Grants Management Senior Officer

About the Role

The Grants Management Senior Officer will engage closely with the Project Team and coordinate with multiple workstreams to ensure effective grant oversight within the EU-ISEY project. This European Union-backed initiative aims to revamp The Gambia's Senior Secondary Education sector by enhancing quality, inclusivity, and equity, with a focus on empowering marginalized groups such as girls and promoting STEM and digital literacy.

Project Objectives

• Boost enrollment and retention rates among both boys and girls, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
• Make SSE gender-sensitive and contemporary, emphasizing STEM, digital skills, health education, civics, and environmental awareness.
• Increase female leadership in teaching and education.
• Improve overall retention and reduce dropouts, particularly for rural girls.
• Enhance education quality aligning with 21st-century competencies.
• Prepare graduates for further education, vocational training, and technology careers.
• Promote female participation as students and educational leaders.

Key Activities

The programme includes capacity building, gender equity initiatives, and digital innovation via teacher training, scholarships, mentorships, infrastructure improvements, and community engagement to tackle socio-cultural barriers.

Role Responsibilities

• Manage grants implementation including planning, scoping, execution, and compliance.
• Prepare and oversee Project Cooperation Agreements and Grant Standard Agreements, calls for proposals, and supervise proposal evaluation per UNOPS guidelines.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to implementing partners (IPs) on grant procedures, monitoring due diligence processes including capacity and PSEA assessments.
• Review IP documentation such as work plans, budgets, and reporting, providing orientation and ongoing dialogue.
• Ensure timely processing of grant awards, amendments, and monitor contractual obligations.
• Track and review narrative and financial reports from IPs, verify required documentation, and supervise payments following agreed schedules.
• Oversee IP activity implementation, identify risks or delays, coordinate assurance activities like monitoring and audits, and share lessons learned among partners.
• Coordinate closely with finance, programme, and M&E experts to address delays or challenges.
• Manage grant closure processes and ensure proper documentation and reporting adherence.
• Support capacity assessments and deliver training to strengthen financial, organizational, and PSEA capabilities of IPs.
• Guide financial management activities jointly with finance officers, including budgeting, expenditure monitoring, fund disbursement, and compliance assurance.
• Assist in operational and financial closure activities, maintain fiduciary standards, and facilitate cash flow monitoring.
• Support project governance arrangements, including meetings, stakeholder communications, and reporting dashboards.
• Contribute to risk identification, lessons learned documentation, and project planning tools following guidance from the Senior Project Manager.
• Promote knowledge management and innovation by incorporating best practices, drafting SOPs, organizing capacity building, and collaborating with relevant UNOPS groups.

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, development studies, international relations, project management, or related disciplines with at least 4 years of relevant professional experience, OR
• Master’s degree in business administration, finance, or related field (experience details incomplete).