Grants Specialist for the USAID Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity (RCRA)

Chemonics International, Inc. seeks a highly qualified Grants Specialist for the USAID Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity (RCRA). The goal of RCRA is to stimulate a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the regional crisis brought on by the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine and accelerate an inclusive, climate-resilient economic development of rural Moldova by protecting the development gains made with USAID support over the past decade and further stimulate the competitiveness of key economic sectors, including the wine industry, high-value agriculture, and tourism.

Moldova RCRA is implemented by USAID contractor Chemonics International, Inc.

Position Description:

The Grants Specialist will be responsible for ensuring compliant, effective, grants management throughout the entire lifecycle of the Climate Change, Innovation, and Technology Transfer Fund (CCITTF). The Grants Specialist will facilitate grant design, competition, pre-award risk assessment, award, conduct procurements for Grants Under Contract (GUC), monitoring, and closeout for grants.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Principal tasks under this scope of work include, but are not limited to:

• Assist with drafting, reviewing, finetuning, and translating solicitations
• Participate in and document the Grant Selection Committee meetings
• Conduct reference checks, site visits, and pre-award risk assessments
• Participate in conducting institutional assessments and diagnostic analysis of potential grantees. In particular, participate in examining financial, accounting, and administrative procedures for control of funds and expenditures, including appropriate reporting to the authorities
• Assist with drafting grant approval documents
• Conducts analyses of grant application budgets, verifies pricing data, and leads budget negotiations with applicants
• Leads budget tracking and forecasting for entire RCRA grants portfolio
• Prepare Grant Agreements and related documents
• Responsible for grant documentation and compliance with USAID rules and regulations
• Maintains grant files and keeps tracker up-to-date
• Assists with building strong relationship/partnership with grantees
• Works with the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager to assess performance of grantees and to inform impact assessment of projects, as needed
• As needed, assist or lead procurement efforts for grant activities
• Closely liaise with and provide all necessary assistance to the Grants Program Manager and Grants and Subcontracts Advisor on issues related to the development, refinement, production, data management, and monitoring of an administrative system to track the activities and performance of grantees
• Serve as a point of contact for applicants and grantees, ensuring positive, compliant communications
• Ensure full compliance with USAID regulations related to fair and open competition for grants and manage the issuance of solicitations for proposals for grants. Assist in evaluating applications for grant funding, including preparation of written reports on the process of evaluation and results of selection
• Conduct other activities as directed by the Grants Program Manager, Grants and Subcontract Advisor, and/or Chief of Party.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties.

• Understanding of and experience with USAID grants rules and regulations (ADS 303) strongly preferred;
• Experience implementing grants programs along the full grant lifecycle from solicitation to implementation, monitoring, and closeout.
• Strong understanding and experience with documentation such as negotiation memorandums, selection memos, grant agreements, etc. strongly preferred;
• Superior attention to detail, ability to explain complex concepts, and file management;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word;
• Demonstrated experience analyzing, preparing, and managing budgets and financial tracking/forecasting systems
• Experience working in one or more RCRA technical sectors (high value agriculture, wine, tourism) preferred.
• Supervisory experience, skilled in training and mentoring junior staff
• Experience training and building capacity of Moldovan organizations to receive and manage grant funding
• Ability to follow directions while also working independently;
• Ability to manage multiple ongoing projects at once;
• Adaptable and willing to learn new skills as needed;
• Excellent English and Romanian written and oral proficiency. Willingness and ability to work in the English language, with strong English writing skills;
• Excellent inter-personal communication and mediation skills; team-player;
• Proven ability to work professionally and constructively as part of team, meet deadlines, communicate effectively, and deal with diverse partners in challenging environments; and
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

Expressions of interest, CVs should be sent in English to MDA-RCRA-Recruit@chemonics.md The deadline for submission is June 22, 2023, but early applications will receive priority review. Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Chemonics International, Inc. (www.chemonics.com) is a U.S.-based international consulting firm providing expertise in developing and emerging-market countries since 1975.