South Africa: Grant Manager required urgently (12-months)

JOB DESCRIPTION – Grant Manager

National Position

Background
Oxfam seeks to recruit a Grant Manager to manage the CS Health Policy Action Fund supported by WHO. The grant was awarded in recognition of Oxfam’s growing record of work on health in international development, covering issues related to health systems strengthening (particularly health financing and health care delivery), access to medicines, sexual and reproductive health and HIV and AIDS. Oxfam activities in health range from programme implementation at the country level to health policy analysis and advocacy at national and international level. Our work is focussed on achieving the health MDGs as well as universal and equitable access to health care.

More specifically, Oxfam has closely followed the aid effectiveness and health discussions and processes at the international level both through the OECD/DAC discussions over the last three years and, in the last two years, through the IHP+. This was a natural progression from Oxfam’s ongoing engagement in monitoring donor behaviour change in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. During this time, Oxfam has been engaged in the debates to launch the IHP+ and concerned itself, first in the UK and then internationally, with promoting more and better civil society interest and engagement in the IHP+. This work has involved, alerting civil society actors themselves to the IHP+ processes and their potential to achieve change in health, as well as through our engagement with the IHP+ signatories to open up their structures and negotiations to enable civil society participation. From the outset of the IHP+ we have directly encouraged engagement with the process at national level both through information dissemination and through proactive alliance building through our country offices and their partners.

Job purpose:

To manage the CSO grants and partnerships established under the Civil Society Health Policy Action Fund (CS-HPAF).

Reporting to: Director, Global HIV and AIDS Programme: Global Centre of Learning on HIV and AIDS, Pretoria RSA.

Key working relationships: Grantees, key staff of the Pan African Programme, Global Centre of Learning on HIV and AIDS, OI Essential Services Campaign Group , CS-HPAF Project Technical Committee and the Project Manager.

Location: Pretoria, South Africa (with some travel)

Contract Length: 12 Months, starting May 1st 2010

Dimensions:
This position will be required to;
1. Make sound judgements regularly within agreed processes using technical knowledge, a good understanding of the partner organisations and the PTC Members.
2. Communicate both internally and externally with affiliates, partners and donors
3. Analyse and select proposals for funding with bias to health issues globally and the ability to articulate these at various policy spaces.
4. Supervise the work of grantees and other service providers including strategic communications in line with project guidelines.
5. Coordinate grant budget planning and monitoring
6. Ensure the effective planning and delivery of projects and/or defined areas of the Fund, including working with partners
7. Exercise problem solving capability especially under pressure.
8. Make complex technical information accessible and useable by non-specialists within this defined area
9. Negotiate and build relationships with grantees, donors and other stakeholders

Duties and responsibilities:

To manage the Civil Society Health Policy Action Fund (CS-HPAF). In particular:

• Work with the PTC to ensure the call for Proposals t is sent out and CSO responses are processed within strict time frames.

• Enhance communications between the PTC and grantees and manage technical communication with the donor in consultation with the Project Manager and the GCoL Director

• Coordinate the review of partner proposals with the PTC and manage the award of grants to grantees

• Provide guidance to grantees on the implementation of their projects and provide oversight through visits as the case may be.

• Manage internal communications within OI affiliates with respect to the progress of the Fund and document lessons for sharing and learning.

• Liaise with relevant internal stakeholders at country, regional and global levels to ensure continued buy-in of the project goal and its strategic importance to the organization.

• Draw up and implement the Fund management work-plan in consultation with the Project Manager and the GCoL Director

• Work closely with grantees to capture any unique and good practices in their projects and develop a strategy of communicating it widely to relevant audiences including donors.

• Work with a creative agency to ensure an effective website is in place and an electronic platform or portal for grantees to share information on their various projects, appropriate materials are developed and hosted on the web and or sent via mail and other appropriate methods

• Support grantees with the implementation of their projects through overall supervision and timely information relevant to the project.

• Develop systems to ensure achievement of results and for monitoring, evaluation and reporting and work closely with the grantees and Donors.

• Coordinate a budget of over £300,000

Key competencies:

-Essential/Desirable
Degree in social science, development studies, health and development or equivalent-D
Knowledge of current priority health issues in the developing world and globally -D
Experience of high level grant relationship management-E
Experience of co-ordinating multi-country policy actions and campaigns -D
Knowledge of developing partnerships and increasing supporter base -E
Some experience of popular mobilization-E
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills over email, by phone and in person-E
Ability to work with people from a range of cultural backgrounds across the globe -E
Ability to work virtually-E
Ability to work to tight deadlines and prioritise a complex workload-E
Fluency in written and spoken English-E
Competency in one other language (French, Portuguese)-D
Ability to travel at short notice-E