Manager – Partnerships & Compliance

Location:  Madesh Province, Lumbini Province, Karnali Province and Sudurpaschim Province

Background
Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl partners with communities striving to overcome long standing cycles of poverty.  By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives.  Working in 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

USAID Integrated Nutrition’s primary goal is to improve the nutrition status of women, adolescents, and children in Nepal’s underserved and marginalized communities. The activity will tackle direct and underlying determinants of malnutrition in Nepal while strengthening the national and local enabling environment to implement multisectoral nutrition programs through four synergistic intermediate results. Achievement of the purpose will be measured by improvements in indicators of nutrition status among women of reproductive age, adolescents, and children.

Position Overview
The Manager, Partnerships & Compliance will provide oversight of partnerships and compliance at the provincial and local levels while also building the capacities of local partner organizations. They will have primary responsibility for supporting the planning and execution of partnership awards and monitoring financial aspects to ensure full adherence to grant requirements as outlined in project proposals and grant/subgrant agreements. They will be responsible for capacity building and coaching Helen Keller’s local partner organizations; specifically finance and operational staff. They will ensure sound management and optimal performance in all areas of financial and grants management in compliance with Helen Keller and donor policies. The is a one year contract with the possibility of renewal.

Functional Relationships
Under the direct supervision of the Province Lead, the Manager, Partnerships & Compliance will provide leadership and oversight of sub-award management at the provincial level, ensuring efficient implementation of program objectives and activities.

The Manager will work closely with the Province Lead, the Senior Manager, Contracts, Grants and Compliance, the Director of Program Operations, and the program, finance and operations teams. Together, they will ensure the achievement of all award compliance, financial control, and performance objectives in alignment with the Helen Keller and USAID Integrated Nutrition program objectives.

Helen Keller has a matrixed reporting structure that respects both the line management and authority within country office hierarchies; and the accountability and oversight duties of colleagues at the regional and headquarters level (especially for multi-country grants). This requires regular communication among colleagues and an ongoing effort to clarify who is responsible and/or accountable for outcomes and who must be consulted and/or informed along the way.

Direct Line Supervision: Province Lead
Inter-Line Supervision: Sr. Manager, Contracts, Grants and Compliance
Collaboration with:

• Internal: All Staffs
• External: Program partners and stakeholders

Specific Roles and Responsibilities:
Partner Selection and Award Development:

• Work closely with the Sr. Manager, Contracts, Grants and Compliance to consolidate Partner Selection documentation for the implementation of USAID Integrated Nutrition, including the RFA package, process, criteria, and timeline.
• Participate in the USAID Integrated Nutrition partner organization selection process, serving as the point person for conducting Helen Keller’s due diligence, Risk Determination analysis, Pre-award assessment, and conducting applicant office site visits for further validation (if needed) as part of the selection process.
• Collaborate closely with the technical team in the activity design process for selected partner organizations, including scheduling and facilitating meetings to define roles, responsibilities, and timelines for subaward finalization.
• Review subaward documents and budgets finalized by partner organizations to ensure compliance with donor and Helen Keller guidelines. Complete the subaward package, ensuring all documents meet internal standards, and forward it to Grants and Contracts in Kathmandu for further actions, approvals, and execution.
• Coordinate with the Province Lead in finalizing partner organization subaward modifications in collaboration with program staff and forward the modification package to Grants and Contracts in Kathmandu for further review and execution.

Financial Management and Compliance:

