Grants Manager

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.

GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.

Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision making, and strive to build an ambitious, dynamic and high performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.

We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed and grow.  We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

Location: This is 100% remote position, but must be based in the US.

About this role

Since launching US operations in 2017, the GiveDirectly U.S. team has record-setting emergency responses, the world’s largest privately funded COVID relief program, and some of the country’s largest guaranteed income and cash transfer programs – committing more than $300M in direct cash to low-income Americans. This position will primarily support Rx Kids, a universal, unconditional cash allowance program supporting expectant parents and infants. The program is running in 20 communities in Michigan and is expanding to multiple new locations across the state.

The Grants Manager is  responsible for managing the full lifecycle of a portfolio of grants at GD, from application support to archive. Your portfolio will include US federal, State and Local Government grants and subgrants, as well as Foundation, Corporation and Individual Donor Awards. Your portfolio will focus specifically on our expanding RxKids Program in the United States, which currently includes nearly 30 active grant and subgrant agreements. You will provide daily oversight and support to all GD teams (e.g., finance, operations, HR, partnerships, growth, research, etc.), to ensure their comprehensive understanding of responsibilities under each agreement in your portfolio. You will be actively involved in ensuring compliance with varied donor terms and conditions, applicable regulations, internal policy, best practices and other applicable guidelines.

This role also supports broader organizational capacity development including identifying and mitigating risks and training out teams on full compliance with all aspects of donor funding. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Grants Management, this position plays a crucial role in guiding our teams to compliantly manage all donor funding, building institutional capacity and enabling GiveDirectly to continue successfully fulfilling our mission.

Motivated knowledgeable candidates passionate about Grants Management are encouraged to apply for the rewarding opportunity to join GD in building a better future for communities in the US and worldwide.

This role is remote, with ability to travel 2-3x a year to program sites in the US and abroad.

Reports to: Senior Manager, Grants Management

Level: Manager 

Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel 2-3 times a year to meet with the US Program team, and designated team events.

What you’ll do:

Grant management and administration

Ensuring compliance with the funders’ terms and conditions as well as GD’s organizational policies are key deliverables of this role. This mandate includes:

• Oversee the lifecycle of a portfolio of 30-50 active US federal and local government, corporate and foundation funded grant agreements, in collaboration with the fundraising, finance, and operations staff in our global and country teams. This portfolio will include both prime grant agreements to GiveDirectly, and subgrant agreements issued by GiveDirectly
• Contribute to pre-award donor due diligence requests and grant application process including advising on & reviewing budgets
• Ensure and document that  due diligence and procurement protocols are successfully followed and documented for all subgrantees and subcontractors
• Support Sr. Manager of Grants Management in prime grant agreement negotiations and execution 
• Lead subgrant agreement and grant amendment negotiations and execution
• Utilize available tools for clear and accurate tracking of all post-award data, requirements and tasks
• Work closely with the Finance team to ensure accurate tracking of grant conditionality, purpose or restrictions, general ledger account creation and treatment within the annual audit and tax filing processes.
• Conduct award kick-off meetings with internal colleagues and external subgrantees as relevant, educating all on their responsibilities under each grant or subgrant
• Proactively monitor all active awards to ensure compliance with award terms and conditions, identifying and assisting with mitigating potential instances of misconduct or non-compliance.
• Ensure on time grant reporting through regular communication, supporting in the authoring and sharing with donor where appropriate
• Liaise with finance and project managers on budget tracking and appropriate spend down rates.
• Author prior approval, no-cost extension and amendment requirements as needed
• Coordinate external award audits, adverse event reporting, and the implementation of any associated follow-up action points.
• Coordinate and document appropriate award close out
• Maintain complete and audit ready grant files.

Organizational Capacity Development and Training

Under the guidance of Grants Management Leadership, support in Organizational Capacity Development and Training including:

• Cross functionally provide clear guidance on procedures, policies, and interpretation on donor rules and regulations
• Identify organizational gaps in funding oversight, internal controls and procurement practices
• Suggest processes and practices to mitigate issues and risks identified
• Track regulatory and institutional/multilateral policy changes
• Support in developing standard operating procedures and templates for managing grants and subgrants
• Suggest required changes to process and practices
• Implement trainings on appropriate lifecycle management of donor funds
• Create a culture of Grants Management and Donor Compliance across all teams

What you’ll bring:

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
• Language Requirement: Professionally Fluent in English 
• A minimum of 4-6 years of experience in the administration of US Federal, Institutional and Government funded awards and subawards, ideally including US Treasury, US Department of Health and Human Services, former USAID experience and US State and Local Governments.  
• Proven knowledge and understanding of US Funding Regulations and ability to interpret for lay audience as well as flexibly and creatively apply those rules and regulations
• A strong systems mindset with ability to identify and mitigate gaps and risks
• Excellent organizational skills and a willingness to take initiative and be proactive
• Clear and exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Able to work effectively with diverse stakeholders internally and externally across a variety of global cultures
• Adept at drilling into the details without losing sight of the big picture
• Ability to autonomously manage multiple deliverables in time and with a high level of quality.
• Ability to work both under supervision and independently
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite
• Familiarity with Salesforce and Slack is a plus

Compensation

At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no-negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

• The United States base salary for this role is $94,700.

Why work at GiveDirectly?

At GiveDirectly, we work to ensure that you have everything you need to excel in your role and on your team, including:

• A positive and supportive team with opportunities for advancement 
• A demonstrated commitment to helping all staff develop and grow
• A competitive salary, including bonus
• A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)
• Desk allowance and flexible work location

 #LI-REMOTE

Working at GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing,  reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or  exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at careers@givedirectly.org with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!