CIVIC is hiring a Senior Grants Manager in Nairobi to oversee donor compliance, grant reporting, budgets, audits, proposals, and the effective implementation of donor-funded projects. The position is designed for an experienced grants management or donor compliance professional with at least seven years of relevant experience in an international NGO setting. Candidates must already have legal authorization to work in Kenya without requiring current or future visa sponsorship.
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Why This Senior Grants Manager Opportunity Matters
The Senior Grants Manager position offers an opportunity to play a central role in the management of complex international NGO programs. The successful candidate will help ensure that donor-funded projects are implemented according to approved agreements, budgets, regulations, and reporting requirements.
Grant management is an important function in organizations that depend on institutional donors to deliver programs. Strong grants management helps ensure that funds are used appropriately, project results are documented accurately, and donor commitments are met on time.
At CIVIC, the role will connect several important areas of the organization. The Senior Grants Manager will work closely with program, finance, development, operations, and MEAL teams. This makes the position suitable for a professional who can combine strong attention to detail with excellent communication and the ability to coordinate work across different departments.
The role also offers exposure to complex, multi-year, and multi-country grants. The successful candidate will contribute to proposal development, financial monitoring, donor reporting, audits, assessments, and program cycle support.
The position may also provide opportunities to support different teams when additional technical or operational capacity is needed. This could include supporting MEAL, communications, and capacity-building activities in coordination with the relevant department leads.
The position is based in Nairobi, although the recruitment process is also being conducted for equivalent positions in Geneva and Brussels. The vacancy is for one position, with the role advertised separately in each location for administrative purposes. Applicants should apply only for their preferred location and must have the legal right to work in that country without requiring visa or work permit sponsorship now or in the future.
About CIVIC
Center for Civilians in Conflict, commonly known as CIVIC, is an international nonprofit and nongovernmental organization working to improve the protection of civilians affected by conflict.
The organization works with communities affected by conflict and engages with armed actors and relevant institutions to strengthen their ability to prevent and respond to civilian harm.
CIVIC believes that civilians caught in conflict should not be ignored. Its work combines advocacy and practical advice to help improve protection and address the challenges faced by civilians in conflict-affected environments.
The organization works internationally and has offices in different parts of the world. Its programs require strong systems for managing donor funds, reporting results, meeting compliance requirements, and coordinating activities across teams and locations.
The Senior Grants Manager will therefore contribute to an important organizational function. The role will help ensure that grant agreements are properly understood, projects remain aligned with donor requirements, reports are submitted on time, and financial and program information is accurately tracked.
Senior Grants Manager Job in Nairobi: Key Responsibilities
The Senior Grants Manager will be responsible for a broad range of grants management and donor compliance activities.
Donor Compliance and Relationship Management
The successful candidate will help ensure that CIVIC complies fully with donor rules, regulations, and contractual obligations.
The role will serve as a focal point for grant contracts and donor requirements. This includes interpreting donor rules, sharing relevant requirements with program and support teams, and helping staff understand their responsibilities.
The Senior Grants Manager will also support regular communication with donors throughout project implementation. This may involve clarifying compliance expectations, requesting and managing contract amendments, discussing project progress, and addressing challenges that may affect grant implementation.
Another important responsibility will be maintaining a centralized system containing donor guidelines and contractual obligations. This will help ensure that relevant information is organized, accessible, and up to date.
Grant Reporting
The position will lead the coordination, review, and submission of high-quality narrative and financial reports.
Reports must meet donor requirements and be submitted accurately and on time. The Senior Grants Manager will maintain and monitor a reporting calendar covering the grants portfolio to help ensure that important deadlines are not missed.
The role will also work with program and MEAL teams to ensure that project impact, results, achievements, and successes are captured consistently and appropriately in donor reports.
Strong writing and editing skills will therefore be important for this position.
Proposal and Budget Development
The Senior Grants Manager will contribute to the development of concept notes and proposals.
This work will involve close collaboration with development, program, and finance teams to ensure that proposals are realistic, compliant, and competitive.
The position may also lead or support the development of budget narratives, cost applications, and materials that meet donor formatting requirements.
Candidates should therefore be comfortable working with both written proposal content and financial information.
Program Cycle Support
The role will support different stages of the program cycle.
This may include contributing to program design workshops, inception phases, and closeout planning. The Senior Grants Manager will work with relevant teams to help ensure that grant requirements and compliance considerations are addressed throughout the life of a project.
Financial Monitoring and Budget Implementation
Financial monitoring will be another major part of the position.
The Senior Grants Manager will work with Finance, Program, and Operations teams to monitor grant expenditures and ensure that spending remains aligned with approved budgets.
The position will review monthly financial reports and participate in monthly budget-versus-actual meetings with relevant teams. Where issues such as under-spending or over-spending arise, the Senior Grants Manager will help identify and flag them.
The role will also provide technical support to program teams to strengthen budget management and help ensure that grant resources are implemented responsibly.
Audit and Assessment Coordination
The Senior Grants Manager will lead and coordinate donor audits and project-specific assessments.
This will involve working with finance and program teams to ensure that CIVIC is prepared for audits and assessments. The Financial Compliance Manager will engage with external auditors and provide requested documentation, while the Senior Grants Manager will help coordinate the wider process.