• Ensure partner organization financial management systems comply with donor and Helen Keller guidelines, international and national accounting standards, and applicable local laws. Assist partners in developing comprehensive policies based on their organizational needs, grant size, staff volume, and program portfolio.
• Organize orientations to provide technical guidance to project partner staff, ensuring they understand subaward guidelines, donor compliance issues, and Helen Keller policies and procedures.
• Conduct training for Province Office and local partner organization staff to enforce policies and procedures, such as fraud prevention, code of conduct, and conflict resolution, to prevent improprieties, both intentional and unintentional.
• Ensure robust internal control systems exist within the province office and partner organizations.
• Design and implement a comprehensive subaward monitoring and evaluation system. Notify local partner organizations on USAID Integrated Nutrition visit plans to ensure their readiness, conduct visits, entrance and exit meetings with partner organization boards and staff, and share review findings and observations with partner organizations, Province Lead, and the Grants and Contracts team in Kathmandu. Flag critical findings requiring notable attention.
• Develop tracking (database) tools to ensure accurate tracking of opportunities and partner organization reporting, including timely submission of monthly financial reports, advance requests, monthly cost share reports, VAT reports, annual inventory, audit report reviews, etc.
• Facilitate the execution of statutory audits, donor-specific audits of Helen Keller, internal audits planned for the province office or partner organizations (subaward), follow up on the implementation of corrective action to address audit findings, and close the audit once all issues are resolved.
• Ensure the implementation of Helen Keller’s online web-based system for subaward tracking, monitoring, and audit management (AuditBoard) in consultation with the Grants and Contracts Kathmandu office for internal audit, subaward and modification, partner organization financial monitoring visits, partner organization financial reports and approvals, etc.
• Coordinate with the Grants and Contracts Kathmandu office to ensure partner organization documents (e.g., financial review visit reports, monthly financial reports, post-award assessments, audit reports, cost share reports) are uploaded in Helen Keller AuditBoard.
• Oversee and manage all aspects of Province financial and operational activities, including finalizing the province office operation budget each year and budget revisions per project guidance. Monitor all budgets and expenditures to ensure they align with the budget and comply with all applicable donor regulations, statutes, and rules.

Capacity Building and Support:

• Conduct partner organization capacity assessments using Organizational Capacity Assessment tools and techniques. Provide capacity-building support to local partner organizations, including mentoring and training in reporting and proposal development for successful implementation and compliance with the subaward agreement, supporting their sustainable development as organizations.
• Develop and implement capacity development plans for all local partner organizations.
• Supervise the Province Finance and Operations Officers, conduct performance evaluations and provide coaching and mentoring to support professional development.
• Coordinate and support the Province Lead in partner subaward and project start-up and/or closing processes, as needed.
• Organize training for the province office and local partner organization staff to enforce policies and procedures (e.g., fraud prevention, code of conduct, conflict resolution) to prevent improprieties, both intentional and unintentional.
• As gender and social inclusion (GESI) is a cross-cutting and core component for Helen Keller programs, ensure GESI sensitivity and integration in all areas of work.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Required Qualifications/Competencies

• Education: Masters’ degree or equivalent in finance, development, program management, international development or other relevant fields (e.g. ACCA, CA); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Professional experience of at least seven (7) years with at least five (4) years in similar management positions, preferably in an international development organization.
• Demonstrated experience with international development organizations and their reporting, financial management, procurement, and project management systems, including demonstrated ability to develop and monitor budgets, and collaboratively manage operational activities of complex programs including sub-grant management.
• Required: Working knowledge and experience with USG Regulations specifically 2 CFR 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
• Experience in dealing with a diverse group of stakeholders representing government, civil society, international organizations, local government units, community and political leaders, and others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to exercise diplomacy and tact as demonstrated in previous roles that required communication with a broad and diverse set of partners.
• Excellent capacity building, team building/management, and coordination skills. An ability to delegate responsibilities effectively and coach and mentor junior staff.
• Excellent analytical, self-motivation, advocacy, and persuasion skills; able to think critically.
• An ability to work in challenging and changing environments, and to see through challenges to find solutions.
• Highly computer literate with proficiency with relevant to the job and proficient with automated and integrated accounting packages,
• Excellent oral and written English language skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex financial, compliance and operational issues into layperson language.
• An ability to maintain balance when under stress.
• Fluency in Nepali.
• Demonstrable respect for all persons regardless of religion, ethnicity, class, or gender, with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment with a demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards.

Tagged as: Helen Keller International, Karnali Pradesh, Lumbini Pradesh, Madhesh Pradesh, Manager, NGO INGO, Sudurpashchim Pradesh