Grants Manager

Role Overview

As Grants Manager for Mercy Corps’ FCDO-funded East Africa Border Security Programme, you will oversee the grants and financial compliance arrangements that support a regional consortium working across Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. You will guide partner awards from due diligence and agreement development through expenditure review, payment and closeout, helping ensure programme funds are well controlled, used appropriately and linked to delivery milestones.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain the programme’s grants oversight system and award tracker, and coordinate the full lifecycle of sub-grants and consortium funding arrangements.
• Review partner budgets and financial reports for consistency with FCDO rules, approved budgets, eligible costs and consortium agreements; resolve discrepancies and flag concerns.
• Coordinate award documentation, amendments, payment processing, transfers and supporting records, verifying required deliverables and approvals before funds are released.
• Lead partner due diligence, monitor agreed capacity-improvement actions and provide practical guidance and training to strengthen grants and financial management.
• Track awards, spending and financial milestones alongside programme delivery, producing clear updates, recommendations and risk alerts for programme leadership.
• Assess partner controls and operational practices, coordinate expenditure verification and audits, and support corrective action or targeted field reviews when needed.
• Supervise Finance and Subgrants Officers, set performance expectations, provide regular feedback and support staff development and effective collaboration across teams.
• Work with programme, finance and monitoring colleagues to advance value for money, sound adaptive decisions and secure management of funds, cash and financial records; travel to field locations as required.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, economics or a related discipline; an advanced degree is preferred.
• CPA (Kenya) professional certification.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience managing grants, subcontracts, procurement and donor compliance, preferably on donor-funded programmes.
• Strong accounting background, including general ledger management, journal entries, accounts payable and balance-sheet work.
• Experience interpreting and negotiating contract provisions independently, and preparing award amendments or modifications following negotiations.
• Demonstrated ability to strengthen the grants and financial management capacity of staff and local organisations.
• Strong analytical, spreadsheet, accounting-system and financial-reporting skills.
• Ability to supervise a grants team and work constructively with programme, finance, operations and partner teams across multiple countries.

What We Offer / Why Join

This role supports a regional effort to improve border security, disrupt organised immigration crime, strengthen protection for people affected by trafficking and smuggling, and build resilience in border communities. Mercy Corps team members are also expected to devote 5% of their time to learning activities that support professional and organisational development.