SENIOR REGIONAL AWARD AND COMPLIANCE MANAGER – WARMU/SARO

JOB SUMMARY:

This position plays a strategic oversight role in elevating compliance with CARE policies and donor regulations. This position ensures strategic partnering with the Regional Office, alignment and seamless coordination between AMS and RMU operations, enhancing compliance and management effectiveness across all levels of the organization.
Policy Leadership and Compliance Assurance: Act as the primary steward, and technical advisor for Agreement Management and Partner Funding Agreement policies, ensuring rigorous compliance oversight and risk management for donor awards and agreements.

Expert Guidance and Support: Provide interpretation, problem solving and advice on donor rules and regulations, including those from the USG, EU, ECHO, UN agencies, and private donors, ensuring all organizational layers from country offices to HQ are compliant and well-informed.
Strategic Oversight of Award Management: Strategically partner with the Regional Office and lead the oversight of the grants & contracts function in the Region administering the lifecycle of grants and contracts to guarantee adherence to donor and CARE policies, enhancing the efficiency and accountability of award management processes.

Capacity Building and Risk Management: Lead the award management and compliance capacity building and training program in the Region to strengthen compliance capacity within COs and partner teams, offering tailored training and robust support systems to mitigate risks and enhance compliance health.
Collaborative Strategic Engagement: Engage actively in strategic and operational planning with the RMU Business Services Directors team, focusing on compliance integration and strategic decision-making to advance organizational goals.

• Matrix Management (ways of working and communication)
• Will report to the AMS Award and Compliance Management Director and indirectly to the RMU Business Services Directors team.
• The AMS Award and Compliance Manager will be an active member of the RMU business services directors team and will ensure that both AMS and RMU interests are aligned and well-coordinated.
• S/he will collaborate with the RMU team to plan, organize, and implement actions based on the regional management decision. The regional team will have a developed RASCI that provides clear and distinct delineation of responsibilities and accountabilities with defined communication and coordination mechanisms.
• The Regional AMS Award and Compliance Manager role is essential for ensuring that strategic engagements are effectively translated into operational excellence, safeguarding the organization’s interests and enhancing its capacity to manage and execute awards efficiently.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Agreement and Partner and Donor Regulations Compliance

The incumbent will be responsible for leading the Region’s problem-solving client service to country office including, interpreting, providing guidance and advice on CARE main donors’ rules and regulations across the organization, including COs, RMU, SSC, and HQ technical units.

• Act as the policy owner for Agreement Management and Partner Funding Agreements, providing risk assessment, mitigation support, and compliance reviews for donor awards and partner funding agreements.
• Ensure timely review, approval, and signing of awards and partner agreements in accordance with CARE policies.
• With support from AMS USG Team interpret and deliver compliance solutions related to USG rules and regulations, encompassing but not limited to Uniform Guidance (2CFR200), USAID Standard Provisions, Cooperative Agreement provisions, contract terms & conditions, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), and USAID supplemental acquisition regulations (AIDAR).
• Offer expert knowledge, guidance, and technical support on other major donor rules and regulations specifically EU, ECHO, UN agencies and Private donors.
• Stay informed and maintain up-to-date knowledge of donor regulatory, statutory, and administrative requirements.
• Provide clear guidance to staff on the best practices for compliance with both donor and CARE policies and procedures.
• Support country offices and HQ technical units in engagement with Donor authorized representatives or prime recipients on compliance issues and prior approvals.
• Support CARE Legal Department on trade and statutory compliance matters.

