Job Title: Compliance Officer (Maternity Cover)
Reports to: Head of Grants, Contracts and Compliance
Start date: 1 March 2022
Location: London, United Kingdom
Types of contracts: Fixed term, 8 months with the possibility of becoming permanent.
LoE: Full time**
Salary range: £34,088 (C1)
About Internews:
Internews works to ensure access to trusted, quality news and information that empowers people to have a voice in their future and to live healthy, secure, and rewarding lives. We envision a world where everyone can communicate freely with anyone, anywhere, and exchange the news and information they need to shape their communities and the world.
For 35 years and in more than 100 countries, we have worked with our local partners to build hundreds of sustainable organizations, strengthened the capacity of thousands of media professionals, human rights activists, and information entrepreneurs, and reached millions of people with quality, local information, improving lives and building lasting change. On issues ranging from health and the environment to conflict and governance , Internews has developed approaches that harness the power of media and information to create positive change.
Internews is a charity operating internationally, with administrative centres in California, Washington DC, London, and Paris as well as regional hubs in Bangkok and Nairobi. Formed in 1982, Internews currently has offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.
Our commitment to a culture of belonging:
Internews is passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams, and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, the self-taught, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, abilities, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and actively welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.
About the Role:
This opportunity has come up at Internews’ department of Grants, Contracts and Compliance because one of our valued team members will be taking a maternity leave. Compliance Officer has the overall responsibility of ensuring contractual and regulatory compliance of awards contracted to Internews Europe. With direct report to the Head of London’s Grants, Contracts and Compliance (GC&C), s/he will work closely with the five regional Program Management Units (PMUs) and Technical Leadership Teams to ensure that our programmes receive seamless and rigorous contract management support, irrespective of source funding and form of donor contract .
You would be expected to have a deep understanding of the rules and regulations of major European donors. You will lead on the design and implementation of initiatives to further develop compliance expertise of all IEU’s project teams and HQ-based staff. You will oversee the compliance management through all steps in the programme management cycle. This role is pivotal for building and maintaining the culture in which employees are expected to do the right thing – not the fast thing.
Key Responsibilities:
Compliance:
- Reports to Head of GC&C on matters of donor compliance and quality assurance required for Internews Europe’s offices in London and Paris.
- Acts as the central authority for all IEU donor rules and regulations, advises project leads to ensure that all projects operate in compliant fashion and that all relevant teams have sufficient training and development in applicable contracting and compliance practice. Provides regular training on donor and statutory regulations to HQ and country office staff.
- Reviews and analyses incoming awards from donors, interpreting, clarifying and specifying terms and conditions; and develops systems and processes to ensure compliance with and consistent application of donor rules and regulations.
- Manages all Collaborative Agreements and other contractual engagements with our Alliance partner – Internews Network (IUS), including on the Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP).
- Works with the Head of GC&C, regional Programme Officers and project teams on effective operational start-up of new projects, including compliance reviews, correct adaptation of standard operating procedures, provision of correct templates, procedures and guidance/advice to programme teams. You will set-up new awards on our Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) and make updates when required.
- Monitors, researches and responds to donor and statutory requirements as they related to contractual compliance, risk management, and data transparency.
- Prepares formal contract amendment requests to donors. Seeks necessary inputs from programme and finance staff.
- Reviews contract budget modifications before submission to donors ensuring compliance with donor requirements and appropriateness.
- Coordinates with project teams the close-out phase of awards, ensuring all donor’s requirements are met.
Procurement Management:
- Advises staff on donor requirements for procurements during the preparation of procurement documents and throughout the process. Controls the maintenance of internal records for all procurements on the ERP.
- Leads on the development of project procurement plans to ensure internal and donor compliance. Inducted responsible staff.
- Leads on the design and administration of large procurements of goods and services. Negotiates terms and conditions with vendors.
- Continuously reviews IEU’s policies and procedures to ensure they are up to date with best industry practices.
Development:
- Advises development colleagues and PMUs on key considerations relating to donor compliance.
- Reviews narrative and budget proposals to prospective donors ensuring accurate, complete, and consistent submissions; compliance to donor requirements; appropriateness and sufficiency of budgets.
Other:
- Actively contributes to corporate level risk management, monitoring and mitigation.
- Other responsibilities at the GC&C as assigned by the Head of GC&C.
Essential Qualification, Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
- BA degree in a relevant field (not required if there is a strong work experience)
- Work experience in an international development environment, preferably in a grants and contracts role
- Deep expertise in rules, regulations and requirements of major European donors as applicable to international development context. Experience of compliance-managing awards from the European Commission, SIDA, NORAD, and FCDO.
- Experience in staff training, both face-to-face and remote.
- Experience in procurement management under awards from major European donors, particularly European Commission and FCDO.
- Exceptional attention to detail.
- Microsoft Office user, with advanced Excel skills
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Solution driven
- Effective communication skills; verbal and written
- Experience of undertaking compliance checks
Desirable Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
- Expertise in managing commercial contracts with European donors, including EC and FCDO
- Spoken and written French
- Experience working in country offices/project implementation offices.
Candidates must submit a succinct covering letter of no more than 1 page explaining how they satisfy the requirements of the person speciation in addition to a CV highlighting relevant experience. The successful candidate will also be asked to provide three professional referees, one of whom must be from their most recent employer.
Due to a high volume of applications received for this role, the selection will be done on a rolling basis. We may start inviting candidates before the deadline.
The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, all the tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the job holder a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of his/her position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.
This position will be located in the United Kingdom and therefore a successful applicant must both be present in the UK for the duration of the assignment and obtain the Right to Work in the UK in order to commence their employment.