Grants Manager

Grants Manager

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Arlington-VA, Belgium, Cambodia, or Colombia

Biodiversity—the rich array of life on Earth—is fundamental to human survival, but under tremendous and growing threat. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) was founded in 2000 to address this challenge by empowering civil society in developing countries and transitional economies to protect the world’s biodiversity hotspots, which are some of Earth's most biologically rich yet threatened terrestrial ecosystems.

This position will develop a business-partner relationship with CEPF programs in HQ and the field, providing full cycle grants and contracts support and training to staff and sub‑recipients. This position will play an integral role in ensuring that their portfolio of grants and contracts complies with the prime donor’s requirements with an emphasis on oversight of financial reporting, contractual compliance, and strengthening sub‑recipient’s grant‑management capacity.

This position provides direct support to the Grants and Contracts team within the Finance Department and reports to the Senior Director, External Grants and Contracts.

• Support the full grant and contract award cycle, preparing agreements, amendments, close‑out letters.
• Develop respectful, accountable, and open working relationships with grantees, convening meetings, calls, and site visits when necessary to address performance, compliance, or reporting needs.
• Interpret and explain CI/CEPF and donor policies to programs, colleagues and sub‑recipients.
• Conduct all due diligence prior to grant awards including financial risk assessments, security screenings, validation of award data in systems of record.
• Review and analyze all pre‑award financial due diligence documentation to establish appropriate financial risk mitigation measures.
• Ensure donor policies appropriately reflected in sub‑awards and grant proposals and budgets where necessary.
• Develop capacity‑building recommendations for sub‑recipients.
• Conduct pre‑award field visits, new grantee orientations and kick‑off meetings.

• Review financial reports submitted by grantees for accuracy and allowability in accordance with CI and donor policies.
• Troubleshoot day‑to‑day compliance issues and spot/resolve red‑flag compliance issues.
• Request disbursements on a timely basis, and ensure accuracy of disbursement information in grant systems.
• Use all sources of information available to trouble‑shoot reporting problems and problem‑solve around financial management and contractual compliance issues.
• The position will ensure reporting and award compliance targets are managed; progress tracked and expectations communicated to internal team members.
• Develop compliance action plans and recommend tracking and communications system for issues of non‑compliance.

Participate in the continuous improvement efforts to streamline systems and processes.

• Define business requirements for grant management processes and workflows.
• Process Business World Contract Master Files and Vendor Master File approvals, ensuring data accuracy and reconciling with grant management system:
  Conservation Grants.
• Ensure timely and accurate data entry into grant systems including Business World and Conservation Grants following procedures defined by CI and, as appropriate, the program.
• Run reports out of the grants system(s) to ensure compliance of active grants.
• Report software troubleshooting issues with IT for grant‑making systems, track resolution of submitted tickets, and liaise with operations and program staff to identify common problems for discussion with IT.

Other duties…