About APOPO
APOPO is an international non-profit organisation that saves lives by training animals to detect landmines, unexploded ordnance, tuberculosis, and other threats. For more than 27 years, APOPO has worked alongside communities, governments, and donors to deliver safe, effective, and innovative solutions with lasting impact.
Role Summary
The Grants & Partnerships Manager is responsible for the effective post-award management of institutional and philanthropic grants at APOPO, in the Mine Action Department. The role ensures that funded projects are implemented in full compliance with donor agreements, contractual obligations, and reporting requirements, while maintaining strong, transparent relationships with donors.
The Grants & Partnerships Manager provides oversight and coordination of post-award grant management, supporting donor engagement led by the partnerships team and ensuring compliance with donor agreements. The role works closely with partnerships, program, finance, and communications teams to ensure timely reporting, financial accountability, donor visibility, and delivery of agreed project results.
Primary Responsibilities (Post-Award)
Grant & Contract Management
- Coordinate, manage and oversee the grant implementation process
- Manage grant agreements, amendments, and contractual obligations
- Maintain complete and up-to-date grant files, reporting calendars, and compliance checklists
- Ensure adherence to donor rules, regulations, branding requirements, and contractual conditions
Donor Relations & Stewardship
- Maintain regular communication with donors, providing structured updates and responding to requests
- Coordinate donor calls, meetings, and briefings
- Ensure timely and professional responses to donor questions, clarifications, and audits
- Build and maintain trust-based relationships with funding partners
Reporting, Monitoring & Performance Management
- Lead the preparation and submission of high-quality narrative and financial donor reports
- Track project KPIs, milestones, and deliverables in collaboration with program teams
- Monitor project implementation against approved proposals, budgets, and logframes
- Identify risks, delays, or compliance issues and support corrective actions with relevant teams
Financial Oversight (in coordination with Finance)
- Work closely with finance teams to ensure accurate tracking of grant expenditures
- Monitor budget utilization and burn rates against donor-approved budgets
- Ensure financial documentation meets donor requirements
- Support donor audits, verifications, and financial reviews
Donor Communications & Visibility
- Ensure compliance with donor visibility and acknowledgment requirements
- Coordinate donor communications, progress updates, and impact stories
- Work with communications teams to ensure donor recognition in external communications and social media, in line with donor guidelines
Secondary Responsibilities
- Provide compliance and feasibility input to the partnerships teams during proposal development and contract negotiation
- Review donor requirements, reporting frameworks, and risk considerations at proposal stage
- Support structured handover processes from proposal development to project implementation
- Assist the Head of Department with grant project–related coordination, problem-solving, and donor requirements
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in international development, public administration, finance, or a related field.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in post-award grant management, donor compliance, or partnerships within an NGO or international organization in the field of Mine Action.
- Proven experience managing institutional donor grants (e.g. government donors, foundations, multilateral agencies)
- Strong knowledge of donor compliance, reporting, and audit requirements
- Experience working closely with program and finance teams
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (additional languages an asset)
Key Competencies
- Strong attention to detail and compliance mindset
- Excellent coordination, documentation, and deadline management skills
- Ability to translate donor requirements into operational guidance
- Strong stakeholder and relationship management skills
- Proactive risk identification and problem-solving ability
What APOPO Offers
- Opportunity to contribute to innovative humanitarian and development programs
- International, mission-driven working environment
- Full time contract, home-based with occasional travel, and competitive salary package
How to apply
Please submit via this link:
- Your CV (in PDF)
- A motivation letter (maximum 1 page, in PDF)
- Contact details of at least two professional referees
Reference checks are part of our standard recruitment process. Referees will only be contacted with your prior consent.
The closing date for applications is 15/02/2026. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
APOPO’s commitment
APOPO is committed to safeguarding people, animals, and communities. All staff are expected to uphold APOPO’s safeguarding policies and ethical standards. Background checks form part of the recruitment process.
APOPO is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.