Grants and Contracts Officer

At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow. A nonprofit international development organization founded in 1971, Pact works on the ground in nearly 40 countries to improve the lives of those who are challenged by poverty and marginalization. We serve these communities because we envision a world where everyone owns their future. To do this, we build systemic solutions in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments that create sustainable and resilient communities where those we serve are heard, capable, and vibrant. Pact is a recognized global leader in international development. Our staff have a range of expertise in areas including public health, capacity development, governance and civil society, natural resource management, poverty, fragile states, monitoring and evaluation, small-scale and artisanal mining, microfinance and more. This expertise is combined in Pact’s unique integrated approach, which focuses on systemic changes needed to improve people’s lives.

Grants & Contracts (GRACON) - Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Agreement Management department contributes to realizing this purpose by: • Supporting Pact’s vision and mission by providing innovative solutions within a compliance-oriented perspective. • Providing timely and accurate risk mitigation-focused support to the organization, with a special emphasis on successful program implementation throughout the business lifecycle for every activity, from pre-positioning, proposal development, prime award negotiation, and implementation through closeout. • Building internal capacity and champion effective knowledge management within our global community of grants and contracts practitioners.

Position Overview
The Grants and Contracts Officer (GCO) provides support to Pact’s prime awards and subawards as determined by the Director of Agreement Management in close collaboration with other members of the AM team. Tasks may include any part of the grants and contracts lifecycle, from proposal support to close-out.  The GCO also provides general cross-departmental support to the department, working closely with other GCO colleagues and members of the program team and country offices.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct the first level of review of solicitations and communicate concerns to business development staff, technical team, and others. The initial review would include interpreting regulations, clarifying compliance issues, and identifying possible business risks.
• Review and negotiate prime awards, including evaluation of terms and conditions for business risks, soliciting and incorporation of feedback from other departments into the negotiation process, and communication with the funder.
• Provide award start-up support including preparing documentation for new award orientations with colleagues from AM, Programs, and Finance; serving as start-up grants manager to issue subawards, assisting with the preparation of project-specific deliverables such as grants manuals in collaboration with other AM team members and the country offices, etc. 
• Manage prime award records including assigning project numbers, performing initial award entry and modifications thereto in Pact’s financial system, issuing notifications of awards and modifications, and collecting and maintaining official documentation for AM’s files.
• Assist in closeouts, including final disposition of property and subaward closeout.
• Review documentation and terms and conditions for subawards and procurements; verify completeness and sufficient funding.
• Assist with the maintenance and control of department templates in collaboration with the AM Specialists.
• Prepare, review and process funder correspondence to request approvals, waivers, funding notifications, modification requests, etc.
• Assist with developing training materials and planning/delivering training to Pact staff and subrecipients.
• Work closely with country offices to provide guidance on solicitations, interpretation of various funder regulations, subaward mechanisms, small grant programs, etc.
• Work with other departments such as Finance Operations, Accounting and Treasury Management, Program Delivery, and Risk Improvement to provide solutions to issues identified by country offices/project teams.
• Coordinate with Finance to provide input on budgets realignments.
• Review and approve cost share plans and provide guidance to Program Delivery and the Country Offices on the allowability of cost share.
• Work with the AM team and the Quality Office to develop and document internal policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Participate in other Pact internal committees as assigned by the Director: Grants and Contracts
• Other tasks as assigned

Basic Requirements
Leadership 

• Ability to communicate and interact professionally with colleagues and contacts in funder and peer organizations
• Consistently operates in line with internal policies and procedures, and donor regulations
• Strong interpersonal and team building skills
• Critical thinking skills, flexibility, and ability to adapt to change

 
Project Management 

• Strong time management skills
• Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills, in English
• Ability to problem-solve difficult issues
• Ability to multitask with ease, adapting to frequently changing priorities
• Good negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to travel outside of the United States. It is anticipated that the GCO would travel two to three times per year  
• Attention to detail is critical to this position  

 
Minimum Qualifications:

• Associate degree, with preference for a Bachelor’s degree.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience, including at least 3 years’ experience working with U.S. Government grants and contracts either with a for-profit or not-for profit implementer or with a U.S. Government agency.
• Working knowledge of U.S. regulations and requirements applicable to development assistance and acquisition, including 2 CFR 200 and 22 CFR 228, ADS, FAR, AIDAR, CAS, FFATA, DSSR, FTR.
• Experience with grants and contracts requirements of other bilateral donors, e.g. Dfid or multilateral donors such as Global Fund, United Nations, or World Bank.
• Experience with private foundations, corporate engagement, and corporate donors.
• Fluent English. Proficiency in another language from a Pact region would be a plus.
• Experience working in multicultural work-environment and decentralized field-driven organization.
• Sufficient budgeting skills for aid in the efficient review of prime awards and subawards
• Competence using common desktop applications and internal systems