Oversight of CO Award Management (Grants & Contracts) function

Strategic partner with the Regional Office to oversee the Region’s grants & contracts function:

• Matrix Management: Leading the change management process to oversee staff involved in the CO award management function to ensure compliance with donor, CARE Agreement, and Partner Funding Agreement policies across the entire project lifecycle. Work closely with AMS units and SSC Award Management Pillar to provide support and monitoring of awards.
• Coordinate Go-No-Go decisions, Pre-IPIAs, and oversee the development and review of donor budget cost/pricing to ensure financial accuracy and compliance.
• Cost Pricing Oversight: Oversee the development and review of donor budget cost/pricing using the pricing guidelines and pricing tool to ensure accuracy and compliance with CARE’s pricing guidelines and donor requirements during the pre-award phase
• Provide Award Oversight from start-up to close-out, focusing on donor compliance, document retention, and tracking of milestones and deliverables. Offering technical assistance to COs, RMU and HQ throughout the project lifecycle, from implementation to closeout, ensuring all requirements are met and there are no outstanding obligations.
• Ensure a standardize job descriptions and processes within the award management function across all COs and regions that enhances clarity and consistency in administration of awards
• Participate in selecting and evaluating the performance of award management staff, in-directly through matrix management, fostering a skilled and compliant team.
• Lead regular meetings with CO teams to review awards and partner funding agreements compliance and performance and offer technical assistance throughout the project lifecycle

Compliance and Risk Management

• Use the annual compliance plan to conduct compliance health checks through field visits or virtual means, collaborating with AMS and RMU team members.
• Create a detailed report and action plan based on the CO compliance health check. The action plan includes identified compliance areas, proposed solutions agreed upon with the CO, implementation timelines, and the designated responsible person within the CO.
• Provide feedback on specific COs to AMS and IPO colleagues. Escalate issues or risks to management when necessary.
• Monitor compliance health checks by reviewing supporting documents, verifying progress, maintaining records on SharePoint, and updating the action plan based on meeting outcomes.
• Establish regular follow-up meetings to discuss the implementation of solutions outlined in the CO compliance action plan.
• Collaborate with the CO team to update the Register of Active Risks (ROAR) and support Comprehensive Implementation Plans (CIPs) by guiding understanding of the 6-point framework and compliance program tools such as risk registries.
• Regularly maintain and update the dashboard based on CO health check reports and following each CO compliance call. Manage feedback to improve the dashboard in the future.
• Conducting oversight monitoring of awards and partner funding agreements to ensure compliance with donor rules, regulations, and CARE policies. This involves evaluating processes, procedures, and responsiveness to corrective action plans.
• Provide risk identification, assessment, mitigation support and support with audit follow-up regarding corrective actions by policy owners and management.

Capacity Building for CO and Partner teams

Strategic oversight over the award management and compliance capacity building and training activities planned and conducted within the Region.

• Mentor and train staff to enhance their capacity in donor compliance, award and partner management. With support from AMS Global USG Compliance Support Team provide capacity
  support on USG rules and regulations.
• Develop guidance, manuals, templates, and quality management processes for implementing and monitoring donor awards and partner funding agreements, ensuring alignment with CARE program approaches and partnership principles, and compliance with donor regulations and CARE policies.
• With support from AMS Global Partnership Compliance Team provide capacity support for partner funding agreement management in CIPs, including reviewing partner funding agreement documents and files based on policy thresholds.
• Develop and implement staff and partner training, along with other capacity-building initiatives related to the global compliance program, award, and partner management.
• Based on compliance reviews and spot-checking activities, identify capacity strengthening and skills development needs of staff and partner organizations.
• Track training completed by grants and contracts staff to ensure consistent and effective training for all staff within this function in the COs and technical HQ units.
• With Support from AMS USG Team adapt key USG compliance and regulatory topics for self-service and online training, as well as in-person group and workshop-style training.
• Identify and mentor staff interested in USG rules and regulations, nurturing their development into trainers and experts within the grants and contracts function

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, Management, Finance, International Development or equivalent work experience.
• Ability and willingness to travel to country program locations as needed, often at short notice 35% of their time
• Seven years experience in award management and/or compliance reviews or audit management
• Proven knowledge and working experience with donor regulations such as USAID, EU, FCDO and other donors
• Basic understanding of internal control framework related to key functions and business processes such as Human Resources, Program Management, Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, sub grants management, Information Technology etc.);
• Work experience with partner organizations
• Working experience in PeopleSoft or similar financial system
• Multi-lingual (English/Spanish) (English/French) (English/Arabic)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, fluency in English with a proven ability to express himself/herself well verbally and in writing,
• Experience in high complex humanitarian crises