Programme Manager - Operations and Grants

About CARE

CARE is a global leader in fighting poverty and delivering innovative solutions to empower communities. With a mission to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice, CARE works in over 100 countries, focusing on gender equality, sustainable development, and resilience. We do this by working for the empowerment of women and communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change, natural disasters or conflict. In doing so, we create structural change, in close collaboration with partners, governments and communities.

The CASCADE programme (CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE) aims to improve food security and contribute to the reduction of malnutrition of at least 5 million people, with a focus on women of reproductive age and children in Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. Using an advocacy-centered approach that galvanizes government, businesses, and communities, the programme has 2 Strategic Objectives: to increase access to and consumption of healthy diets, and to increase the resilience of households to economic and climate-related shocks. Efforts across the 6 countries are contextually driven and are 1) strengthening food systems and nutrition policy and government accountability for financing and implementing these; 2) re-engineering markets and mobilizing private sector; 3) mitigating the effects of negative cultural norms and practices on nutritional well-being and diets of women of reproductive age and children under 5 years of age; 4) strengthening capacities of mothers and families of young children to access healthy diets year round; and, 5) systematizing data and learning for policy and decision-making at all levels of government.

CASCADE is 4.5-year programme, now in its third year, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The programme consortium is led by CARE Netherlands with participation from CARE USA and one major international partner, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Country programmes also partner with a range of different local partners to enhance sustainability of interventions.

Job Overview

The Operations and Grants Programme Manager supports the overall operations of the CASCADE consortium, including ensuring appropriate systems and processes for grants and contract management, compliance, risk monitoring and management appropriate for a complex, multi-country programme. Given the timeline of the CASCADE programme cycle, the priority tasks for this position will focus on financial, administration and contractual close out across the six countries, and of global operations for the 3 consortium partners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operations, project and grant management – 60%

For the consortium:

Serve as the focal point for project operations and grants management for six country teams, collaborating closely with the GAIN Programme Lead.

Develop and manage consortium trackers to keep the overview for operational and close-out plans and deliverables, procurement, sub-grants, budgets, and internal / external consortium deadlines, etc.

Together with the Project Controller, track country expenditures, review budget vs. actual reports with country programmes on a timely basis linking spending to workplans, and support country teams on projections, accruals, and close-out planning.

Coordinate the process of annual work plans and budgets, and annual reporting with guidance from the Sr. Technical Programmes Manager.

Support the Sr. Technical Programmes Manager in ensuring technical guidance and decisions are adhered to.

Together with the GAIN Programme Lead and Programme Associate, coordinate regular reviews and updates on country-specific risk management matters and bring to the attention of the PMU.

Coordinate award start-up and close-out and the onboarding and phase-out of country office staff within the global consortium.

For CARE:

Support contracting between CARE NL and the six CARE country offices and sub-granting for CARE country offices;

Coordinate CARE global procurement for the programme where needed and support the major procurement processes in the countries of implementation through the respective partners;

Ensure that CARE internal systems are complete and up-to-date, including completing the annual PIIRS reviews in coordination with MEAL and TA staff and keeping the country descriptions in Promeva updated;

Coordinate programme close-out processes with CARE offices, including with local partner organizations, vendors, asset disposition, and staff phase-out, etc.

Support the Project Director and Project Controller on updates to contracts with consortium partners and sub-contractors, as needed.

2. Compliance and risk management – 15%

With guidance from the Project Director, follow-up on donor requirements and compliance, local regulations, and financial and administrative processes, working closely with the GAIN Programme Lead, GAIN Programme Associate, and Financial Controller;

Set up and manage trackers and systems for documentation and monitoring of key operations risks and indicators for the CASCADE consortium to support compliance and risk management, with a focus on programme close-out processes;

Support country teams in the operational aspects of adaptive management, problem-solving, and programme close-out. Programme Associate, Project Controller, Sr. Technical Programme Manager, etc., to coordinate where required.

3. Oversee consortium administration – 10%

Supervise and coach the consortium Project Officer, who is responsible for consortium administration work such as scheduling, updating and maintaining team calendars and systems, supporting scheduling, etc.

Support the Project Officer to ensure all meetings comply with programme standards, such as ensuring meeting agendas are set and shared in advance, notetaking roles are assigned and notes shared within in a timely manner. Responsibilities and timelines for follow-up should also be set at the end of each meeting and followed up on, accordingly.

4. CARE NL linking and other tasks – 15%

Serve as CARE NL portfolio focal person for Kenya and Mozambique Country Offices, as needed;

Keep the relevant CARE NL portfolio manager for Benin, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda regularly informed and coordinate around any issues relevant to the country office relationship or country context / risks;

Take part in Sustainable Development Team meetings and leverage CASCADE experience to support CARE NL learning and programme development;

Other tasks, as assigned by Project Director and Sr. Technical Programme Manager.

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