The position will also follow up on audit and assessment recommendations and ensure that senior management implements agreed actions.
Overall, the role will help oversee compliance with donor protocols and internal standards.
Systems and Capacity Building
The successful candidate will maintain accurate and up-to-date grant files.
These files will include grant agreements, modifications, correspondence, and other important documentation.
The position will also help strengthen internal systems and tools used for grants management, tracking, and donor compliance.
In addition, the Senior Grants Manager will provide training and support to field and headquarters staff on donor compliance and grants management.
Technical and Operational Support
The position may provide technical support and surge capacity in areas such as MEAL, Communications, and CBP.
This work will be carried out in collaboration with the leads of the relevant departments. For example, the Senior Grants Manager may work with communications and MEL teams to develop innovative ways of showcasing CIVIC's work.
The role will also serve as a flexible team member who can help address capacity gaps across regions and provide operational support when needed.
How to Apply for the Senior Grants Manager Job in Nairobi
The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Applicants must be fully authorized to work in Kenya without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.
The application deadline is July 31, 2026.
Applicants should apply only to their preferred location. Because this is a single recruitment process for one position that may be based in Nairobi, Geneva, or Brussels, candidates must ensure that they have and will continue to have the legal right to work in the country selected without requiring visa or work permit sponsorship.
Due to the high volume of applications, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Shortlisted candidates will receive an email invitation from TestGorilla to submit their resume. Candidates who receive this invitation should complete the required step promptly so that their candidacy can be fully considered.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Applying
One of the most important mistakes to avoid is applying for a location where you do not have the legal right to work. Candidates should carefully review the work authorization requirement before submitting an application.
Applicants should also avoid applying to multiple locations when the recruitment process is for one position. The instructions require candidates to apply only to their preferred location.
Another common mistake is failing to demonstrate relevant grants management experience. This role requires a minimum of seven years of experience in grants management or donor compliance within an international NGO setting. Applicants should make their relevant experience clear rather than relying on a general description of their career history.
Candidates should also avoid submitting application information that does not clearly reflect experience with complex institutional donor grants. The position requires experience with multi-year and multi-country grants, as well as experience contributing to multi-stakeholder or consortium proposal development and grant management processes.
Attention should also be paid to donor experience. Familiarity with humanitarian or protection programming is important, particularly work related to civilians in conflict. Experience with EU ECHO and FPI funding is compulsory for the role.
Poorly presented application materials can also weaken an otherwise strong candidacy. Candidates should ensure that their resume clearly presents relevant qualifications, experience, donor exposure, financial monitoring skills, proposal development experience, and reporting responsibilities.
Applicants should also carefully monitor their email after applying. Shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation from TestGorilla to submit their resume. Delaying this step could affect the consideration of the application.
Finally, job seekers should be cautious about recruitment scams. Genuine employers should not require applicants to pay money or provide favors in exchange for employment or faster recruitment. Applicants should report suspicious requests to the relevant authorities.
Salary, Benefits & Career Growth
The job posting does not provide a specific salary figure, so applicants should not assume a particular salary level before receiving official information during the recruitment process.
However, the position offers significant professional value for an experienced grants and donor compliance specialist. The Senior Grants Manager will work across programs, finance, development, operations, MEAL, and senior management functions.
This cross-functional exposure can help strengthen a professional's understanding of the full grant lifecycle. The role covers proposal development, budgeting, implementation, financial monitoring, donor reporting, audits, compliance, program design, and closeout planning.
The position also offers the opportunity to work with complex institutional donor grants covering multiple countries and stakeholders. This type of experience can be valuable for professionals seeking to develop or deepen careers in international NGO grants management, donor compliance, humanitarian programming, and international development.
The successful candidate will also have opportunities to support systems development and staff capacity building. Training colleagues, improving grants management tools, and strengthening internal compliance processes can provide valuable experience beyond routine administrative grant work.
The position is hybrid and involves frequent travel to field offices or donor meetings. Travel may be domestic or international, with up to 35% travel expected.
The role reports to the Director, Global Programs. There are currently no direct staff reports, although the position may manage research partnerships and consultancies or fellows in the future.
The contract is open-ended, depending on funding. The position may also provide opportunities to work across regions and support different teams when additional capacity is required.
Key Qualifications for the Role
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree in international relations, public administration, finance, or a related field. A master's degree is considered an asset.
The role requires a minimum of seven years of experience in grants management or donor compliance in an international NGO setting.
Candidates should have proven experience managing complex grants from institutional donors, including multi-year and multi-country grants.
Experience contributing to multi-stakeholder or consortium proposal development and grant management processes is also required. Familiarity with humanitarian and/or protection programming is preferred, particularly experience related to civilians in conflict.
Experience with EU ECHO and FPI funding is compulsory.
The successful candidate should have a strong understanding of donor regulations, excellent writing, editing, and communication skills, and strong financial and budget monitoring abilities.
The position also requires someone who is detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage competing deadlines.
Proficiency with grant management systems, Excel, and document-sharing platforms is required. A collaborative mindset and the ability to work across departments and time zones are also important.
Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another relevant language is considered an asset.
CIVIC is an Equal Opportunities Employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive working environment. The organization states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
Recruiters and placement agencies should also note that CIVIC does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by agencies other than its approved partners.
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