Procurement & Grants Assistant / Officer / Coordinator - DAI

DAI is an employee-owned global development company. For 40 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governments, and instability.

Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 60 countries. Our integrated development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines—crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS and disease control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change.

Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

Job Description

• Contract Name: USAID/Feed the Future Policy LINK
• Status: Long Term Project Staff (1-year Fixed Term Contract subject to renewal for duration of Ghana program activity, which is anticipated 5 years starting on/around October 15, 2021)
• Start Date: April 1, 2022 
• Supervisor: Ghana Procurement & Grants Manager

Position Objectives

The Procurement & Grants Officer will be responsible for providing general procurement and sub-award management support to the Policy LINK Program’s Ghana team including design, implementation and closeout. S/he will also support the contracting of independent consultants.

S/he will ensure successfully planned and executed sub-awards compliant with project policies, values, principles, budgets and timelines, reporting to the Procurement & Grants Manager.

The Procurement & Grants Officer will coordinate various aspects of design, execution and monitoring of Policy LINK grants, subcontracts, and independent consultant agreements. This will include managing implementation trackers, working with technical colleagues to track procurement needs under different activities; ensuring compliance and quality assurance of program processes and procedures; and support to MEL colleagues with documentation and reporting.   

S/he will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure all decision-making is rooted in that purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to fostering a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”  

Responsibilities

Procurement Management

• Work with Policy LINK activity teams to prioritize procurement needs and ensure they are consistent with program goals
• Carry out procurements and manage related shipping logistics with the support of the Administrative & Logistics Coordinator in accordance with applicable USAID regulations and DAI policies
• Under the supervision of the Grants & Procurement Manager, prepare solicitation documents, evaluate proposals, select suppliers, and create purchase orders and other related documents 
• Maintain a tracker of active sub-awards, ensuring timely modifications take place in compliance with DAI policies and procedures
• Support and maintain good communication and relationships with program partners and vendors on matters regarding procurement activity, expectations, logistics, deliverables, timelines and compliance requirements
• In coordination with relevant technical leads, monitor vendor performance for compliance with terms and conditions of award and contribute data to a local vendor database 
• Contribute responses to procurement findings from internal or external file audits 

Grants Management 

Design, Competition and Award:

• In coordination with technical staff and under the supervision of the Procurement & Grants Manager, draft content for grant solicitations and award documents using the appropriate templates, ensuring that Scopes of Work and general grant design are of high technical quality and align to project priorities

• Post grant solicitations (Annual Program Statement, Request for Applications, etc.) and support vetting and selection of grantees in compliance with project policies
• Serve as the non voting chair of grant technical and financial evaluation committee meetings and ensure that all records for such meetings and grant processes are well kept 
• Carry out due diligence, grant award negotiations, milestone finalization, and pre-award and on-boarding activities for new awards including proper contractual orientation of grantees.

Implementation:

• Track grantee submission of milestones and other technical reports
• Schedule site visits and follow up meetings as appropriate to ensure grantees meet award expectations
• Coordinate review and approval of milestones, reports, and payment requests, ensuring completeness, accuracy and quality of information submitted. Ensure all relevant documents are stored appropriately in project files
• With support from MEL staff, collect and store any designated MEL documentation (i.e. participant lists, technical reports) in appropriate project databases and contribute to project reporting
• Communicate clearly with grantees, proactively initiating formal award modifications as appropriate

Closeout:

• Under supervision of the Procurement & Grants Manager, ensure that grants are closed out in compliance with project policies and procedures, collecting signed closeout letters, final reports, and any other specified final deliverables
• Support MEL colleagues to organize an end-of-grant debrief or “lessons learned” event as appropriate, in coordination with technical staff assigned to the grant
• At grant conclusion, complete designed grant closeout process according to the latest checklist / guidance available in the Field Operations Manual, saving evidence of the audit in the project files. 

Independent Consultant Management:

• Document the recruitment (if applicable) and hire of new consultants, as well as modifications to existing consultant agreements, ensuring that updated CVs, biodata forms, SOWs, and other required documentation such as reference checks and restricted party screenings are saved

• Maintain updated independent consultant agreement tracker, flagging approaching award ceilings or period of performance end dates for supervisors
• Ensure that consultant agreements are fully executed by the appropriate DAI signatory per the latest Project Schedule of Authorities based on ceiling value 
• In coordination with relevant technical leads, monitor consultant performance for compliance with agreement terms and conditions and enter performance data in consultant database.

Reporting

The Procurement & Grants Officer will report to the Ghana Procurement & Grants Manager.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Procurement & Grants Officer will not have any direct supervisory responsibilities. 

Required Skills or Experience

• At a minimum, Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Public Administration & Management, Procurement & Logistics Management, Project Planning & Management, or any relevant qualification.
• At a minimum, 3 years of work experience in procurement, grants, and independent consultant management for an Assistant, 5+ years for an Officer, and 7 years for a Coordinator. Strong preference for financial management and accounting experience. "
• Experience supporting fast-paced donor-funded programs focused on resilience, livelihoods, food security, capacity development, or similar technical areas.

Skills:

• Attention to detail;
• Effective communication with colleagues and stakeholders located within Ghana as well as in Kenya and other LINK offices – a strong capacity for remote collaboration is required;
• Ability to balance competing priorities and information shared by colleagues, policy and procedure manuals, stakeholders, etc. and carry out well-informed procurement actions;
• Good English and Akan writing and speaking.

Qualified FEMALE candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.