Grants and Contracts Manager

The Grants and Contracts Manager for HQ Managed Awards is responsible for leading the award management services for a portfolio of grants and contracts. This role ensures the effective and timely administration of grants and contracts throughout the entire award lifecycle, from pre-award to close-out, with a strong focus on compliance with donor requirements and delivering quality-driven financial services. The incumbent serves as a key point of contact for grants and contracts management and financial-related information, proactively communicating critical financial data and analyses and resolving issues in collaboration with stakeholders. The role ensures timely, high-quality deliverables aligned with donor and CARE standards. and collaborates closely with CARE headquarters teams, country offices, and Shared Services Center (SSC) partners to strengthen compliance, financial stewardship, and operational excellence.

The role supports the SSC Grants and Contracts Management HQ Managed Awards Team in providing operational oversight of grants and contracts financial management, compliance, audit, and reporting for CARE USA's HQ Managed Awards; ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of all award management processes across CARE's funding instruments, including awards, subawards, contracts, gifts, and donations.

This position reports directly to the Team Lead for Grants and Contracts Management-HQ Managed Awards team.

JOB RESPONSIBILITY

Grants and Contracts Management Pre-Award Phase (20%)

• Coordinates approvals per the Authorization Table, ensuring Go/No-Go decisions are properly reviewed and documented.
• Manages Pre-IPIA completion, IPIA negotiations, and related approvals. Responsible for the US based partner's due diligence checks ensuring it is conducted together with the Program Team and COs using the DDA Checklist.
• Ensures all costs meet requirements through the Budget Review Checklist.

Grants and Contracts Management - Award Start Up, Negotiation and Setup (20%)

• Responsible for thoroughly reviewing agreements to identify any provisions that may pose risks or require further clarification, escalating such issues to AMS GCM for additional guidance when necessary. Completes both the Agreement Review/Approval Checklist and the Partner Funding Agreement (PFA) Checklist, ensuring that all required approvals are obtained prior to signing any agreement. Prepares and submits the necessary award setup documentation, including DAB upload forms and other supporting documents tailored to the donor type, such as BAMs, IPIAs, MOUs, and PFAs. This comprehensive process ensures compliance, risk mitigation, and proper documentation throughout the agreement lifecycle.

Grants and Contracts Management - Award Implementation and Monitoring (25%)

• Provide support to kickoff and start-up meetings to effectively communicate award packages and key requirements to all relevant stakeholders. Responsible for tracking budget burn rates, cashflow, monitoring reporting deadlines throughout award implementation. Works with SSC and CO's in preparing accurate donor financial reports. Submits donor reports to relationship managers and donor contacts as necessary. Provides timely financial data and management reports, such as Budget vs. Actual (BVA) and portfolio reports, and facilitates discussions with Country Offices (CO) and Program Units to address financial performance and variances. For projects involving US based partners, monitors and reviews partner financial reports and liquidations to ensure compliance and accountability. Coordinates project audits in collaboration with both internal and external auditors, ensuring that all financial processes adhere to organizational and donor requirements.

Grants and Contracts Management - Award Closeout (25%)

• Initiates award close-out planning at least six months before the award end-date to ensure a smooth and compliant transition.
• Coordinates and proactively follows up with partners to facilitate the timely liquidation of advances, settlement of vendor invoices and accruals, in coordination with COs as necessary. Thoroughly reviews and ensures the completeness of all award close-out requirements, utilizing established guidelines and checklists to cover critical elements such as timelines, asset disposition, final evaluations, and the submission of both narrative and financial reports.Responsible for archiving all close-out documentation in the designated FC folder, maintaining proper records for future reference and audit purposes.

Capacity Building and Engagement (10%)

• Provide support to Grants and Contracts Management Team for HQ Managed Awards in:
• Capacity-building initiatives for SSC, HQ, and country office finance and grants staff, focusing on donor compliance, award financial management, and best practices in grants and contracts administration.
• Design and deliver training sessions, workshops, and technical guidance materials to strengthen staff competencies and ensure consistent application of policies and procedures.Serve as a subject matter expert and provide one-on-one coaching or mentoring to team members and stakeholders on complex financial compliance and portfolio management issues.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing across teams through regular forums, cross-functional meetings, and documentation of lessons learned and best practices.Engage with internal and external stakeholders to promote collaboration, alignment with donor and organizational priorities, and continuous improvement of grants and contracts management practices.
• Represent the GCM function in organizational initiatives, working groups, and donor-facing engagements, building trust and demonstrating CARE's commitment to transparency and compliance.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications

• Required

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business administration with emphasis in accounting, or management.

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline with equivalent work experience in NGO and development industry setting for 5 years with emphasis on full cycle of grants and contracts management program/project management and coordination
• At least 5 years experience working on similar functions with International NGO dealing with management of grants and contracts portfolio funded by a mix of donors such as US Government, Private Donations, UN agencies, etc. \
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in progressive accounting, grants and contracts administration, and project management from a non profit or for profit organization
• Strong ability to communicate effectively in English both verbally and in writing
• Proficiency with Accounting/Finance System, Grants Management System, MS Office Suite, specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Familiarity with US Government donor requirements
• Experience encompassing establishing/maintaining grants management tools and/or database, transaction analysis, donor reporting, budgeting, and account reconciliation

• Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality regarding all aspects of work at all times

• Desired

• CPA, CMA, Chartered Accountant, post graduate or other relevant certification

• 5 years or more relevant experience in progressive accounting, grants and contracts administration from a non profit or for profit organization in development industry setting
• Prior experience working with NGO accounting and grants/contracts management with a fast paced finance department preferred

Competencies

• Cross-Cultural Agility
• Customer Focus
• Functional/ Technical Skills
• Perseverance
• Time Management
• Managerial Courage
• Delegation

CARE participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from the candidate's previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.