The Organization
ICRISAT seeks applications from Indian nationals for the position of Senior Executive - Grants Management. This is a national position and for a project led by Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), New Delhi.
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve peoples lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.
ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. ICRISAT and its partners help empower those living in the semi-arid tropics, especially smallholder farmers, to overcome poverty, hunger, malnutrition and a degraded environment through more efficient and profitable agriculture.
ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and seven country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT, established in 1972, is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. For more details, see www.icrisat.org.
About the position
The Senior Executive- Grants Management will support the administration and management of the assigned portfolio of grants, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, excellent donor stewardship, and timely and high-quality information management for the Alliance. The person will also be responsible for the administration of sub-grants awarded under her/his portfolio of grants, ensuring assessment of partners capacity and compliance of sub-granting contracts with prime donor requirements.
Key Responsibilities
A. Grants Administration
• Provide support to the management and monitoring of the portfolio of projects assigned and ensure that the commitments of the Legal documents with the donors & partners are accomplished in the dates established.
• Conduct review of donor contracts against the Alliance’s policies and procedures and facilitate the process of contract clearance and signature.
• Facilitate the negotiation of contracts with donors for their subsequent execution taking into account the policies and procedures established by the organization.
• Set up new grants in the systems and communicate grant opening to internal stakeholders so they are duly informed of compliance requirements and passport information of the grant.
• Maintain an overview of reporting requirements (deadlines, templates, etc.) and communicate it regularly to relevant internal stakeholders.
• Work closely with the resource mobilization unit, finance, legal, researchers and other areas of the organization to ensure that contracts are executed on time.
• Liaise with donors on all grant-related issues, including submission of donor reports and requests for project modifications.
• Support scientists in the overall management and monitoring of grants, sharing information about compliance requirements and reviewing adherence to them.
B. Sub-grants administration
• Coordinate capacity assessment and due diligence review of prospective partners.
• Ensure Partners’ awareness of reporting requirements, research ethics and contractual compliance.
• Support the review of Sub-grant agreements connected to the assigned project portfolio to ensure compliance with prime donor’s requirements.
• Track and collect cleared reports to be filed in the appropriate digital repositories.
• Provide ongoing support to internal stakeholders and partners throughout the Sub-grant lifecycle on administrative and compliance issues including contract modifications.
Required qualification and experience
• Bachelor’s Degree in International Development, International Relations, Economics, Business Administration or another relevant field.
• Experience in the administration and monitoring of grants (review and negotiation of grant contracts, donor reporting, monitoring of grant implementation, development or implementation of grant-related procedures, grants management training and facilitation).
• Experience of project management, including understanding of project budgeting, budget management and financial issues.
• Proficiency in relevant software programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines while still maintaining attention to detail and accuracy, and problem solve effectively.
• Proven track record of building collaborative relationships across and within internal teams, and with external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated to ability to work effectively as part of a team with people in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment, including with external stakeholders; excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written including the ability to organize and write clear and concise reports.
• Knowledge of the CGIAR and/or international development agencies.
• Experience of implementing and/or using information management systems (grants databases, ERP systems, etc.).
• Experience and capacity to build long-term relationships with stakeholders.
Skills and competence
• Previous experience working for international development and/or research organizations, NGOs or UN agencies is highly desirable.
• Communication skill in French would be considered a plus.
Terms of employment
This is a full-time position and available for Indian nationals based in New Delhi, India. The successful candidate should be available to commence as soon as possible for an initial of two (2) years fixed term contract, with the possibility of contract renewal depending on performance and funding situation.
How to apply:
Applicants are invited to apply online through ICRISAT Careers website (ICRISAT Careers) by clicking on the “Apply” button, completing the online application and attaching a cover letter illustrating their suitability for the above position against the qualifications, competencies, skills, together with a detailed curriculum vitae, including names and addresses of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience.