Grants & Compliance Coordinator

Positive Action for Development (PAD) is one of the most vibrant, rapidly expanding, and results-driven civil society organizations in Ethiopia. PAD is currently scaling up its interventions across the humanitarian, NEXUS, and development spectrum—expanding operations throughout the country, including in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Harari, Afar, Somali, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Ethiopia’s southern regional states. As PAD broadens its reach, it remains firmly committed to inclusive, equitable, and conflict-sensitive programming—respecting the diverse realities of communities while fostering peaceful coexistence and sustainable development.

Vision: PAD strives to see a community of hope, humanity, and social justice.

Mission: PAD brings people together to work in partnerships; promotes hope, humanity, and social justice for every human life in all its fullness; and improves the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups for social and inclusive economic growth by actively engaging in positive actions, promoting responsive care and support, and addressing the root causes of poverty in Ethiopia.

Job Summary

The Grants & Compliance Coordinator is responsible for supporting grant management, ensuring donor compliance, and strengthening internal controls across projects. The role ensures that programmatic, financial, and operational activities comply with donor regulations, organizational policies, and contractual obligations throughout the grant lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

1. Grant Management & Compliance

• Support the review and interpretation of donor agreements, grant contracts, and amendments.
• Monitor project implementation to ensure compliance with donor rules, PAD policies, and applicable laws.
• Maintain an up-to-date grants compliance checklist for each active project.
• Track grant timelines, deliverables, reporting deadlines, and key compliance requirements.

2. Donor Rules & Policy Adherence

• Provide guidance to program, finance, and procurement teams on donor compliance requirements.
• Ensure alignment of project activities with approved proposals, budgets, and work plans.
• Support compliance with procurement, finance, and asset management policies under donor-funded projects.

3. Reporting & Documentation

• Support the preparation and review of donor reports (programmatic and compliance sections).
• Ensure the timely preparation and submission of financial reports to respective donors in accordance with agreed deadlines, and review all supporting financial documentation to confirm accuracy, completeness, and compliance prior to submission.
• Ensure proper filing and documentation of grant-related records (contracts, reports, approvals).
• Maintain organized electronic and hard-copy grant files for audits and donor reviews.
• Prepare and regularly update budget monitoring and variance analysis reports to support effective financial control and decision-making.
• Conduct audit trail reviews to ensure the completeness, accuracy, and compliance of financial transactions with donor requirements and organizational policies.
• Review financial and supporting documentations and records to verify proper documentation, authorization, and compliance with internal controls.
• Upload approved budgets into the financial management system, ensuring accuracy, consistency with donor-approved budgets, and proper coding.
• Support internal and external audits by providing required documentation and responding to audit queries in a timely manner

4. Sub-Grant Management

• Facilitate the contract signing process for sub-grantees and provide ongoing guidance on donor compliance requirements, financial policies, and reporting obligations.
• Monitor the financial performance of sub-grantees, review budget utilization, and facilitate timely fund disbursements in line with approved agreements and donor regulations.
• Follow up on fund transfers and ensure receipt acknowledgements and proper documentation are obtained and filed.
• Review and verify financial reports submitted by sub-grantees for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with donor rules and statutory requirements.
• Conduct spot checks and periodic financial reviews of sub-grantee financial records and supporting documents, and provide written feedback and corrective actions where necessary.
• Ensure all sub-grant expenditures are eligible, reasonable, and properly supported in accordance with donor and organizational policies.
• Maintain and archive sub-grant documentation (both hard copy and electronic files) in an organized and secure manner, ensuring easy retrieval for audits, reviews, and reporting purposes.
• Support internal and external audits and donor reviews related to sub-grants by providing required documentation and explanations.
• Build the financial capacity of sub-grantees through coaching, guidance, and clarification of financial procedures and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate closely with sub-grantees to ensure effective sub-grant implementation and compliance throughout the project lifecycle.

5. Risk Management & Internal Controls

• Identify compliance risks and gaps and recommend corrective actions.
• Support internal compliance reviews and spot checks of project activities.
• Assist in the preparation for internal, external, and donor audits.

6. Capacity Building & Coordination

• Support training of staff on donor compliance, grant conditions, and internal policies.
• Coordinate with finance, procurement, HR, and program teams to ensure grant compliance.
• Provide ongoing compliance support during project start-up, implementation, and close-out.

7. Other Duties

• Support grant close-out processes, including documentation and compliance verification.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Grants & Compliance Manager

Required Educational Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• A Master’s degree in a relevant field is an added advantage.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in grant management, compliance, finance, or project administration, preferably within NGOs or humanitarian organizations.
• Proven experience working with donor-funded projects and ensuring compliance with donor regulations.
• Experience in financial reporting, budget monitoring, and grant documentation management.
• Demonstrated experience in sub-grant management, financial review, or partner capacity support is an asset.
• Experience supporting internal and external audits and responding to compliance queries.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong understanding of donor compliance requirements, grant management procedures, and financial controls.
• Good knowledge of budget monitoring, variance analysis, and financial documentation review.
• Ability to interpret donor agreements, policies, and grant conditions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent report writing and documentation skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with finance, procurement, HR, and program teams.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict reporting deadlines.
• High level of integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Experience with financial management or accounting software is an advantage.
• Strong data management and documentation skills.