Global Awards & Donor Compliance Manager

Job Posting Organization:
Relief International is an international non-profit organization dedicated to partnering with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disasters. The organization aims to save lives, build resilience, and promote long-term health and well-being. Established to address the needs of vulnerable populations, Relief International operates in various countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, focusing on critical areas such as Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education, and Livelihoods programming. The organization is committed to creating a representative, inclusive, and authentic workplace, encouraging applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences relevant to the contexts in which they work. Relief International has a significant workforce and operates in multiple countries, reflecting its commitment to addressing global humanitarian challenges.

Job Overview:
The Global Awards and Donor Compliance Manager is a senior technical leadership role within Relief International's Awards Management Unit. This position is crucial for enhancing award management, donor compliance, and partnership management across a diverse portfolio of complex humanitarian and development programs. The manager will act as a key liaison between Relief International's country offices, program teams, and global support functions, ensuring effective management of donor-funded projects throughout the entire award lifecycle. Responsibilities include providing strategic guidance during proposal development, award negotiation, implementation, modification, reporting, and close-out phases. The role requires collaboration with Country Directors, Awards Leads, Program Teams, Finance, Partnerships, and senior leadership to strengthen systems, improve compliance standards, and build organizational capacity. The manager will also serve as an advisor on donor regulations, partnership management, audit readiness, risk mitigation, and award performance across the global portfolio, making it an excellent opportunity for an experienced awards and compliance professional who enjoys tackling complex challenges and influencing program performance on a global scale.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Global Awards and Donor Compliance Manager will lead and support the management of donor-funded awards and contracts throughout the full award lifecycle. This includes proposal review, award negotiations, implementation, modifications, and close-out. The manager will provide strategic guidance on donor compliance requirements, award risks, donor regulations, and organizational policies across Relief International's country programs. Participation in Go/No-Go reviews, proposal development processes, and donor agreement reviews is essential to ensure compliance, risk mitigation, and quality assurance. The manager will monitor country office performance against awards management standards and KPIs, identifying risks and supporting corrective actions as necessary. Strengthening donor reporting quality by reviewing reporting frameworks, supporting compliance reviews, and contributing to donor communication processes is also a key responsibility. The role includes providing technical oversight on partnership management processes, including due diligence, partnership agreements, sub-awards, and localization approaches. The manager will support audit readiness, award close-out processes, and the implementation of lessons learned to enhance organizational performance and compliance. Additionally, the manager will lead the development and delivery of capacity-building initiatives, training, and guidance for Country Office teams on awards management, donor compliance, and partnership management. Maintaining and strengthening awards tracking systems, dashboards, compliance matrices, and knowledge management tools to support decision-making and portfolio oversight is also part of the role. Acting as a senior representative for Awards Management, the manager will engage with donors, partners, and external stakeholders on compliance, partnership management, and awards-related best practices.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Master's degree or equivalent advanced qualification in a relevant field. A minimum of seven years' experience in awards management, grants management, donor compliance, and partnership management within an international NGO or similar international organization is required. Strong knowledge of major institutional donors, including US Government donors, European donors, foundations, and other international funding agencies is essential. Demonstrated experience managing complex donor-funded portfolios and ensuring compliance throughout the award lifecycle is necessary. Candidates should have experience reviewing proposal budgets, donor agreements, reporting requirements, and compliance frameworks. A strong understanding of partnership management, due diligence processes, sub-awards, and donor requirements related to localization and partnerships is also required. Proven experience using grants management systems, databases, and reporting tools is essential, with experience in NetSuite being highly desirable. Excellent English writing, editing, and communication skills are required, along with the ability to produce and review high-quality donor-facing documentation. Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills are necessary, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Experience working in developing countries and knowledge of internal controls, fraud prevention, investigations, and safeguarding principles would be advantageous. Arabic or French language skills are also desirable.

Educational Background:
The position requires a Master's degree or an equivalent advanced qualification in a relevant field. This educational background is essential to ensure that the candidate possesses the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for the complex responsibilities associated with the role of Global Awards and Donor Compliance Manager.

Experience:
Candidates must have a minimum of seven years of experience in awards management, grants management, donor compliance, and partnership management within an international NGO or similar international organization. This level of experience is crucial for understanding the complexities of managing donor-funded projects and ensuring compliance with various donor regulations and organizational policies.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, with excellent writing, editing, and communication skills required to produce high-quality donor-facing documentation. Proficiency in Arabic or French is considered desirable, as it may enhance communication with diverse stakeholders and partners in the regions where Relief International operates.

Additional Notes:
This position is a remote, 12-month contract open to candidates based in Relief International's countries of operation, including Kenya, Türkiye, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Pakistan. The role is classified as requiring standard pre-employment checks, including criminal records self-declaration, references, and other checks that may include police and qualifications verification. The organization is committed to safeguarding all individuals encountered through its work and expects all staff and volunteers to uphold the values and behaviors outlined in the Code of Conduct. Due to the nature of this role, applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and the position may be filled before the closing date of November 2, 202

• Early applications are encouraged, and if shortlisted, salary discussions will occur during the HR interview stage, with national terms and conditions applying.