EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER (EDC)

Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity, with a focus on vulnerable and under-served populations.  Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.

EDC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Project Description

The Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP) is a five-year, USAID-funded initiative that supports the Kenyan Ministry of Education to deliver interventions at scale as well as pilot and expand innovations that address the language and literacy needs of primary grade learners while building more inclusive, accountable, and resilient education institutions and systems.

KPLP has three broad objectives:

1. Improving education services and student learning outcomes, including for vulnerable populations;

2. Strengthening education institutions and systems to become more accountable, self-sustaining, and resilient; and

3. Empowering local youth organizations to strengthen and sustain community and family support for student learning and wellbeing.

Position Description

KPLP activities will be implemented in all 23,300+ public primary schools across all 47 counties by Education Development Center (EDC) and its partners Aga Khan Foundation, Inclusive Development Partners (IDP), National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and Sesame Workshop in full collaboration with the MOE and USAID. The grants program shall be a key vehicle for delivering objective 3 of KPLP through intensive youth-led and youth managed activities focusing on family and community engagement and reading remediation. The Grants Officer is responsible for grants management at the regional level. The Grants Officer position will be responsible for the administration, management, and monitoring of the grants to the youth led organizations (YLO). Regular communication with each YLO will be required to ensure that the work is of quality, stays on track and is completed strictly within the agreed timelines. The Grants Officer will work collaboratively with other members of EDC’s technical, contractual, and administrative units as well as Ministry of Education team.

This is a full-time position based in Garissa and relocation costs will not be provided. The Grants Officer reports to the Garissa Regional Education Advisor and works under the technical supervision of the Grants and Partnerships Manager, based in Nairobi.

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Demonstrate diplomacy to foster an atmosphere of teamwork, collaboration, productivity, and innovation.  
• Manage partners engaged through grants, encompassing the pre award phase through closure. The grants officer shall support participatory assessments of grantee capacity and develop and implement capacity strengthening and sustainability plans, in collaboration with technical and operational teams.
• Execute the monitoring plan and conduct visits to grantee sites to ensure that grantees are compliant with award specific requirements and applicable USAID regulations and are on track with milestones deliverables.
• Track all deliverables, ensuring grantees stay up to date on their work, troubleshoot problems as they arise, and keep management apprised of the status of all grants to the Youth Led Organizations.
• In coordination with the technical team, review grantee invoices for compliance and coordinate with technical teams for validation of performance and data quality assurance.
• Maintain grant files including records on monitoring and evaluation and other quality control activities (financial, programmatic, and proof of performance).
• Close-out completed grants in full compliance with USAID regulations and EDC policy and ensure audit trail for all necessary grant documentation.

The candidate for the position of Grants Officer shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field.

Skills and Experience:

• Five to six (5-6) years of directly relevant experience required.
• Prior experience working on USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Knowledge of USAID and USG assistance-related regulations (2CFR200, 22 CFR 228, ADS 303, ADS 591)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office package, especially Excel
• Demonstrated experience providing training and developing capacity building/sustainability plans for local organizations.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, collaborate and meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with employees at all levels.
• Good report writing skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Effective oral and written communication skills in English.

Language:

Fluency in English is required.

Other:

Applicants must be Kenyan nationals or hold current work authorization. 

Applications submitted without a resume or CV will not be reviewed. 

Due to the volume of applications submitted, only finalists will be notified. No phone calls, please. 

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EDC is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smoke-free workplace, and offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. 

This announcement is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this notice are the sole responsibility of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.