National Grants Management Specialist
Organizational Context
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a 3-year project, "Circular Economy in the Food Sector" (CIRCULAR), funded by the European Union. This project, jointly implemented with Expertise France and GIZ, aims to reduce food loss and waste, promote circularity in agri-food systems, and transition away from single-use plastics. By fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships and employing socio-technological interventions, the project seeks to mitigate climate impacts and enhance economic and social well-being within the agri-food sector.
Job Purpose
The National Grants Management Specialist will ensure the technically sound, timely, transparent, and fully documented implementation of the CIRCULAR Beneficiary Grants Programme. This includes managing the entire grant lifecycle from launch and application processing through to implementation, verification, completion, and results reporting. The Specialist will serve as the operational link between government requirements, FAO procedures, technical experts, service providers, and grant beneficiaries. They will support the established governance structures, such as the Technical and Selection Committees, by providing necessary documentation and coordination, without holding decision-making authority.
Responsibilities
The Specialist will be responsible for grants implementation planning and coordination, developing detailed implementation plans, workflows, and tracking systems, and coordinating across FAO's programme, technical, operations, procurement, finance, and M&E functions. They will maintain a consolidated grants pipeline and identify implementation bottlenecks or risks, proposing corrective actions. Responsibilities also include supporting the call for beneficiaries, managing application processes, and ensuring eligibility screening. The Specialist will coordinate technical assessments, prepare documentation for committees, and track decision implementation. They will oversee grant implementation, coordinate beneficiary orientation, monitor schedules, resolve technical issues, and ensure changes to investments are properly documented. Furthermore, the Specialist will coordinate technical verification of delivered equipment, ensure compliance with grant conditions, manage grant files, and flag risks. They will prepare progress reports, dashboards, and contribute to project reporting and knowledge management, documenting lessons learned for future grant rounds and the project's broader objectives.
Work Experience
A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience is required, specifically in grants management, investment programmes, private-sector development, MSME support, agricultural/food-sector projects, or development-finance programmes. Experience in comparable assignments is also valued. This experience should demonstrate a strong understanding of the grant cycle and investment implementation, the ability to assess and coordinate technically diverse investments, and proficiency in results-based monitoring and reporting.
Skills
Key skills include a strong understanding of the grant cycle and investment implementation, the ability to translate procedural requirements into operational workflows, and capacity to assess and coordinate technically diverse investments. Strong analytical and documentation skills are essential, along with an understanding of internal controls, segregation of duties, and conflict-of-interest management. Results-based monitoring and reporting capabilities are crucial, as is the ability to coordinate effectively with government, private sector, technical, and development-partner stakeholders. Strong written and spoken English proficiency is required. Demonstrated experience in managing competitive grants or investment-support mechanisms, multi-stage application processes, coordinating technical specialists, monitoring investments, and developing auditable project documentation and management information systems is highly desirable.