Global Grant Community Overview;
A critical gap in the global funding ecosystem is the standardization of the pre-award due diligence which is undertaken between grantors and grantees. Currently, grantors each use their own methodologies and approaches to due diligence which leads to grantees experiencing a duplicity of pre- award assessments.
Funded by a consortia of international grantors and hosted at the AAS, the first deliverable to address this gap was the development of a new international quality finance standard for Good Financial Grant Practice, which concluded in June ’18, with the adoption of the standard on a pan African basis by the African Organization for Standardization. Rwanda has broken new ground to become the first African country to adopt and implement the standard in partnership with AAS.
The second deliverable was a ‘self- assessment portal’ ( the Global Grant Community Portal) in which grantees self assess their compliance to the requirements of the GFGP standard. The production version of the portal went live in Jan’19.A certification scheme is in the final stages of development, which will approve Certification Bodies to provide independant audit verification of the grantees’ compliance to the requirements of the GFGP standard.Accees to the GGC is provided to grantors and grantees on a fee for service basis, typically paid by the grantors.Use of GFGP standard and the GGC portal can be used globally and applies to all sectors in which grants or awards are made between a grantor and a grantee. The grantors include but are not limited to governnents and governmental agencies, foundations, Universities, International NGO’s, NGO’s and charities. Grantees can vary from large Institutions such as Universities through to small Community Based Organizations.The potential market for the GGC is therefore very large and the expectations are that the market demand will be significant.
The GGC globalization strategy which is being developed encompasses :-
the GGC / AAS will focus their internal capacity and capabilities on the STI/HEI/Governmental sectors where they have experience, networks and credibility.
to identify a business partner to gain access to the Humanitarian / Not For Profit sector.
to give consideration to establising GGC Global Centres of Excellence to provide a global foot print.
The chosen strategy is likely to be a blend of all three approaches.
The AAS has signed an agreement with an external supplier who will be responsible for the provision of a 24/7 Help Desk and the Procurement to Pay cycle of invoicing and receipting subscription income.
The requirements to globalize GGC has created a new position at the AAS for an Operations Manager, who will have pivotal responsibility for managing the GGC Secretariat through the next stages of its evolution and ensuring the successful achievement of the operational and financial objectives of the GGC.
Position Overview
The GGC Manager will be responsible for coordinating and enabling all aspects of the GGC Business Partnering and the GGC Secretariat. The position will work closely with the AAS Finance team and the GGC Senior Advisors in creating and implementing strategies and plans to support the global goals and objectives of the GGC.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities;
Business Partnering and Development
Management of the relationships with GGC business partners.
The incumbent will also represent the AAS and the Global Grant Community at external meetings and events as needed.
Supporting, managing and reporting on the development and implementation of the GFGP certification scheme, GFGP certification bodies and GFGP licensed training providers.
Management of the implementation plans for GFGP in Rwanda, and other African countries as they adopt and implement the GFGP standard.
Acting as a liaison to the AAS senior management, the GGC Steering Committee and Senior Advisors to keep them up to date.
Preparation of quarterly reports to the GGC Steering Committee and GGC funders.
Acting as the Secretary to the GGC Steering Committee.
Development of regular income projections and forecasts, including customer pipeline management.
Utilize business analytics systems to provide high quality informatics relating to the performance of the GGC business unit.
Marketing and Sales. To work in collaboration with the AAS communications team and GGC partners to continuously develop the sales and marketing plan for the GGC.
GGC Secretariat
Ensuring key performance indicators are in place and targets are met.
Management of the relationship with 24/7 Help Desk and P2P service provider, especially
Identifying existing capacity and capability gaps within the GGC Secretariat and what is required to bring them up to industry standard
Management of the relationships with the portal software developers,
Implementation and regular reporting on the change control procedures relating to the GGC portal and Secretariat.
Management of the procurement of goods and services for the GGC Secretariat.
Ensuring that communication in the Secretariat is ongoing and utilised to maintain an environment of continuous improvement.
Identifying any skills gaps in the Secretariat and recommend recruitment to mitigate.
Training and development of staff to ensure that everyone is performing adequately in their role.
Providing a leadership support function to the team and motivate staff to achieve their KPI’s.
Drafting, implementation and updating of new policies and procedures required for the governance of the GGC portal.
Financial Management
Work closely with AAS Finance to review the financial management reports on a monthly basis for the whole GGC Secretariat including both investment activity as well as operational activities. This will include variances to budget, revised budgets / forecasts.
Distribute the financial reports in the required formats for the GGC Steering Committee, AAS SMT and other committees as required.
Prepare Grantor reports as required and be the primary point of contact for Grantor queries.
Development and updating of the GGC business model on a regular, and as required, basis.
Ensure the GGC business unit and GGC development budgets are up to date into MS Serenics.
Review the budget analysis reports to review budgets vs actuals, with trends, insights, concerns and recommendations clearly elaborated.
Liaise with auditors for the GGC and undertake any audit preparation and reporting as required. Ensure there is collaboration with AAS Finance team for any audits undertaken.
Knowledge and Experience
At least 8years’ experience working in the provision of professional services from either the commercial, consultancy, financial or international aid sectors.
Experience in management, business and systems approaches would be an added advantage.
Technical knowledge of systems and tools for delivering and tracking service delivery.
Proven experience in developing workflow processes in support services
A good understanding of the global issues relating to international aid and grantor / grantee interrelationships.
Skills and Attributes
Leadership – leading the team to achieve organisational goals.
Communication –, ensuring that communication is ongoing and effective between different stakeholders. Able to work in an international and multicultural environment.
Finance – financially numerate and able to budget and report.
Presentation – Excellent presentation skills, presenting ideas and results to different internal and external stakeholders.
Team working – fostering an environment of teamwork to ensure that all products and services are delivered on time and goals are met.
Initiative – The ability to work alone and take a lead when hurdles arise or when tasks require completion.
Planning – staying ahead of the game and ensuring that plans for the future are clearly identified and communicated.
Problem Solving – adapting a changing business environment and reacting quickly to meet challenges.
Academic Qualifications;
Masters in Business Administration
An internationally recognised accounting or auditing qualification which has been issued by a Professional Accountancy Organisation (PAO) which is a member or associate of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
