Manager, Grant Administration

Job Summary

As a key resource person, the Manager is responsible to provide expert advice related to grant administration, administrative risk assessments of recipient institutions, financial management and drafting of legal agreements throughout the life-cycle of projects/programs. The Manager oversees all activities related to the administration and financial management of grants and provides guidance and approvals for exceptions and deviations to standard policies and procedures while ensuring proper stewardship of IDRC resources.

In addition, in collaboration with the Manager, External Fund Management, the Manager reviews all donor agreements. The incumbent supports the administration of externally funded projects and programs in a way that ensures consistency and alignment with Centre policies and procedures.

Finally, the Manager is responsible to conduct institutional risk assessments for selected recipient institutions, participate in the monitoring of project expense targets, and contribute to the review policies and procedures to ensure their effectiveness and efficiency.

Primary Duties or Responsibilities

Management of staff and portfolio:

Manages a team of Grant Administration:

  • Identifies and selects staff, disciplines and terminates staff as necessary;
  • Ensures staff is properly trained and possess the necessary skills to perform their assigned duties.  Identifies and approves training courses that will benefit individuals and/or division staff and makes the necessary arrangements (contacting trainers, approving related expenditures, etc.);
  • Mentors, motivates, sets priorities and monitors the performance of staff, prepares performance evaluations and recommendations for ratings, provides advice on career development;
  • Identifies problems, provides guidance and feedback, resolves conflicts between staff (both within the division and outside the division); and
  • Assigns staff to the support of specific program staff and monitors workload with the units, resolves workload issues in consultation with AOs and re-assigns staff as required.

Management and Advisory Role:

  • Provides guidance and advice with regards to the interpretation of Centre policies and procedures to grant administration staff, clients, Resources Branch colleagues, and senior Centre managers thereby ensuring Centre-wide compliance in a consistent manner.  Approves exceptions in own area or recommends when exceptions should be made;
  • Participates as a full member of the division management team as well as a member of the extended Branch management team;
  • Participates in PPB Management meetings by providing project and grant administration advice as required, keeping informed about new activities and their impact on grant administration, following up on action items as requested;
  • Coordinates program staff training with respect to financial and administrative aspects of project management including establishing a list of attendees in conjunction with PPB Management, identifying needs as well as assist in the delivery of the training;
  • Coordinates the bi-annual Grant Administration SME meeting of head office grant administration staff as well as representatives from each regional office, including establishing an agenda, logistical arrangements, and lead sessions as needed;
  • Coordinates grant administration annual all staff meeting including hiring consultant/facilitator, works with the Director to establish agendas and ensures follow up as required;
  • Maintains regular contacts with the clientele in a way which fosters a good understanding and effective communications;
  • Participates as a member of Centre-wide and Branch committees in any capacity as may be required; and
  • Acts on behalf of the director in his/her absence.

Project Administration and Control:

  • Oversees the preparation and communication by staff of legal agreements to recipient institutions and individuals, including providing advice to staff on the drafting of legal agreements;
  • Identifies, assesses and manages financial and administrative risks ensuring they are properly documented.  Conducts risk assessments of institutions as required.  Ensures administrative considerations for projects and externally funded programs are accurately reflected in the project approval document, highlighting and exceptions to policies as appropriate;
  • Assists Administration Officers in reviewing project approval documents for the more complex projects to ensure compliance with Centre policies and procedures as well as to ensure the administrative treatment is commensurate with the recipient administrative risk;
  • Ensures business processes, procedures and corporate information systems are effectively integrated.  Evaluates the impact on Centre’s policies on grant administration and contributes in the formulation of new and revised policies and procedures.  Monitors current policies and procedures for effectiveness and initiates discussions with relevant managers in order to resolve problems;
  • Establishes appropriate internal control mechanisms and processes; monitors compliance with Centre policy; alerts management on potential conflict and proposes remedial actions;
  • Provides advice and assists in the establishment of allocation, commitment and expenditure targets; as well as the preparation of regular project expenditure information and recommend corrective action as required throughout the year;
  • Monitors the quality of the administrative and financial data in corporate information systems, ensuring staff follow up appropriately;
  • Ensures the hiring of casual help and consultants is done in proper consultation with HR and OGC as appropriate;
  • Approves general ledger journal vouchers seeing that generally and internationally accepted accounting principles are used in all head office projects;
  • Sees that Administration Officers provide payment confirmations to the auditors of recipient institutions;
  • Finds solutions to multiple administrative problems and situations that evolve in the Centre’s internal and external environment by discussing alternatives and arriving at a solution;
  • Responds to ad-hoc queries for project information from senior management and the President’s office.

Management and Administration of Donor Funded Projects and Programs:

  • Provides the grant administrative review on the agreements, ensuring that downstream grant implications are acceptable to the Centre.  Provides advice to the program staff on the project management aspects of their contract negotiations with prospective funding partners;
  • Ensures that the legal documentation between the Centre and the donor accurately reflect our respective requirements (legal, financial, administrative, etc).  Signs the donor funding agreements on behalf of the Centre;
  • Decides on the appropriate project management set up in EPIK in consultation with Program Managers and the Chief, EFM.  Sets up all Externally Funded Programs (EFPs) for both head office and regional offices and provides specific instructions to regional offices regarding the administration of EFPs;
  • Assists in the budget set up of donor operational funding to ensure appropriate operational and program budgets are established according to the signed donor agreement to meet the reporting requirements;
  • Establishes the annual allocation budgets of the EFPs;
  • Defines the provision of administrative support to donor funded projects/programs to determine the type and nature of support that will be required;
  • Approves disbursements of operational budgets charged to individual projects or EFPs while ensuring consistency with the PPB operational budget decisions.  Recommends corrective actions as necessary; and
  • Responsible for the closure of EFPs.