The Nature Crime Consortium is a five-year, $25 million program supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and led and managed by WRI. The Consortium’s program of work focuses on detecting and combating illegal logging, forest conversion, wildlife trade and fishing and associated crimes in selected developing countries and across transnational supply chains and criminal networks. The Consortium will also work closely with the Nature Crime Alliance, a multi-stakeholder coalition launched in August 2023, for which WRI hosts the Secretariat.
Job Highlight:
You will report to the Operations Manager, Natural Resources Governance and Policy Program
You will provide financial and operational support to this new Consortium – keeping us and our sub awardees on track to deliver on project activities, and thereby help ensure that we can advance the Consortium activities and outputs agreed with USAID.
You will have regular support from the Deputy Chief of Party and Chief of Party.
What will you do:
Budget and expense management :
Provide essential budget monitoring for the Consortium, by reviewing the transactions and finances of the projects monthly, and updating budgets quarterly (in collaboration with the Operations Manager and project leads)
Monitor life-of-grant financial reporting requirements and ensure that financial progress reports are submitted in a timely manner
Submit and track requests for payment in a timely manner and ensure that payments processed are consistent with WRI’s internal policies and grant requirements
Support the Operations Manager and Program Manager in ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of grants and contracts
Support the Secretariat team, partners, and contractors in understanding all relevant processes and approach issues with patience and good humor
Grants and contracts management :
Prepare and maintain sub grant and contract agreements with partners and contractors in line with WRI procurement and grants management policies, including follow-up needs to complete agreements on time, and any required amendments
Assist in preparation and drafting of large contracts, sub grants and procurement memos, support market research efforts under larger procurements, collect documents from vendors, submits contracts for review and approval and obtains relevant signatures
Maintain database of contracts and sub-grants under the Nature Crime Consortium and ensure the timely and accurate submission of progress and financial reports from sub grantees
Program administration and support :
Coordinates logistics of Consortium events, including coordinating venue, catering, travel, and accommodation arrangements
Organize and manage program documentation in shared drives
Support the Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party with other administrative duties, as needed, such as taking meeting minutes, and serving as point of contact for WRI operations and other core functions
What will you need:
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, procurement, or related area, or relevant diploma/certificate in accounting or finance
Experience:
You have 3 years of relevant experience within finance, contract & procurement, grants coordination, or business administration
You have worked in roles in the past that require a high level of numerical literacy, especially using Excel, and extreme attention to detail
You have managed budgets and tracked expenses for projects involving sub-grants or sub-contracts to geographically disbursed sub-grantees, including complex projects
You have past experience working with medium to large (5 mill USD +) grants, and with ensuring that reporting requirements, policies, and deadlines from donors are met
You have experience with financial software such as TM1 and Cognos (desirable but training will be provided during on-boarding)
You have experience with U.S. government procurement processes and contracting
You have experience with U.S. Government funding (USAID), large institutional donors (such as Norway, UK) and/or private philanthropies and foundations
You have worked for or with multi-stakeholder initiatives, and/or with donor funded non-profits
You have experience working within teams that are geographically dispersed
Languages:
Verbal and written English proficiency. Other language skills desirable.
