming can be launched as well as strengthen its problem-solving and prevention capabilities across its Nigeria programmes. This individual will work in close cooperation with the various departments of SFCG, including the Operations and Finance units, and with all sectors of the Nigeria Programme. This position is a capacity building position within SFCG’s Nigeria staff and with the partners that collaborate with SFCG in its programming. The position is based in Port Harcourt with travel up to 60% of the time.
Responsibilities	Provide guidance and technical assistance to implementing partners in the area of grant management and compliance of SFCG policy and procedures and donors rules. Design implementing partner systems to manage sub-grants and other financial relationships with partners that reflect donor and SFCG policies and procedures. Design and implement systems to manage internally sub-grants and implementing partner deliverables. Develop and implement systems that allow for implementing partners to easily manage and track budgets and deliverables, Strengthen staff and implementing partner capacity for budgeting. Support the Finance and Admin Manager in the development of country programme grant documentation systems for SFCG compliance and audit preparation. Ensure that implementing partners submit all financial documents needed to SFCG in a timely manner. Troubleshoot and develop solutions to sub-grantee concerns and issues as they arise to keep project on track. Communicate regularly with Country Director, Project Manager and Finance and Admin Manager to keep them up-to-date on project successes and challenges at the grants and compliance level. Work directly with sub-grantees to build capacity in grants management, financial management and compliance needs. Provide follow-up monitoring to the sub-grants administration systems. Train finance personnel in country programme and partner organisations on EU compliance rules, broadening skills to ensure that more than one (1) person in each finance unit can be aware of compliance guidelines for good accountability and transparency. Provide recommendations for improvements in terms of compliance, effectiveness, and efficiency in the administration/finance systems and their link to programme implementation. Assist the Finance and Admin Manager in the preparation of major external audits where requested and in resolving audit problems, documenting donors financial policies existing in country programmes and sharing lessons learned from audits.
Minimum Qualifications	Bachelor’s degree required, , with a major in finance, business or related area Minimum of five (5) years in a financial management role with hands-on accounting and managerial experience, preferably with at least two years in a non-profit and/or international organisation Comprehensive knowledge of the rules, regulations and policies associated with Nigerian-based financial regulations and grants. Knowledge of European, U.S. and African major donor rules and regulations. Ability to manage and train staff in a cross-cultural setting. Experience developing and designing policies and procedures. Strong people skills and presentation skills. Experience handling sensitive and confidential information. Ability to be structured in a flexible environment. Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Ability to influence and manage change. Excellent communication and negotiation ability. Strong organisational skills, with ability to meet deadlines, both prescribed and self-imposed. Strong work ethic with excellent attention to detail. Honest, ethical and pleasant manner with positive, can-do attitude. Highly developed research skills and problem-solving ability. Proficiency with business software applications (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.). A team spirit. Desirable Capacity building experience
Salary	Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits.
To Apply	Please send a cover letter and resume to employment@sfcg.org or fax to +1 (202) 232-6718 with the subject heading: Grant, Compliance, and Contract Manager – Nigeria. Please be sure to include minimum salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, projected start date, and to mention where you found this posting. No phone calls please. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site www.sfcg.org for full details on our work.