IFDC is a nonprofit, science-based organization working to alleviate global hunger and poverty by improving sustainable agricultural productivity. The organization was established in 1974 in response to the twin crises of food insecurity and rising energy prices. IFDC is governed by an international board of directors and supported by bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, private enterprises and foundations and Headquartered in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA.

IFDC enables smallholder farmers in developing countries to increase agricultural productivity, generate economic growth, and practice environmental stewardship by enhancing their ability to manage mineral and organic fertilizers responsibly and participate profitably in input and output markets.

Project Background

• The Feed the Future USAID Agriculture Technology Transfer Project (FTF-USAID ATT) is a five-year activity funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Ghana Mission (USAID/Ghana), to increase the competitiveness of rice, maize and soya value chains to foster broad-based and sustained economic growth through the increased availability of agricultural technologies for increased and sustained productivity in Northern Ghana. The project focuses on the Ghana’s Feed the Future (FTF) intervention zone, which covers the three regions of northern Ghana: Northern, Upper West and Upper East— addressing technology constraints in the production of rice, maize and soy.

• Specifically, the project focuses on improving the rice, soybean and maize value chains by strengthening the seed industry and complementary agricultural practices via the promotion of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices. This is achieved in collaboration with government research and regulatory institutions, and the private sector, by developing public institutions’ and private businesses’ capacities to introduce new technologies and supply agricultural inputs in collaboration with other stakeholders.

• Demand for and adoption of new technologies will be heightened through information dissemination, training, and other collaborative efforts. By encouraging the introduction and adoption of sustainable technologies, the Agriculture Technology Transfer project looks to increase productivity and profit margins for agricultural producers throughout Northern Ghana.

• Successful technology adoption requires stakeholders to approach agriculture as a business, increasing revenues while decreasing expenditures (especially labor costs). These technologies are strengthening Ghana’s productivity in the agricultural sector and need to be effectively and efficiently introduced to create a sustainable private-sector supply while also creating a demand for these new technologies via information dissemination, trainings, and other collaborations.

Position Background and General Summary

• Grant awards and project resources will promote the sustained development of the public and private sector seed fertilizer industries operating within the project’s target districts of northern Ghana while connecting them with existing research and extension services.

• The Grants Manager (GM) will coordinate and lead the grants award portfolio. In collaboration with other senior staff, and under the supervision of the Technical Director, the GM will manage all aspects of the grant award process from inception, to drafting, to selection, to awarding, to execution, and to reporting final payments. As the grants will be the primary tool for the project to facilitate its technical activities, the GM will report directly to the Technical Director to ensure harmony across program activities supported and/or facilitated via the grants department.

Supervision

• The Grants Manager reports to ATT’s Deputy Chief of Party.

Specific Duties

Specifically, the Grants Manager will:

• Coordinate, monitor and supervise all stages of a grant, in accordance to the Grants Manual and ensure members of the grants team are working cohesively together to diligently facilitate grants from inception to close out.
• Ensure all relevant members of the project team know their roles and responsibilities, including the process of application, assessment, awarding of grants.
• Manage the financial, accounting, and administrative procedures controlling the funds and expenditures for the grants component of the project, including appropriate reporting to designated authorities.
• Guide the project team on how to monitor and process deliverables and prepare check requests for payment to grantees.
• Provide guidance on the analysis and assessment of budgetary and financial aspects of grants.
• Ensure effective communication between project staff and grantees such that grant recipients are provided with suitable technical advice and assistance in the fields of management, including financial management and sustainability.
• Liaise with public and private sector partners to determine practical applications of the grants and the best value for funding issued as grants to private companies, service providers, NGO’s, public sector institutions and other actors associated with the dissemination of technologies for improving agricultural productivity.
• Ensure that sub-grantees are in compliance with applicable US government rules and regulations, project reporting and program operations in accordance to the project’s approved Grants Manual and USAID Grants guidelines for Cooperative Agreements.
• Ensure all IFDC policies, procedures, relevant reporting requirements (financial and technical) and schedules are followed throughout the stages of a grant.
• Regularly report to the COP, DCOP and Technical Director on the preparation of all project documentation required by the donor (USAID) and IFDC that relate to the grants program of the project, including:
• Grants Tracking and Updates;
• Quarterly updates for the Quarterly report;
• Bi-weekly updates;
• Annual Reporting, among others.
• Ensure the highest level of honesty, integrity, openness and transparency in administering grant award processes and procedures.
• Report any concerns or issues related to the awarding and management of ATT grants, whether verified or not, to the COP.

Qualification Required & Experience

• The successful applicant will have a minimum of five (5) years’ experience in development projects managing small and medium sized sub-awards and/or grants (preference will be given to applicants with familiarity with IFDC’s grant making and management processes and procedures).
• Experienced with USAID sub-awards and/or grants management guidelines.
• Ability to communicate effectively and write technical reports in English.
• Educational background or progressive management experience in accounting, accounts management, or finance.
• Willing to work in Tamale, Ghana as the Duty Post.

Location: Tamale

How to Apply For the Job

Please read these carefully. Failure to comply will adversely affect your application.

Interested applicants are kindly requested to send their applications in English in the form of a one page letter and current CV describing their experience, qualifications and three reference contacts by email.

Emails should be sent to: jobsinifdcghana@ifdc.org with copy to: jfagbegnon@ifdc.org

Closing Date: 01 September, 2017

Applicants should indicate in the subject line of the email: Grants Manager Position.

Only short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview scheduled in Tamale. No telephone queries will be responded to.