Grants Manager

About the Programme

Africas population is growing rapidly with young people forming an increasing share of the workforce. Yet job creation has not kept pace leaving millions - particularly young women - without access to stable dignified livelihoods due to barriers such as limited education social norms and unpaid care responsibilities.

At the same time Africas health sector is expanding and presents a powerful opportunity to create sustainable livelihood pathways. This programme focuses on transforming community-based health work into respected viable career pathways for young people especially women. Starting in Kenya Ethiopia Burkina Faso Tanzania and Malawi the programme aims to professionalize community health workers create dignified employment and strengthen systems - contributing to both youth livelihoods and healthier communities.

Position Summary

The Grants Manager provides leadership for the effective management of subgrants across programme countries ensuring that grants function as effective enablers of programme delivery compliance and scale. The position ensures that sub-granting practices across country programmes are standardized risk-informed compliant and responsive programme realities while supporting delivery of donor-funded outcomes.

This role is responsible for supporting the vetting onboarding and strengthening sub-grantees in relation to budget expenditure internal control procedures compliance with agreement and sub-agreement(s) terms and conditions high-quality reporting and close-out. The Grants Manager provides proactive support to the sub-grantees and country programme teams through evolving donor regulatory and programme requirements embedding strong systems sound judgement and continuous improvement in the grant management practices.

The role requires sound professional judgement and strong systems thinking while effectively leading and developing grants teams to uphold programme integrity and sustain donor and partner confidence in complex evolving multi-country environments.

Key Responsibilities

1. Programme sub-grants management: Provide regional oversight of programme sub-grants ensuring alignment with approved programme objectives delivery models and governance frameworks; balance compliance requirements risk management and programme delivery needs across countries; maintain close coordination with the Programme Director and the Senior Programme Finance Manager on programme implications of grants decisions risks and adaptations; monitor grant expenditures against approved budgets; review new sub-grantee agreements to identify key obligations; maintain accurate sub-grant management documentation trackers dashboards and audit-ready files.
2. People & performance: Lead and develop Grants Officers and grants staff across country programmes through effective coordination coaching and performance management. Build a cohesive regional grants community of practice that drives collaboration peer learning and consistent application of policies and tools. Establish clear ways of working decision rights and escalation pathways between HQ country teams and programme leadership. Model Amrefs leadership behaviours and safeguarding commitments to foster a safe respectful and high-performing work environment.
3. Sub-grantee engagement and capacity building: Lead the review of sub-grant applications partner vetting and due diligence processes ensuring proportionate risk assessment and compliance with donor and Amref requirements. Strengthen sub-grantee capacity in budgeting financial management internal controls and reporting to support timely and compliant delivery. Monitor sub-grantee performance through review of financial and narrative reports and implement targeted capacity-building actions to address gaps and improve results. Oversee grant close-out processes ensuring completion of deliverables compliance checks and documentation requirements.
4. Grant systems standards and continuous improvement: Contribute to the development rollout and continuous improvement of grants management systems tools templates and guidance including Amrefs Grants Manual; apply an entrepreneurial and improvement-oriented mindset to identify inefficiencies risks and opportunities to strengthen grants processes across country programmes; Support organisation-wide initiatives related to Organisational Development and System Strengthening (ODSS) as they relate to partner and sub-grants management.
5. Programme sub-grant compliance oversight: Provide technical guidance to country teams and sub-grantees on budgeting expenditure tracking reporting and cost proposals; coordinate with Finance and budget holders to ensure accurate allocation monitoring and revision of sub-grant budgets; Conduct sample-based reviews of sub-grantee financial reports and support audits compliance reviews grant start-up and close-out processes.
6. Advisory collaboration & change enablement: Act as a trusted grants advisor to the Programme Director and cross-functional teams providing guidance on grants design partner vetting and proposal development. Work closely with Finance and MEL to align grant budgets financial and results reporting and to support accurate timely donor reporting and audits. Contribute to organisational learning by sharing grants-related insights and risks and support the embedding of consistent grants ways of working across HQ and country programmes.
7. Risk management and governance: identify document and manage grant-related risks including but not limited to compliance delivery and reputational risk; ensure grant obligations are integrated into programming governance planning and review cycles; maintain continuity of grant knowledge and standards across leadership or programme staffing transitions; and uphold high standards of integrity transparency and accountability.

Key Performance Indicators (Success Measures) Building the right platform and creating lasting impact

1. Donor compliance and risk management: Grant compliance risks are identified early documented and actively managed; donor rules are translated into clear practical guidelines for programme delivery and support teams; all donor reports are submitted on time and meet quality expectations.
2. Entrepreneurial mindset: Demonstrates the ability to identify opportunities and challenges collaboratively creates and tests solutions and adapts quickly within a complex multi-country and multi-partner context; applies sound financial and operational judgment to balance an entrepreneurial mindset with accountability - enabling responsible risk-taking to support programme delivery.
3. Efficient and audit-ready sub-grant management: Grant files trackers and any other documentation are complete secure and audit-ready; any audits or reviews are managed professionally with minimal findings; and corrective actions (if any) are addressed properly.
4. Sub-grant portfolio management: All active sub-grants are mapped and tracked across their life cycle (obligations milestones and reporting lines); sub-grants are managed within approved budgets with minimal variance with accurate reporting informed budget revisions and clear decisions taken to correct adapt or discontinue underperforming grants in line with set governance frameworks. Programme Finance MEL and Communications teams clearly understand overall grant and sub-grants requirements; no critical grant obligations are missed during the programme delivery timeframe.
5. Partner and sub-grant oversight: Sub-grant and partner processes are identified mapped out applied and monitored consistently; partners understand donor requirements and reporting expectations; and capacity gaps are identified addressed and documented.
6. Sustained donor confidence: Donor(s) experience the programme as well governed transparent and reliable; communication with donors on grant and sub-grant matters is proactive and professional; and the programme is well positioned for renewals extensions and/or additional funding.
7. Strong partner and country capability: country teams demonstrate improved compliance and confidence in sub-grant management; reduced dependency on HQ for interventions for routine sub-grant matters; and grant knowledge standards and systems are embedded beyond individuals.
8. Continuous improvement & governance contribution: Lessons from sub-grant implementation audits and reviews are used to improve systems and practices; grant insights inform programme governance planning and risk discussions and the Grant Manager is recognized as a trusted expert and partner beyond routine compliance.

