Regional Grants Manager, Southern Cone

Job Description

**Position**: Regional Grants Manager, Southern Cone (SC)

**Reports to**: Regional Business Manager, Southern Cone (SC) with dotted line to Regional Director, Southern cone.

**Location**: WCS Country Office in the Region (preferably Buenos Aires, Argentina)

**Division**: Global Conservation Program, Southern Cone Region (SC)

**Position Type**: Full-time (40 hs/week)

**Expected travel**: Up to 20% to project sites and field offices of Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) and to WCS NY headquarters.

**Internal liaison**: Southern Cone regional team, finance and administration teams in NY HQ, Country Finance Managers, technical coordinators of projects supported by the Regional Grants Manager.

**Job Summary**:
The Regional Grants Manager will be the focal point for the management of SC regional grants and contracts throughout the project life cycle. Under the supervision of the SC Regional Business Manager, in close coordination with the SC Regional Director and Regional Program Manager and liaising with regional and country technical and finance teams, as well as third party technical and finance teams, the SC Regional Grants Manager will continuously evaluate the implementation status of regional WCS grants and contracts. The SC region is comprised of Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay country programs, in addition to activities in Uruguay and region‐wide engagement on a variety of conservation matters, comprising a portfolio of more than U$S 6 million, with about 50 different funding sources.

**Responsibilities**:
Grant management
- Monitor ongoing projects led by the regional team to ensure that they are being managed as planned and in accordance with donor requirements, throughout the life cycle of the project. This includes:

- Lead the review of all regional grant and contract agreements, including amendments, in coordination with the regional team and WCS legal department.
- Ensure the review and proper implementation of WCS and donor policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements.
- Ensure that the WCS team working on regional projects understands the contractual obligations and compliance requirements of the various donors on all grants and contracts throughout the life cycle of the project. This will include supporting the coordination of kick-off meetings for each project.
- Ensure the compilation, proper filing and availability of the necessary means of verification to support compliance with WCS and donor requirements.
- Coordinate regular and timely communication with the teams involved regarding progress in the implementation of regional/country projects.
- Ensure that the administration of regional and country grants is on track, keeping records updated in the WCS financial system, validating progress through periodic reporting according to donor requirements.
- Act as focal point and coordinator for inquiries and requests related to compliance issues and progress on assigned projects.
- Perform all financial management functions on assigned projects, including but not limited to, development and adjustment of associated budgets, coordination of budgeted funds, selection and processing of expenditure requests and timely request for reimbursements, and ensuring project closeout.
- Respond to requests for information, including the preparation of reports and data analysis (e.g. programmed vs. executed budget, variances, income and expenditures, project financial statements, among others).
- Coordinate the preparation of narrative and financial reports for regional/ country grants, ensuring that deadlines established by the donor are met.
- Coordinate the preparation of funding proposals for country and regional projects.
- Continuously monitor and evaluate the status of the implementation of regional/country projects, verifying the correct grouping of expenditures, in accordance with the approved budget.
- Review grants financial reports prepared by country programs, ensuring compliance aspects, prior to submission to NY for signature, including verification of reports with WCS financial system.

Sub-agreement management
- In the case of projects led by the regional team:

- Support the preparation and review of sub-agreements (only in those cases when these will be executed in a country where WCS does not have an office) with partners and contractors, to ensure compliance with donor requirements and WCS policies.
- Support the risk assessment evaluation and monitoring of sub-agreements signed within the framework of a grant, subsidy and/or contract.
- Help ensure that implementing partners comply with the terms and conditions set forth in their contracts.
- Carry out the necessary monitoring and follow-up to ensure proper implementation and coordination of the work by the implementing partners within the framework of the regional projects, based on the approved annual operational plans.
- Review risk assessments and the preparation of narrative and finan