Job Description
JOB SUMMARY:
The Sr Manager USG Compliance Support is a member of the global donor compliance support team with a focus on providing USG rules and regulations expertise to ensure CARE is successfully managing USG awards. The Manager plays a significant role in developing capacity support, training and advisory services to country and program teams for effective and compliant management of USG grants and contracts. The position will collaborate with Atlanta-based units, Regional and Country Office management units, Shared Services Center and other members of the Award Management Solutions (AMS) team. The Manager will report into the Director USG Compliance support.
The Sr Manager's roles and responsibilities are to:
1) Provide guidance, advice and interpretation on USG rules and regulations (COs, RMU, SSC, HQ technical units) and engage with the USG donor representatives to resolve issues.
2) Provide technical and compliance support to CARE program and country offices for award USG project design, start-up management, monitoring and close out for USG funding projects.
3) Assess and work to strengthen systems, processes and capacity of the organization (COs, RMU, SSC, HQ technical units) for management of USG awards (both cooperative agreements and contracts).
4) Manage the USG team training schedule, training process and protocols, and provide training and capacity building to CARE and partner staff on USG rules and regulations
5) Provide capacity, systems, and policy support for CARE's organizational USG contract readiness initiatives and provide technical advisory services on FAR/AIDAR requirements and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) compliance.
5) Advise and support the partner funding agreement life cycle (including IPIA's with non-CARE USA COs) under USG awards.
6) Collaborate with the AMS Donor Compliance Assurance and AMS regional management teams to identify USG donor compliance risks and issues, and provide regulatory and technical advise on risk mitigation solutions.
7) Collaborate with SSC on USG design of compliance milestones and monitor and spot checking award commitments and transactions for allowable costs and compliant processes.
8) Work with AMS Regional Management team, IPO Regional Management, and HQ units to analyze country context risks and support country office risk mitigation and partner compliance capacity building.
9) Provide Single Audit and project-specific USG audit preparation and support.
10) Compliance review and approval of USG donor and prime recipient awards to CARE and USG funded Partner Funding Agreements.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Guidance on USG rules and regulations
- Provide guidance and advice on USG rules and regulations throughout the organization (COs, RMU, SSC, HQ technical units ) and engage with the USG donor representatives to resolve issues.
- Interpret and provide compliance solutions to USG rules and regulations to include but not limited to: Uniform Guidance (2CFR200), USAID Standard Provisions, Cooperative Agreement provisions and contract terms & conditions, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and USAID supplemental acquisition regulations (AIDAR).
- Support country offices and HQ technical units in engagement with USG authorized representatives or prime recipients on compliance issues and prior approvals.
- Advise International Funding and Strategy Unit (IFS) on USG rules and regulations questions that arise during the pre-award phase and provide technical support to partner due diligence process for USG proposals.
- Work with country offices and technical HQ units in their negotiations with the donor or prime on award provisions (or terms & conditions).
- Provide guidance and advise on appropriate templates and provisions a project should use for the design and negotiations of partner financial agreements in alignment with due diligence assessments, USG rules and regulations and the Partner Funding Agreement Policy (i.e. sub-recipient) under USG awards ensuring flexibility, the principles of mutuality as defined in the Partner Funding Agreement Policy and donor compliance.
USG Award and Organizational Support and Monitoring and Systems Improvements
- Provides support for major USG award project start-up support and participate in targeted project start up workshops.
- Works with SSC to provide global monitoring for all USG projects and takes corrective action for projects that are not meeting their compliance requirements.
- Provide selected spot-checks of USG award commitments and transactions for allowable costs and compliant processes working in a supporting role (as subject matter expert) under the overall quality assurance responsibilities of the donor compliance unit within AMS. Provides corrective action or calls in support for any risks and issues identified as a result of the spot checks.
- Provide Single Audit and project-specific USG audit preparation and support working closely with Finance, SSC, Country Office and Regions to ensure readiness, coordination and response to the annual Single Audits and project-specific audits.
- Assess systems, processes and capacity of the organization (COs, RMU, SSC, HQ technical units) for management of USG awards (both cooperative agreements and contracts). Works with the AMS Donor Compliance Support services unit, AMS Regional Managers and Regional Management Unit to identify USG donor compliance risks and issues and provide the response. Collaborates with SSC on USG compliance monitoring and responsible for analyzing USG award data for compliance and taking corrective actions.
- The Manager will be expected to support special initiatives that will include review of CARE's systems, processes and procedures to ensure they are in alignment with the rigorous and complex requirements of USG awards. The Manager will work collaborative with International Programs & Operations (IPO), Program units, Shared Services Center, Regions and Country Offices as key partners in these Special Initiatives.
Capacity Building and Training
- The Manager will develop training content, and design training approaches and capacity strengthening tools and materials for country offices staff, partners and other key stakeholders and HQ technical units on USG rules and regulations and related compliance issues.
- Provide targeted training and training-of-trainers related to USG rules and regulations and specific compliance topics
- Foster USG grants and contracts expertise throughout the organization through introduction of training of trainers approaches and through the coordination of USG grants management communities of practice and establishment of a training on line resource library.
- Track training completed by grants and contracts staff to ensure all staff within this function in the COs and technical HQ units receive consistent and effective training.
- Adapt key USG compliance and regulatory topics for self service and on line training as well as in person group and workshop style training.
- The unit will identify and mentor staff who are interested in USG rules and regs and who wish to become trainers and experts within their grants and contracts function.
USG Donor Award and Partner Funding Agreement Approvals
- Award Management Solutions is policy owner of the Agreement Management Policy and Partner Funding Agreement Policy. AMS acts as a key internal control by providing a documented compliance review and approval for donor awards at or over $1 million and partner funding agreements at or over $300,000.
- Support pre-award due diligence and compliance assessments including review of budgets for allowable cost compliance and consistency with CARE policies and pre award procedeures
- The Manager will review and approve awards and modifications and partner agreements and modifications in accordance with the policy and AMS procedures.
- As documented in the Agreement Approval Checklist and the Partner Funding Agreement Approval Checklists, risks and issues are identified, which are included with the package for review and approval. The Manager will support the response to the risks and issues identified in the checklists.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelors degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Management, Finance, Compiance ,International Development or equivalent work experience.
- At least 5 years of experience demonstrating knowledge of international nonprofit grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts management and compliance practices working with and interpreting USG and USAID rules and regulations.
- At least 3 years of demonstrated experience with managing, providing guidance and implementing training related to US Government rules and regulations in an international development or humanitarian context.
- Demonstrated experience with contracts and grants training delivery and excellent group facilitation skills
- Demonstrated quality assurance or audit experience to assess programs for USG rules and regulations compliance.
- English language Fluency (written and oral).
