Grants Assistant, Colombo, Sri Lanka

DT Global works in partnership with communities, governments, and the private sector to deliver innovative solutions that transform lives. DT Global - launched in 2019 - is built on legacy companies AECOM’s International Development Services Sector, Development Transformations, IMC Worldwide, and Cardno International Development. To fulfill its profit-for-purpose mission, DT Global is a key donor to the DT Institute, an independent not-for-profit organization, in support of DTI’s efforts to test new ideas or expand on donor partner priorities to improve as many lives as possible.

Our global team of 2,500 staff and experts work in over 90 countries. We bring over 60 years of experience, relationships, and technical excellence to improve lives on behalf of our partners, clients, and stakeholders. We aim to maximize sustainable development impact across a wide range of practice areas, including Conflict Prevention, Stabilization & Transition; Economic Growth; Environment & Infrastructure; Governance; and Human Development. Together, we aim to positively impact 500 million lives by 2045.

USAID in Sri Lanka:

To strengthen democratic governance, USAID partners with the people of Sri Lanka to improve the responsiveness of government institutions and increases informed public participation in governance processes. Responding to good governance and vulnerable population needs, USAID activities build a robust civil society; increase access to balanced, accurate information through the media; promote dialogue, conflict mitigation, and social cohesion among multi-ethnic communities; and build local capacity for disaster response and risk reduction.

Project Background:

DT Global seeks applicants for a USAID-funded, Colombo-based civic engagement program. The program will primarily focus on providing small grants to expand the range of civil society actors that have a voice in national reform processes, support advocacy for democratic values and accountable governance, and promote opportunities for constructive citizen participation in governance issues. The program will support collaboration between Sri Lankan civil society organizations (CSOs) and CSO-led networks to engage proactively and constructively on issues related to political and governance reforms, raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and engage with the government on key reform issues.

Position Summary:

The Grants Assistant (GA) support s the Grants Specialist (GS) in the development, implementation and closeout of all grant activities in accordance with USAID regulations and with DT Global’s policies and procedures. As delegated by the G S, the GA will support different elements of ensuring compliance requirements are adhered to throughout the life of each grant activity, such as due diligence, grantee vetting, environmental compliance, timely submission of grantee deliverables, and file keeping .

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the development of budgets for individual activities to be implemented – inclusive of conducting market surveys, identifying all items required for successful implementation and liaising with the procurement and logistics teams to identify all costs.
• Support implementation oversight, regularly review expenses against budgets to ensure that all costs are being tracked properly and that all required items are being purchased as planned; check expenses against budget at the conclusion of the activity to ensure all expenses are accounted for prior to closing activities.
• Regularly liaise with the procurement and logistics offices to ensure all documentation is being completed correctly, and to ensure that procurements and delivery of goods to grantees are moving forward appropriately.
• In collaboration with the program team, support coordinat ion for the execution of kick-off meeting with grantees to cover all the practical details of the implementation of the grant.
• Support the completion of all activity documentation such as grant agreements, transfer of titles, activity close out forms.
• As required, travel to field sites to support activity development, implementation and closedown.
• Support the submission of cash advance requests and support the management of cash payments and liquidation of advances necessary to implement activities.
• In coordination with the MEL team, support the execution of M&E tasks – including taking photos, collecting attendance sheets, conducting focus group discussions or key informant interviews.
• Ensure all items are properly documented and stored in the corresponding activity files.
• Contribute to the development of weekly activity notes, and any reports required for your region of work.
• Other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Education and certifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required.

Key Position Competencies and Experience:

• At least one to two years of progressive experience working in administration, program or grants management, or operations departments, preferably while implementing donor-funded programming.
• Prior experience working on USAID-funded projects preferred.
• Ability/willingness to travel throughout the country on a regular basis.
• Ability to work in a professional and cordial manner with fellow staff members, visitors, and partner institutions including international and local NGOs, governmental entities, support organizations, and the general public.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, to prioritize multiple work assignments in an extremely fast-paced environment, to meet deadlines, and to exercise good, professional judgment that reflects positively on the image and communicates the established program message.
• Ability to effectively use computer software including MS Word and Excel.
• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English required.
• This position is open to Sri Lankan Nationals only.

DT Global Core Competencies:

• Teamwork: Works cooperatively and effectively with others to achieve common goals. Participates in building a culture characterized by inclusion, trust, and commitment.
• Communication: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts professionally Demonstrates effective use of skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
• Adaptability: Adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
• Customer/Client Focused: Anticipates, monitors, and meets the needs of customers and responds to them in an appropriate and responsive manner.
• Diversity & Inclusion: Conveys respect for diverse individuals and perspectives; models inclusive behavior and treats everyone fairly.
• Professionalism: Displays appropriate and ethical behavior, integrity, and personal presentation in the workplace always; demonstrates respectful communication for others, both verbal and non-verbal.

DT Global is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin. DT Global prohibits discriminating against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.