Qualifications :

• Seven (7) to nine (9) years of relevant experience with at least three (3) years of leadership experience in grants management within the social impact/development sector;
• Bachelors degree in International Development Development Studies Public Administration Business Administration Finance Accounting Project Management Public Health or a related field.
• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant field is an added advantage;
• CPA finalist ACCA CFA CMI CA or other internationally recognized professional qualification(s) required with proven experience applying professional accounting standards in multi-country donor-funded programme environments including practical understanding of country-level financial operations and regulatory contexts;
• Proficiency in financial CRM systems or software and Microsoft Office suite;
• Demonstrable experience in managing grants sub-grants procurement and compliance with donor regulations;
• Demonstrable experience and understanding of social enterprise/impact models legal & tax structures especially in the identified programme countries and relevant donor regulations;
• Experience managing complex donor grants sub-grants and partner compliance;
• Credentials such as Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS) are an added advantage.
• Fluent in oral and written English

Core Competencies

1. Strategic Planning: Obtains and identifies key issues and relationships relevant to achieving long-range goals; commits to a course of action to accomplish a goal after developing alternatives based on logical assumptions facts available resources constraints and Amref values.
2. Entrepreneurial mindset: Demonstrates the ability to identify opportunities and challenges collaboratively creates and tests solutions and adapts quickly within a complex multi-country and multi-partner context; applies sound financial and operational judgment to balance an entrepreneurial mindset with accountability - enabling responsible risk-taking to support programme delivery.
3. Facilitating change: Supports programme and country teams through contractual or donor-driven change translating new requirements into practical workable guidance; anticipates change impacts across the grant lifecycle including amendments reporting and partner obligations and prepares teams accordingly; manages uncertainty with confidence and judgment reducing disruption during donor funding or regulatory shifts.
4. Driving results: Sets high goals for personal and team accomplishment; uses measurement methods to monitor progress toward programme goals; tenaciously works to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous achievement.
5. Creating an inclusive environment: Makes decisions and initiates action to ensure that programme policies leverage the capabilities and insights of individuals with diverse backgrounds cultures styles abilities and motivation.
6. Delegation and empowerment: Identifies and leverages opportunities to accelerate results and build capability by assigning tasks to individuals or own team with clear boundaries expectations support and follow-up with the intent of involving others in agreement for successful outcomes.
7. Innovative leadership: Creating a culture that inspires people to generate novel solutions with measurable impact for existing and potential stakeholders (internal and external); encouraging experimentation with new ways to solve work problems and seize opportunities that result in unique and differential solutions.
8. Proactive Learner: Identifying own strengths and shortcomings that impact organizational and programme results; actively pursuing development experiences that will enhance own impact on long-term organizational outcomes.

Additional Information :

Amref Health Africa founded in 1957 is the largest African-based international health development organisation. Headquartered in Nairobi Kenya Amref implements programmes across 35 African countries reaching more than 40 million people with a strong operational presence in Africa and advocacy and fundraising offices in Europe and North America.

Guided by its vision of lasting health change in Africa Amrefs mission is to catalyse community-led people-centred health systems and address the social determinants of health. Amref believes sustainable health transformation is driven from within communities and works to strengthen health systems while empowering communities to demand and access quality affordable healthcare.

Working at Amref Health Africa

At Amref Health Africa leadership is defined by impact sound judgment and the courage to turn purpose into results not by title alone. Leaders are trusted to think entrepreneurially take ownership and navigate complexity in dynamic multi-country environments to deliver lasting health and livelihood outcomes across Africa.

In this role you will lead through change setting direction and enabling others across countries consortium partners and disciplines. You will operate in complex programme ecosystems that require agility collaboration and innovation balancing ambition with accountability as political regulatory and programmatic conditions evolve.

To support sustained performance Amref provides a competitive and supportive employment offering including comprehensive medical cover a pension plan flexible work arrangements continuous leadership development and staff networks that foster inclusion and belonging.

At Amref you do not simply manage programmes - you lead change build systems and create lasting value.

Please include a cover letter that highlights why you believe you are an ideal candidate for this role along with your CV showcasing your relevant skills and experience. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the application deadline being January 29 2026.

Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any money at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process and has not retained any agent in connection with recruitment. Although Amref may use different job boards from time to time to further spread its reach for applicants all open vacancies are published on our website under the Vacancies page and on our official social media pages. Kindly also note that official emails from Amref Health Africa will arrive from an @ address.

Amref Health Africa is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Amref Health Africa is is dedicated to diversity and is an equal-opportunity employer with a non-smoking environment policy.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time