Grants Director (Activity Funds)-Chemonics International Retour vers les opportunités

Title: Grants Director (Activity Funds)

Length of Assignment: Long-Term

Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party/Activity Funds Lead

1. BACKGROUND

The USAID-funded Visit Tunisia Activity is a 5-year project designed to enhance Tunisias tourism potential, with the goal of generating revenue and jobs, particularly for women and youth, and for populations in underserved regions of the country. The overall vision behind USAIDs investment in Tunisias tourism sector is to capitalize on Tunisias natural, cultural,

heritage and historical sites to develop a more diversified and high-quality tourism sector that contributes to broad-based economic growth. Through this activity, USAID seeks to contribute to Tunisias growth and development to offset the negative economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. The project will seek to achieve the following four objectives:

• Objective 1: Enhance Tunisias competitiveness as a tourism destination;
• Objective 2: Increase tourism-related investments and revenue;
• Objective 3: Improve the enabling environment for sustained growth in the tourism sector; Objective 4: Private sector engagement to expand the offer and quality of alternative tourism.

This project will collaborate with the relevant ministries, private sector, and donors to advance the objectives while contributing to the following high-level results:

1. Increase in the number of tourists.
2. Increase in the number of jobs in the tourism sector.
3. Increase in tourism revenue.
4. Increase in private sector-led investment and innovation in the tourism sector.

2. POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Activity Funds Director will be responsible for the contractual and administrative implementation of Visit Tunisias three technical fund pools- the Project Fund, Grants Fund, and Infrastructure Fund which together constitute $30 million. S/he will liaise directly with the technical team and Visit Tunisias senior management to program, monitor and report on grants and subcontracts in accordance with the projects technical objectives. She/he will provide overall and daily leadership to a 5-person team on the deployment and communication of these activities, ensuring overall compliance and management to the $30M of funds. S/he will be the primary focal point for the implementation of all grants and subcontracts under the Activity Fund, which will involve close collaboration with the Team Leads Destination Marketing and Communications Lead; Tourism Products and Experiences Lead, and Enabling Environment

Lead. S/he will ensure very close collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL team) to ensure activity results under the Activity Fund interventions are properly measured and tracked. S/he will ensure inputs are being delivered according to established work plans. The Activity Funds Director will also work with the COP, DCOP, and Team Leads, and other technical specialists to incorporate lessons learned from program implementation into new activity developments. In particular, she/he will ensure that all activities in the Fund are deployed in a complementary manner across all three funds and in accordance with the projects Activity Funds Primer, Project Fund Manual, and Grants Manual. S/he will ensure compliance with USAID rules and regulations for procurements and subcontracts, as well as ADS 303 governing grants and ensure grant solicitations, grant agreements, and negotiation memos are drafted in accordance with Chemonics policies, procedures, and best practices. The Activity Funds Director will ensure routine and effective collaboration with the regionally-based partner engagement specialists regarding Fund activity implementation and monitoring.

3. DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversees procurement requirements and ensures compliance with corporate policies, contractual requirements, US Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), ADS 303, and any other applicable policies and regulations for both subcontracts and grants;
• Serves on selection panels to identify and select subcontractors and grantees. Spearheads effective interactions between the Activity Funds team and the technical teams at the beginning of the award process in order to ensure the soundness of the competitiveness process.
• Reviews all solicitation documentation before released to vendors/grantees for competition to ensure compliance with Chemonics and USAID policies and procedures Reviews all neg memos, selection documentation, and draft subcontracts/grant agreements prior to execution.
• Provides oversight support to Managers and Assistant(s) as they work directly with vendors, grantees, and subcontractors throughout the activity lifecycle
• Monitors awards and follows up as necessary to ensure compliance with grant or subcontract terms and conditions;
• Reviews subcontract deliverables/grantee milestones and confirms these are in accordance with award terms and conditions before being submitted for payment;
• Provides activity fund status reports to the DCOP/Activity Fund Leader or other senior management as needed;
• Supports senior management in reviewing and analyzing budget estimates for reasonableness, and consistency;
• Provides training to project staff in grant, procurement and subcontract policies and procedures;
• Ensures that Activity Fund activities and disbursements are implemented in a timely manner;
• In collaboration with the DCOP/Activity Funds Lead, routinely reviews and follows the requirements of the Activity Fund Primer, Grants Manual, and Project Fund Manual to ensure proper and effective implementation
• Develops and submits to the DCOP/Activity Funds Lead, regular reports on Fund activities, including analysis of issues, constraints and bottlenecks, documentation of lessons learned, and description of corrective measures taken during the reporting period or proposed for future actions;

• Coordinates closely with the DCOP and Funds Technical Deployment Specialist when questions arise between the field office, home office, and partners regarding grant compliance and negotiation;
• Leads the team in the creation of management and communication tools, such as relevant trackers or reports and the Activity Management Portal (AMP), to ensure effective monitoring and implementation of activities
• Actively develops and empowers the Activity Funds team in their daily work and overall responsibilities for deploying funds while managing compliance and overall risk; Spearheads effective interactions between the Activity Funds team and the technical team at the beginning of the award process in order to ensure the soundness of all background documents and materials for the effective execution of grants and subcontracts; Perform other project duties as assigned by the Deputy Chief of Party/Activity Funds Lead.

4. QUALIFICATIONS

• B.A. or M.A. degree in public administration, international relations, business, finance, or relevant field.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail required
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated experience liaising with technical teams to jointly deliver on program objectives;
• Detailed knowledge of grants and subcontract lifecycles, including solicitation/competition, implementation and management, and closeout, as well as financial management and budgeting for USAID or Donor projects, including USG regulations for compliance and oversight;

• Experience leading a team and reporting to senior management on team progress and constraints;
• Demonstrated experience on reporting on activity status and progress, and communicating on program successes;
• Experience with forecasting and managing activity budgets accurately;
• At least 8 years of progressively responsible procurement, subcontracts, and grants management experience in terms of the job tasks and responsibilities outlined above.
• Minimum 3-4 years experience with a USAID-funded project is strongly preferred.
• Experience with ADS 303 and implementing USAID grants programs is strongly preferred.
• Fluent English, Arabic, and French is required

5. REPORTING:

The Activity Funds Director will report to the Deputy Chief of Party/Activity Funds Lead and will directly supervise the Activity Funds Manager, Infrastructure Fund Manager, and Activity Fund Assistant(s).

6. LEVEL OF EFFORT AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

This position is long-term, on a full-time basis.

7. LOCATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

This assignment will be based in Tunis, Tunisia with potential travel to regional locations pending project needs. The office maintains a five-day work week. Overtime is not authorized.